Flooding in Mozambique .. No Electrical Power

[JimT]

South of us in the Province of Zambezia the flooding has been really bad. The only North-South road .. the N1 has been cut in 5 places. It is the ONLY road running the length of the country so all traffic north/south is stopped. At least 10 of the large electrical towers are down and the entire northern half of Mozambique is without electrical power .. except what we produce on our own. The Provinces of Zambezia, Nampula, Niassa and Cabo Delgado (where we live) have no electrical power.

Thousands of people have been displaced by the floods. The number of dead is unknown at the moment .. at least 60 I am told.

Twyla and I are doing fine. We have our generator going during the night to keep fans running and keep our fridge and freezer cold. We are collecting rainwater and have been able to stay ahead of the demand. Last night the team here got the big generator for the base working .. they had to pour a slab and move it in and set it up this last week. They ran it for 6 hours .. until midnight. It was nice to see the base lit up! I am not sure but I figure they will run it at night when it is needed most. Fuel is not cheap and that thing drinks diesel like there is no tomorrow. Our 6500 watt generator costs us about $3.00 an hour to run. I can't imagine what that thing costs.

Work on our projects has slowed down. For one thing, it is hard to get cash right now. Some of the banks are having problems with their generators and are not able to do business. Supplies such as food and fuel are coming in OK .. Pemba is major port. South of us about 6 hours is the huge port city of Nacala and the road between us is good. Fuel comes into Nacala and is trucked here so we are not having any issues that way.

Twyla and I are still working on getting Katarina's house finished. It has been a hassle .. typical of working here in Africa and I was not surprised by it. I just hoped ...... but we have gone through 2 contractors now. The first was totally incompetent and we got rid of him early. The second man I made a deal with knows what he is doing but .. if he gets a little cash he is gone and you don't see him until he is out of money. And when he comes around he is always 'hungry .. I have no food for my family' etc. etc. So we are in the process of paying him off for his work and getting another guy.
The outside walls are up to the roofline. The roof will have to be raised a bit and extended some and all the inside walls need built. Also a "bond beam" .. steel and concrete .. will have to poured on the top of the wall. It binds everything together and secures the roof. We had hoped to have the family secure in their home before the rains but ... This Is Africa!!

Thanks for your prayers. Thanks for all you guys do for us. You make a difference in a "little" person's life .. even though you have never met them. Katarina and her family are grateful as are the others.

Keep Mozambique and Malawi in your prayers. Many thousands of people have been displaced in both countries and an untold number have died. And we are just at the beginning of the Wet Season.

Right now the internet is working. Some days it does not work at all so I take it as I can get it. Phone service is dead right now. Such is life.

Blessings

Jim & Twyla

[gamekeeper]

Prayers sent for those that have suffered lost friends, family and homes.
Stay safe Jim.

[AJMD429]

Prayers up. Sounds like some over there have had what little security they had be taken from them.

[Dan 444]

On my daily prayer list.
Dan

[Sixgun]

Jimbo,
You are a true Christian. I've seen the other pretenders.------6

[CowboyTutt]

Thanks so much for the update Jim. I have always felt that the continent of Africa gets "short thrift" from the international community and I wish that the USA and other world countries would do more to support and change the tragedies going on there over and over. Sincerely, -Tutt

[wm]

After 123 years of service our little Presbyterian church closed but one of the last things we did as a congregation was to continue to offer up prayers for Jim & Twyla and their mission. Hang in there ........ you are an inspiration.

[Grizz]

Prayers UP

about the house raising, is it law that only local contractors can build? or can volunteers/interns build?

[Griff]

Prayers up.

[Ysabel Kid]

Prayers up for you Jim!

[JimT]

Prayers UP

about the house raising, is it law that only local contractors can build? or can volunteers/interns build?

Grizz ... It depends on how the house is built. With hers, anyone could work on it.

[jazman]

Jimbo,
You are a true Christian. I've seen the other pretenders.------6

Yep, agree.