Friday, September 14, 2007

Bridge Under Troubled Waters

It has been going on for a few months now. Rain every single day and in the past couple of weeks we have endured some serious flooding. The community around the bridge was hit the hardest. Many lost their crops, their livestock, their businesses at the market, and for some, their homes. The roads were a muddy mucky mess and the landscape in and around the river has been altered.
When I was finally able to travel to OFCB after my return from Texas, I was very sad to see all the hard work that was destroyed by the floods. I took some photos and will post some before and after shots so you can see the differences. I could not believe how much was lost. I know that efforts are being made to try and raise the funds to build again but this community could use much more help. The Engineers Without Borders are planning another visit soon but Bayonnais will still need to have more resources in order to complete the work and restore what was lost.

In the photo above, there are a number of neatly stacked rocks that lined up all the way to the bridge. They were intended to complete the ramps on both sides of the bridge and extend out a little further. Down below you can see that all the stacks have been swept out into the river and most of the rocks were pushed over to the other side.

Above: The beginning stages of the ramp on the OFCB side of the bridge.

Below: The newly planted rice field to the left and the entire ramp was completely under water. Not quite finished and already covered in mud.

Above: Some of you may remember this shot from an earlier posting. A favored spot for washing and bathing.
Below: This is how it looks today. The land just disappeared!
If you or anyone you know would like to get involved, this would be a great reason for a great cause. The river and the road are the main lifelines for this small community. Please feel free to email me at VJPierce@gmail.com and I will put you in touch with the right people. Together we can restore some lives. God Bless you for caring. My love to all!

1 comment:

Vicki Jean said...

Hello La Don,

I don't know who you are, where you are from, or how you came to read a blog that I posted last year. It truly warms my heart to know that someone is reading it and took the time to say you appreciate my work. I found great joy in writing these stories; as well as taking the pictures, even though it was not all good news. Thank you so much for your kind words. I am grateful and still smiling!! :) God Bless You!