Flood 2013

I don’t know if it was just poor craftsmanship, the builders did not allow the concrete to cure, or if it was just filled beyond capacity, but a Chinese built dam broke upstream from our rice farm as we were about 60% done with what would have been a record harvest. As a result we lost about 35% of our crop.

It was rolled flat into the mud by a one meter high wall of water. We tried to salvage what we could, but lost about $60,000 worth of rice. A number of church/homes were flooded, and it’s not over yet as we continue to have heavy rains.

For a look at what it’s like to salvage food damaged rice (and this was the best of it) see the video above. We just ran out of time and money to build the dikes we needed this year. Next year we will be more prepared, but we do need help, as eventually our dream is for this to support the ministry here.

Facebooktwitterflickr