American family trapped near Lemago after Cyclone Idai

MBOMBELA -Time is running out for an American family who are trapped near Lemago after Cyclone Idai made landfall last Thursday. This after there was a warning issued on Wednesday that Mozambique is receiving from Zimbabwe 18 thousand cubic metres per second of water after they opened the sluices of a dam situated on the Buzi River.

The United Nations has described Cyclone Idai which has killed hundreds of people, submerged homes and battered cities in southeastern Africa, the worst weather-related disasters ever in the Southern Hemisphere.

Africa Inland Mission (AIM) missionaries, Karis Koehn, her husband, Robert and their son Joseph who are originally from Paintsville, Kentucky, USA have been teaching in a Bible school in Lemago, between Beira and Chimoio.

Rescue teams on Tuesday had to make a hard choice and assessed that there were others in more dire situations who needed help first. Karis managed to get messages out on Monday about their situation.

“Only God’s grace has sustained us as we care for wounds, house and feed many people, rescue, search, organise and now unfortunately transport dead bodies. Robert has been working non-stop, but God has given what has been needed for each day.

“I find myself crying out to Him in the middle of the night as I imagine the next day,” said Karis.
“Thursday night the cyclone hit. Then the eye in the early morning. Then the second half. It was strong, destructive. Never in my life do I want to go through that again. Our yard is a tree cemetery, but our house did well.”

Most homes have been affected, totally destroyed or lost their roofs. “Three people died from houses falling on them. We housed maybe 20 people who fled to our home.

“Friday night an incredible storm hit that rained so much water, maybe two to three feet. I was woken at 05:30 with people fleeing from the other side of the village (other side of the highway) to our home. The other side has the river and is lower. They were being flooded out. By nightfall we had at least 300 people at our place sleeping in every spot possible, many stayed sitting up all night.

Saturday brought new challenges.

“God gave Robert incredible wisdom to use rope with empty 20-litre jugs tied to it. For the next couple of days hundreds of people were able to pull themselves or be helped through the incredible current to safety.

“This side of village is now housing the other side. The water came up even to the height of the road and praise God it stopped there.”

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She said there was just one house between theirs and the road. “This side of the village would have been flooded as well. Rain continued to fall on Saturday, Sunday and Monday but it is getting less, sometimes off and on.
“The water is going down and people are making their way back over to see if they still have a home. If not, they remain on this side. The number at our house has reduced. The highway is cut on either side of us so we are unable to go to another town.

“Being able to communicate now with the outside world is an answer to my prayer. I pray the rain will stop. No more flooding. God’s will accomplished. Wisdom. Sickness limited following this. I pray the flooded hospital will get supplies and the nurses will be able to start working again and the looting will stop. God will be glorified.”

She added that they have heard helicopters go over their house. “We will see what help may arrive as food becomes more and more scarce. Not only have people lost their homes and all their possessions, but also the produce from their fields. We kept begging God for mercy, but the storm and flooding just kept coming. He has His reasons.”

The last contact Karis and Robert made was to friends who tried to reassure them that help was on the way.
“Sadly at this point we have not been able to land the helicopter in Lemago on Tuesday. I have tried to connect with her all day, but without success. Our helicopter flew over them and they have moved together with the whole village to higher ground. They seem to have got some organisational structure going,” said Mercy Air pilot, Joel Baerstschi.