After Chichonal Blew Up
By “Awake!” correspondent in Mexico
MANY people are aware that Chichonal, a dormant volcano in southeastern Mexico, suddenly erupted last year. But not as well known are the experiences of some of the survivors, who were later interviewed.
These eyewitnesses relate the dramatic events that suddenly engulfed them. Abigail recounts: “After hearing a loud explosion I ran to the front door and looked in the direction of the explosion. It was then that I saw fire spewing out of the mouth of Chichonal. Then a fine rain of ashes, like cement, began to fall. Minutes later, there came a hail of stones, some as large as my fist. The homes of some of our neighbors were completely buried. In nearby settlements between 400 and 500 people were buried alive in the ashes, sand and stones.”
Esdras lived to relate this experience about that Sunday last March: “When the volcano started to erupt we asked ourselves what we should do. Should we leave immediately, abandoning all our belongings? What would happen to our young children if we had to leave and travel through a dense jungle? Being Jehovah’s Witnesses, we took the matter to Jehovah God in prayer, seeking his guidance. Then we made our decision to leave. As we started we could see the havoc wrought by the volcano. In the village of Francisco Leon, Chiapas, dozens of persons had been burned to death. I could see some of them with their arms wrapped around trees, their bodies completely scorched. In other cases, parts of bodies showed through the ashes and sand in which they had been trapped. In the village of El Naranjo 38 persons were burned up due to the intense heat. But not one of Jehovah’s Witnesses lost his life.”
One family of seven had a heart-touching experience that strengthened their faith in Jehovah and in their Christian brothers. The family was trapped in Tapilula. They had walked for two days through the mountains to reach the village to obtain food so they could continue their journey. But what a shock they got when they found that all the inhabitants had fled! This meant that, to reach Villahermosa, they would have to travel another four days on foot without food. However, other Witnesses from the same area had managed to reach Villahermosa and had explained the plight of the family of seven, reporting that they might be in Tapilula. Immediately a brother was on his way in his station wagon, traveling over almost impassable roads covered with ash and sand. He got through, however, found the family and brought them out safely.
Loving Aid
The morning after the eruption, radio stations broadcast to the entire country the news that Chichonal had erupted. The Watchtower Society in Mexico City immediately telephoned the nearest large city, Villahermosa, to find out exactly what the situation was and what could be done to aid Jehovah’s servants in that area. Within 48 hours an emergency relief committee of six was set up and began working around the clock, 24 hours a day. The pressing need was not money or clothing but food.
With that priority set, food started to be channeled to the families in need. The Society cabled funds to the brothers in two large cities with instructions to buy food and take it by truck to Villahermosa for distribution, thus saving valuable time. This timely action is reminiscent of emergency relief measures in the first century at the time of Pentecost. (Acts 4:32) In addition to food and clothing, medicine was distributed due to the danger of epidemics.
Once Jehovah’s Witnesses in the country knew the needs of their Christian brothers in the disaster area, voluntary contributions flowed to the Society and to the relief committee, to the point where the help exceeded what was needed. The committee wrote: “It has been wonderful the way the brothers have responded to the needs of their fellow Christians. They are all being taken care of.”
Government officials visited the area and ordered an end to needless red tape and the eliminating of speculation with food and other articles that had been donated for the displaced persons. During an on-the-scene inspection tour of the stricken area they gave instructions for giving aid as regards health, nutrition and preventive medicine for the 4,453 families displaced from 16 villages around the volcano.
Organized Exodus
One aspect in regard to the exodus from the area of the volcano was the organized way in which Jehovah’s Witnesses left. It was not everyone for himself, but, instead, it was united action, with the elders taking the lead. The elders kept the brothers together and they, in turn, appreciated the spirit of love, unity and cooperation so evident as they left for other places.
Once again Jehovah’s people demonstrated how true Christians react in a bond of love and unity, a mark of identification that is magnified in times of emergency, such as in the aftermath of the eruption of Chichonal volcano. “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves,” said Jesus Christ.—John 13:35.