Thousands were displaced in the Volcán de Fuego eruption that occurred Sunday, June 3. Photo courtesy of World Compassion Network.

KOSCIUSKO — On Sunday, June 3, Volcán de Fuego (Volcano of Fire) in southern Guatemala erupted. Ash as hot as 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit raced down the volcano, burying everything in its path. Currently, 114 people are reported dead, with hundreds of others missing. This is the worst eruption to hit the area in over a century.

Two local organizations came together and traveled to Guatemala last week to assess the situation and connect with other ministries, non-profits and organizations near the disaster area.

Joshua Varab, disaster relief coordinator at World Compassion Network, Warsaw; and Dr. Gary Pitts, founder of Guatemala Evangelistic Medical Servants, Winona Lake, went to Guatemala Wednesday, June 6, and returned Monday, June 11.

World Compassion Network is an organization that responds to disasters both domestically and internationally, partnering with other relief organizations in disaster areas to provide immediate assistance. G.E.M.S. is an organization with representatives in Guatemala that helps provide basic medical care in the country.

During their trip, they connected with the Union Church of Guatemala, Love Guatemala and Ministerios Luz y Vida, organizations that focus on providing assistance to Guatemalans in need. They assessed the disaster area, provided funding to the organizations for supplies and helped get medicine for clinics set up at refugee camps.

This was Pitts’ 46th visit to Guatemala, and out of all the trips he’s made to the country, he was pleasantly overwhelmed by the civilians’ response to the situation.

“I am so proud of the Guatemalan people,” said Pitts. “They donated all kinds of resources. There were 100 gallons of water per person in the refugee camps, as well as mountains of clothes and hundreds of personal hygiene items.”

He stated that it was exceptional to see Guatemalans step up like this.

“They’re fortunate if they can provide those items for themselves,” said Varab. “It’s just incredible to see this response.”

Many Guatemalans live in poverty, with the poverty line marked at $880 a year in the country.

Dr. Gary Pitts completes a medical exam on a Guatemalan child. Photo courtesy of World Compassion Network.

“Guatemala has suffered from hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions,” said Pitts. “And I’ve never seen the Guatemalans step up like this before. I was also very impressed that the World Compassion Network came to Guatemala with a bunch of resources and that they were ready from the word ‘go’ to make a difference.”

However, since this trip was mainly an assessment of the overall damage, there is much yet to be done.

In a refugee camp for displaced families, located in Escuintla, rooms were crammed with people. Rooms the size of an elementary school classroom held 30 people who are living with nowhere else to go. Some refugee camps have had to close their doors, as they’ve hit max capacity.

Varab and Pitts spent one of the days going door to door to residences and speaking with the Guatemalans. But the stories they heard about losses didn’t match the current numbers.

One survivor, a young woman with an 18-day-old baby, said that she lost 20 family members to the eruption, with four of her family members still missing.

“Entire villages have been wiped out from the ash,” said Varab. “And someone told us that in one village, a thousand families lived there. In Central America, immediate family includes aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. While we understand families are connected, that’s a huge number of people who have been wiped out. And if they were lucky enough to survive, then they have been widely dispersed.”

And unfortunately, that’s the reality for hundreds of Guatemalans.

“Many have lost their family members to horrific ways,” said Varab. “The ash buried entire villages and completely wiped out plumbing, electricity and crops. It’s very hard for them to survive because they don’t have those resources.”

Since coming back to northern Indiana, both Varab and Pitts have been contacting the organizations they partnered with during their trip daily. Pitts emphasized that there are three major needs for the refugees.

“First, we need to get together a team of medical folks who can go to the country,” said Pitts. “We’ll also need construction teams in the future to help rebuild.”

Both stated that items aren’t needed, as the Guatemalans have been getting items in the country and that it would not have as great of an impact.

“The Guatemalans have been doing exceptional with that,” said Pitts. “We need money to get this done.”

“There’s a huge need for medicine,” said Varab. “And we have the ability to wire money to the organizations we worked with instantaneously. Things will be taken care of more quickly if funds are donated so that the people can buy the things they need in the country.”

Those who would like to donate can visit the World Compassion Network’s website at www.w-c-n.org, or the Facebook page. The donation page will link to PayPal. Leave a memo related to anything about Guatemala. All donations will go to the local organizations in Guatemala.

Those interested in helping provide medical care or construction assistance can contact the G.E.M.S. Facebook page. Pitts said that he’ll start recruiting people in G.E.M.S. and then get members of the public lined up to help over the next 12 weeks.

“The need is great, and our work is just now beginning,” said Varab.