More than a week after Typhoon Yagi and monsoon rains triggered severe flooding in multiple countries across Southeast Asia, the region remains in crisis mode as communities work to rebuild and recover.
In northern Myanmar, the Sunday Eucharistic Liturgy at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in the northern Taungngu region was filled with flood-affected and displaced people of all faiths, according to Jesuit Fr. Girish Santiago, the Regional Superior of the Myanmar Dependent Region.
“In some areas, the flood water current is still running strong at about two feet,” noted Fr. Santiago, adding that while their cathedral is water-free as it is on higher ground, the nearby Anglican St. Paul’s Cathedral is still inundated.
The junta in Myanmar announced that floods have hit more than 50 townships, with over 600,000 people affected and more than 300 deaths, with around 90 people still missing. While water levels are receding in several northern regions, the situation remains critical.
Typhoon Yagi, one of the strongest storms to hit the region this year, also wreaked havoc in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar, with hundreds confirmed dead in northern Vietnam.
In Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, the Bishop of the northernmost Chiang Rai Diocese, Joseph Vuthilert Haelom, reported that residents, volunteers, and local officials have been working tirelessly on a major clean-up of roads in the provincial center, especially in the hard-hit Mae Sai District, which borders Myanmar.
Despite the progress, the cathedral remains unusable, and the Bishop’s residence is still uninhabitable due to extensive damage. Additionally, the school on site will remain closed until at least the middle of next month.
“The cleaning and the clearing of mud and debris in the cathedral compound are now about 70% done, but major repairs are still required,” Bishop Haelom told LiCAS News.
“Every day except Sunday, we have about one hundred volunteers, including St. Paul de Chartres Sisters, Camillian Sisters, and Sacred Heart of Jesus Sisters, who have been working very hard to get things back to normal. But it may take until the middle of next month before we can operate as normal.”
The clean-up efforts have been hindered by ongoing rain, with mud and debris still deeply covering roads in some areas.
Excavators and heavy trucks are being used to clear the way, but many cars remain buried or stranded in the mud, as their owners wait for the operation to progress.
As the region grapples with the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi, the dust created by the cleaning process has also become a new challenge, making it difficult for residents to breathe.
The road to recovery remains arduous, but communities are coming together to support one another through this crisis.
