A natural disaster like the recent eruption of Nyiragongo reminds me vividly and painfully.
Since May 22nd, I have been finding it difficult to forget these photos of the people who abandoned their homes to escape the lava flows that erupted in the Goma region and Lake Kivu.
I did not live in this area but visited it. In my imagination, its lakes and peaks, including the Rwenzori River, is one of the most beautiful corners of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Seeing her tears destroyed my heart.
What will remain if the magma discovered under the city and in the nearby underground lake and under the lake erupts, as the local authorities recently feared?
Mother Nature will decide. I pray that you calm down and that the residents return from their enforced exile.
Thank God the latest news is reassuring and the victims of the disaster are starting to return home. Meanwhile, wherever they are, they need help and generosity.
This is what I see. Immediately, in camps for displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Rwanda, groups mobilize to help the victims.
I challenge this mobilization that has spread beyond the African continent and even into Canada. I am determined to contribute, if only a little money.
One disaster does not wait for another disaster. The eruption of Nyiragongo volcano has been invited in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Don’t ignore it!
At the same time, what is happening shows that reconstruction is part of the human condition.
The disasters we experienced in Alberta, with floods and fires, remind me that the prosperity and security of our communities cannot be taken for granted.
After all, we need to re-launch ourselves and give ourselves new goals. In this effort, human solidarity remains essential.
Let’s help the victims of the Nyiragongo eruption get back on their feet and start over after this countless disaster.
