On February 17, 2006, tragedy struck the village of Guinsaugon, St. Bernard in Southern Leyte, an island in the mid eastern part of the Philippines around 10:00 a.m.

After heavy, unseasonable rainfall for 10 days in the area, an entire mountainside collapsed and buried the whole village of 1,857 people and their 537 homes in over 30 meters depth of mud. At the heart of the village was an elementary school with over 250 schoolchildren together with their teachers at the time of the disaster.

A women’s celebration was also being held in the Barangay (village) hall at the time of the landslide and the participants were believed to be trapped inside the hall that was covered with mud.

Rescue operations were carried out for a week, then abandoned. Fifty seven people were rescued and only 107 bodies were recovered. Although the official rescue operation was discontinued, the task of unearthing the remaining villagers and rehabilitating what remains of the village continues. The survivors are in a state of shock and despair.

Government, nongovernment and faith-based organizations, including The Salvation Army, united in responding to the immediate basic physical and emotional needs of the survivors.

The Salvation Army Cantamuak Corps Officer, Captain Diosdado Cano, together with a retired officer, Major Bionone Laplana, visited the place as soon as the incident happened and coordinated with the Department of Social Services and Development and other agencies and churches in the affected area. A team from The Philippines Territorial Headquarters, and the Visayas Island Division joined them for support. For more than a week the team was able to visit the evacuation area and hospitals where the victims and survivors were housed, providing group and individual counseling. Many are still in a state of shock, especially those who witnessed the actual mudslide, tried to save victims, heard the cries of pain because of injury, and suffered the loss of love ones. After the counseling sessions the team members shared the word of God and introduced Jesus to be the hope in all the tragedies that people were experiencing. As a result most of them have received Christ as their own personal Saviour.

Aside from counseling, The Salvation Army provided medicines to the Anahawan General Hospital and the doctors are very thankful due to scarcity of supplies in the area. Blankets and sleeping mats and bread were also distributed in the evacuation areas.

It is almost a month since the tragedy. Most of the government and nongovernment organizations including the teams of rescuers have left the area because there is no hope of finding survivors buried in the landslide. The relief operations have stopped and the government is concerned about meeting the daily basic needs of the survivors, since their source of income on the land is lost. Most agencies left the area with a promise to help in the long term rehabilitation program. At present, Captain Cano of the Cantamuak Corps is coordinating with local government officials in continuing relief and rehabilitation programs.

In addition to the homes and families that were buried in the mudslide, a further 300 households have been evacuated because of the threat to their communities. Emergency supplies continue to be transported by the coast-guard, on behalf of The Salvation Army, for distribution by the Corps team.

A case study is being made by The Salvation Army of the young people who were absent from the affected area, at school. They are now orphaned and without means of support.

Thank you, to all those who prayed for the team, the donors who provided assistance financially and in kind, to help the Army respond to this emergency situation.