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Flooding in the Székelykerestúr District
August 23, 2005 - On Tuesday night the area of the Nyikó River Valley of Transylvania, just Northwest of Székelyudvarhely, was hit with an 8 foot wall of water in a flash flood caused by very heavy rains in the mountains above the valley. Rev. Lajos Lorenczi, the minister in Csehétfalva and Tordátfalva, said Thursday that the Unitarian villages of Siménfalva, Kobátfalva and Kadács were the hardest hit. One portion of Székelyszentmihaly was impacted hard as well, and another handful of Catholic villages nearby also suffered great damage. Siménfalva, a village of 1000 (of whom 800 are Unitarian) suffered the direct hit of the flash flood. Every household was impacted. Some have lost everything, their house, their barn, their livestock, and their chickens. Two women, both Unitarians, died in the flood in Siménfalva. Kobátfalva is also suffering from extreme damage and the death of three Unitarians. Over half of the village is destroyed. Kadacs is similarly affected though luckily did not suffer from loss of human life. Other damage in the area includes flooded houses, with roads, bridges and railroad tracks washed away. Rev. Lorinczi report that the bridge connecting Csehétfalva, Tordátfalva, and Tarcsafalva has been washed away, leaving these three villages only accessible by foot. Fields in the area, already saturated with rain, are now flooded. Flooding reached as far as homes and fields in the northwest section of Székelyudvarhely. Unitarians in the area, some from as far away as Kolozsvár and Sepsiszentgörgy are organizing work groups to help with the cleanup. "We have the immediate relief that we need," said Rev. Lorinczi. "But we don’t know how we will help these people rebuild their homes and their lives." "The UUPCC, working in conjunction with the UUA, is committed to helping these Unitarians rebuild their houses, their barns and their herds of goats and cows," said Barbara Beach, President of the UUPCC. "There is very limited government assistance to tiny villages such as these," said Cathy Cordes, UUPCC Executive Director. "These are our Unitarian friends and partners. If we don’t help them at a time like this, who will?" Rev. William G. Sinkford, President of the UUA said, "The UUA and UUPCC are committed to helping these Unitarians rebuild their lives, their houses, their barns and their herds of goats and cows. They need to replace all of these plus feed for stock, seed for new crops, and firewood and food to get through the winter. With our partnership in the rebuilding, our brothers and sisters in faith may find new joy to heal their sorrow. Unitarian Universalists are a generous people because we care. And many of us have known the generosity that Transylvanian Unitarians have given us. We know you will do what you can." Entire Text of Rev. Sinkford's Statement. Please help us help them.
The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, in partnership with the UU Partner Church Council, is administering donations to UU Transylvania Flood Relief. All of your gift will be used for this important cause.
If you want to make your donation by check please send your check directly to the UUPCC with "Flood Relief" on the memo line and mail your donation to:
UUPCC / P.O. Box 88 / Bedford MA 01730-0088 For questions about check donations or general flooding questions please contact us at : office@uupcc.org For tax purposes: The UUA is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Our federal tax-exempt I.D. number is 04-210-3733. Your donation to the UU Transylvania Flood Relief Fund may be deductible as a charitable gift for tax purposes. Please consult your advisors regarding your particular circumstances. Thank you for your generosity! Last Update: August 26, 2005 |
