Days after the strike, unseasonably strong thunderstorms, pounded the region with hail and heavy rains. The drenching revealed previously unnoticed damage to roofs and ceilings, in some cases causing some ceilings to cave in. In virtually every household, buckets and pails were scattered throughout the house hoping to catch dripping rains.

More rains came on the 8th day after and more is expected over the Holy days which commence Wednesday night and Thursday. 

The deluge did however, provide much needed water to the communal organic agriculture projects that members had been unable to attend to.

Still, parents are grappling with anxious and restless children. With no school and used to playing outdoors, they are now confined to sprints from home to the bomb shelters… Parents try to keep them busy with books and puzzles, but the exhaustion is clear on the faces of the children… and the parents.

The cold nights means that coats and shoes are lined up at the door ready for the next dash to the shelter. Mothers are coaching their toddlers to put their coats on and run to the shelter following any adults while Mom attends to the baby.

Intensifying barrages from Iran and now the Houthis in Yemen, peaked on the 8th and 9th days after the strike with sirens/alarms blaring on a rough average of every 3 hours. But the frequency and anticipation destroys any hope for a routine. A simple thing like rest, a shower or as one mother said, “a minute to hang out my children’s clothes.. and a quiet night’s sleep” are almost impossible to get.

In the meantime community efforts to help ourselves continue

• Elders were relocated to the community school shelter so they no longer have to worry about alarms and sudden rushes to the shelter
• A new agriculture plot located behind the school yielded its first harvest of winter greens, and broccoli. Along with critical food assistance the plot gave volunteers and children something to engage their minds.

The barrages are a constant reminder that this isn’t finished. Neither is our need for your support. Life has to continue, as we will with our efforts to bring back some normalcy. But we still need the financial support as well as prayers to put things back together. Please click on the donation links and help us as we repair and rebuild.