Flash Flood at Nasuli

We got a text on the Friday morning before New Years from the Olsens, saying that a flash flood had hit Nasuli and their car had floated off into a cornfield, some 500 yards away, and was probably a total lose. We called right back and offered to come up there the get them, but they said to come the next morning, as they were helping with the clean up. We drove up the next day.





There had been at flood at Nasuli about 10 years ago and they had added earthen berms and other preventative elements. But this was way worse than the one before! Water and mud was 2 feet up the wall in the guesthouse, downstairs, and you may remember that it is already 2.5 feet off the ground. One of the little woven bamboo cottages which has been there since the beginning was swept off its foundation and got hung up on a tree. The lady who lived there escaped out her window, only to be swept away by the river! She clung to a tree until she was rescued, maybe 15 minutes later.





Four people from Nasuli were sept into the current but none were injured. Six died from the people living across the river. The NOTCH house came off its foundation and is a total lose. The chapel and the houses around the edges on higher ground are fine. All the stuff down the middle is a mess!

I think there will now be serious consideration of whether to keep Nasuli open at all. Much of the land is now under local ownership, including the spring and all the houses along the river. The air strip is all over grown. Now the cost of clean up and repair may not be worth what the center is being used for. A friend from Nasuli called today asking if they could use our house for a meeting, but we had to refer them to a hotel since our floors are all torn up and everything is in boxes. We are guessing the topic of the meeting is the future of the Southern Center.