Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association relief news from Chile.
Since late July 2011, over 6,500 people were isolated by a snow storm in Chile’s southern Araucanía region, with the snow reaching up to three meters in some places.

At one point, downed power lines left some 16,000 with no electricity, which also caused households to lose running water due to the freezing temperatures.

Local officials and the Chilean Defense Ministry attempted to provide emergency assistance but were hampered by the difficult weather conditions. Conveying her love and sorrowful prayers, Supreme Master Ching Hai requested our local Association members to please check with the area’s authorities to see if help was needed, and to go aid the most vulnerable if possible, as she said that funds for urgent necessities are available.

Our Chilean Association members were able to contribute nearly US$6,700 of their own funds, and purchased supplies to bringing to the hard-hit town of Lonquimay, whose residents had called the disastrous snow storm the “White Earthquake.”

Cooperating with Lonquimay’s municipal officials and humanitarian aid group Hogar de Cristo, the relief team carried out a plan to assist local families and the elderly in the Andes’ Pehuenco area.

Two hundred boxes of food and other supplies were distributed, including rice, noodles, beans, salt, sugar, sauces, tea, matches and socks. Receiving the items, local residents and the region's mayor expressed their gratitude to Supreme Master Ching Hai.

With thanks for the Chilean officials’ timely help to those in need, we join in appreciation for Supreme Master Ching Hai’s loving concern and our Association members’ diligent efforts and generous hearts.

Our prayers for the protection of all affected residents and that such extreme situations subside as we strive for gentler treatment of one another and the ecosphere.