By Tim Allan

Huge floods have brought devastation to northern Thailand and SIM workers are doing all they can to support the relief effort.

The flooding began with super typhoon Yagi which struck the country in September and was then followed by unprecedented monsoon rainfall to produce flooding not seen in 50 years.

Many thousands of people were forced to flee their homes as rivers burst their banks and flood waters rose quickly.

SIM Thailand director Jonathan Thomas said: “There were two bouts of flooding – one at the end of September and another in early October. The Ping river in Chiang Mai burst its banks and water poured through the city.

“We know of one church where the pastor had been for 72 years and he had never seen flooding like this. It’s been very difficult for many, many people.

“As the floods recede they are coming back to homes which have been very badly damaged, so they face many weeks or months of hard work to recover.”

SIM’s main office in Thailand is in Chiang Mai and was flooded for a few days. Several staff members had to evacuate their homes, while others were unable to leave because of flooded roads.

Our workers are now back in the office and their efforts are focused on supporting local churches which are coordinating the relief efforts. They aim to provide food parcels, transport and repair materials, as appropriate.

If you would like to donate to the relief effort, you can give to SIMaid's Emergency Fund (#68001).

Please pray:

• For people and churches to recover at least some of their property. Many churches have lost equipment and documents, some of which are now irrecoverable.
• For the church to respond well and meet people’s needs
• For the necessary financial resources to be able to help communities get back on their feet.