Last September, the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma (Canary Islands) plunged the population into fear, uncertainty and tragedy.

In the 85 days and 8 hours it lasted, around 1,200 hectares were devastated; 3,000 buildings destroyed; 7,000 people displaced, and 900 million Euros were lost.

In the midst of this situation, the Evangelical Baptist Church of La Palma mobilised to help both the victims and the island's businesses, “following the Lord's commandment and because of the closeness we have with the people of the area”, tells its pastor, Pedro Ángel Rodríguez, on the evangelical television programme Buenas Noticias (Good News).

Helping victims and local businesses

The church has made arrangements with 10 small local shops so that, through a voucher system, people in need who come to the church's social services can buy what they need in those shops.

“With this, they are not only helping the people displaced and directly affected by the eruption, but they are also helping the small businesses in the municipality, which are also very affected by the pandemic situation, by sending them to buy here”, says Uardy Hernández, one of the shopkeepers participating in the report.

The president of the Evangelical Council of the Canary Islands, Toni Quesada, points out that evangelical solidarity has come from both inside and outside the island, and so far donations have reached €85,000.

“Full recovery will take years”

Besides the material things, “they needed a hug, to be listened to. One of the most important things we did and do is to pray, not only for them, but also for us, because this affected us too”, explains one of the church volunteers.

Two months after the eruption stopped, the church continues to help the victims every day to cover their basic needs in order “to return to a normality, which will be difficult to achieve, because houses and jobs are destroyed. Full recovery will take years”, pastor Rodriguez stresses.

The local authorities have shown their “recognition and gratitude to the evangelical churches, that from the beginning have collaborated in everything they could”, says Noelia García, mayor of Los llanos de Aridane, one of the towns most affected by the volcano.