Severe flooding from heavy rains has damaged homes and property and left more than 11,000 people homeless and 100 people dead. Among them is a recent LDS convert, 14-year-old Carla Garcia.
The young woman was the only Church member in her family at the time of the flooding, according to a report from Elder Francis M. Gibbons, Brazil Area president and a member of the first Quorum of the Seventy.No other Church members were injured, although the homes of five members were destroyed or badly damaged. These families also lost their hillside building lots, which were washed away by the scouring action of the floods.
All five families have alternate housing and home teachers are closely monitoring the situation, according to Elder Gibbons' report.
Landscaping around one meetinghouse was also destroyed by the floods.