LUANDA, Angola—Beginning on March 11, 2015, torrential rains triggered floods that killed 85 people and destroyed 119 homes in the province of Benguela, located some 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the capital of Luanda. The branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Angola reported that no Witnesses were killed, but 11 of the Witnesses’ homes were destroyed or severely damaged. In Lobito, one Kingdom Hall—a local house of worship—also sustained flood damage.

On the morning following the rainstorm, the Witnesses established a disaster relief committee to assess the damage and organize relief assistance. The Witnesses provided aid to both their fellow worshippers and non-Witnesses in the affected area. At the Kingdom Hall in Lobito, volunteers removed 70 centimeters (2 feet) of mud and water and completed other repairs in time to hold one of a series of special meetings on the weekend following the destructive rains. Representatives of the Angola branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses traveled to the meetings from Luanda, providing spiritual comfort and encouragement to the local Witnesses.

A spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Angola, Todd Peckham, states: “We empathize with all who are recovering from the devastation of these floods. The branch office in Angola will continue to oversee the work of the disaster relief committee and provide support to those in the community.”

Media Contact(s):

International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000

Angola: Todd Peckham, tel. +244 222 460 192