The devastation nationwide poses a serious challenge to religious leaders, according to the Los Angeles Times. Pastors face the difficult task of repairing not only their churches but encouraging the faith of their congregations rocked by years of war, poverty and natural calamities. For now, Salvadorans are holding services in town squares and parks. They are a community center, a place where people meet. They play an important role in the social lives of the community.
Few churches have insurance.
Fewer still have the funds on hand to rebuild. Many will have to depend on donations from churches abroad to rebuild. Salvadoran emergency workers, meanwhile, are working to control disease, fearing rotting corpses, contaminated water and overcrowded refugee camps could trigger epidemics. They are especially concerned about a possible outbreak of cholera and dengue fever. Meanwhile, teams of psychologists who are particularly concerned about trauma in children also treated refugees who lost homes and loved ones.