Tsunami Victims in Need of Aid

From Episcopal Relief and Development;

More than 20,000 people are reported dead in South Asia after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in the Indian Ocean near Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered a massive Tsunami. The sea wave caused widespread destruction in areas throughout six countries including Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, sweeping away entire villages. Thousands of people are missing and presumed dead. The spread of disease now threatens hundreds of thousands who are homeless. The earthquake was the most powerful in 40 years.

Episcopal Relief and Development is reaching out to affected dioceses in the Church of South India, Church of Ceylon, and Church of the Province of South East Asia and will provide emergency assistance such as food, potable water, temporary shelter, and medicine. ERD will remain with affected communities as they begin to recover and assess their long-term needs.

Please pray for families affected by the disaster in South Asia.

To help people affected by the Tsunami in South Asia, donate to the Emergency Relief Fund under “Ways to Give.” Donations can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief and Development, c/o Emergency Relief Fund, PO Box 12043, Newark, NJ 07101.

From the Red Cross;

...International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in south Asia have begun to mobilize staff and volunteers to affected areas to assist with the immediate needs. Emergency assessment and first-aid teams have already reached some of the affected areas.

“The situation is fluid, with so many people affected in so many areas of southeast Asia, and it is likely that relief teams there may need many different types of assistance in the coming days,” said Matthew Parry of the International Disaster Response Unit at the American Red Cross.

The American Red Cross continues to maintain contact with its partners on the ground and is prepared to support operations with relief supplies, financial assistance or personnel as requested by our sister International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies there.
The American Red Cross is not able to accept small, individual donations or collections of items for this crisis. Financial support is the best form of assistance those wishing to help can provide.

You can help those affected by this crisis and countless others around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance, and other support to those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the International Response Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.

Let us remember those who suffer and grieve in our prayers;

Eternal God, look with pity upon the sorrows of those for whom we pray. Remember them in mercy; nourish them with patience; comfort them with a sense of your goodness; lift up your countenance upon them; and give them peace. Amen.

J.