Funds needed! In Asia, response underway to string of disasters
LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC) staff in Aceh, Indonesia, are en route to western Sumatra, hoping to begin assessing needs after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed more than 1,000 people.
The September 30 earthquake caused the greatest death and destruction in what may be an unprecedented number of recent disasters in the Asian region, said WR-HC Asia Regional Director Darin Storkson. “Disasters happen all the time here, but this may very well be the most we’ve seen in such a short amount of time,” said Storkson. “Lately, it almost seems like a disaster a day.”
Asians also are reeling from a typhoon in Taiwan, tsunami in Samoa, and flooding in the Philippines. On October 2, people in the Philippines were bracing for yet another typhoon heading toward a country already devastated by Typhoon Ketsana, which left 293 dead.
In Sumatra, Storkson says communication and travel are difficult but that he has been in contact with local partners about relief needs. WR-HC worked with the same partners after the 2004 tsunami devastated Southeast Asia.
In the U.S., WR-HC Director of Disaster Response Rev. Glenn F. Merritt is working with ministry partners to respond to relief needs, primarily in American Samoa. On September 29, a powerful tsunami crashed into Samoa and American Samoa in the South Pacific, killing hundreds. Congregations in Hawaii and California are working with Merritt to direct funds to survivors.
Donations are urgently needed to help people who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods in Asia. “We have staff on the ground and Lutheran partners to work with, but we need funds to respond to such a great number of disasters and people in need,” Storkson said. “Of course, we know that Americans are facing their own economic challenges, and that makes us even more grateful for any sacrifices they can make to help us to reach out to suffering people in other countries.”
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