wfn.org | CWS Sends $900,000 Initial Aid to Asia Tsunami Disaster

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  CHURCH WORLD SERVICE DEPLOYS REGIONAL TEAMS, SENDS 
$900,000 IN INITIAL SUPPLIES TO AID IN SOUTH ASIA TSUNAMI DISASTER

CONTACTS:
Christina Bahamonde Ali/CWS/New YorkPhone: (212) 
870-2658e-mail:cbahamonde@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin/New York/Boston * 24/7Phone:(212) 870-2654e-mail: jdragin@gis.net

  NEW YORK * Wed December 29*

International humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS) announced 
today that it is
expediting more than $900,000 in initial relief supplies and deploying
emergency assistance teams to aid in recovery efforts in Sri Lanka and
Indonesia, following Sunday's devastating earthquakes and tsunami that have
killed more than 67,000 people in South Asia and areas of coastal East
Africa.

"Bodies are still being found or washed ashore," said Rick Augsburger,
Director of Emergency Response Programs for Church World Service. "About a
third of the victims are children, and thousands are still missing," he said.
" Sunday's massive earthquakes and tsunami tidal wave that swept away
coastlines without warning from Indonesia to Africa are being characterized
as
the worst natural disaster in recent history. Augsburger said New
York-headquartered Church World Service has issued a U.S.-.wide fundraising
appeal for survivors of the disaster. "We've already deployed rapid response
teams in the region and issued initial rapid response grants for relief
efforts our partners are undertaking in concert with us in Indonesia and
India. Yesterday (Tues December 28) CWS began airlifting emergency shelter
and
hygiene materials. Augsburger said  the agency	has expedited 500 family
shelter kits from its regional warehouse in Pakistan to Sri Lanka, at the
request of the National Council of Churches of Sri Lanka (NCCL).  The shelter
kit shipment is valued at $54,000. Each shelter kit contains a family tent, a
ground sheet and a plastic tarp. A CWS response team from Pakistan will
assist
the NCCL in distribution and further emergency assessment.

Church World Service is also sending 75 Emergency Medicine boxes to Sri 
Lanka, valued at
$270,000, which will provide basic medicines and antibiotics to 75,000
persons
for a period of three months. 9,000 CWS Gift of the Heart Health Kits, with a
total value of $108,000, are also being sent to Sri Lanka.

A Church World Service response team from Pakistan will assist the NCCL in 
distribution of
the supplies and further emergency assessment in Sri Lanka. "We have a
long-established presence in Indonesia," Augsburger said, "with more than 100
staff. Our Indonesia office is also deploying an emergency assistance team to
aid in recovery efforts in Aceh, Indonesia, and yesterday we expedited
sending
5,000 light weight blankets and 35,000 Gift of the Heart Health Kits to
Indonesia for distribution in Aceh ." The shipment was valued at $486,750.

Church World Service is supported in part by 36 denominations in the U.S.
Augsburger said the agency's initial emergency assistance effort is being
implemented by Church World Service with the support of the United Church of
Christ (UCC); Disciples of Christ--Week of Compassion; United Methodist
Committee on Relief (UMCOR); International Orthodox Christian Charities
(IOCC); Reformed Church of America (RCA); and Presbyterian Disaster
Assistance
(PDA).	"This is just our initial support," he said. A dozen countries were
affected by the devastation, virtually in the blink of an eye, and without
warning. It's still difficult to absorb the reality.  "Certainly the initial,
emergency recovery stages for a crisis of this magnitude require enormous
support from the international community," he said,  "yet it's vital to
remember that full recovery from this disaster will require significant
resources over an extended period. Further support and assistance from Church
World Service will be forthcoming," he added.  Sunday's initial earthquake
struck 100 miles off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island at around 7:00
a.m., measuring 9 in magnitude on the Richter scale, and was part of a
powerful series of earthquakes that triggered enormous tidal waves which
swept
across the Indian Ocean, striking coastal regions of Sri Lanka, India,
Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Burma and Malaysia. The tsunami also swept
across the low-lying islands that make up the Maldives and brought
destruction
as far away as coastal East Africa. More than 300 were killed in Malaysia,
Myanmar, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya. The province
of Aceh on Sumatra's northernmost tip near the epicenter of the undersea
quake
is reported to have been hit the worst. CWS' Augsburger says, "Reports are
that the island of Nias has been hit very hard." The island, which is
generally underdeveloped, has a population of nearly 700,000 people. "In
Aceh,
the northernmost and war-torn province on the island of Sumatra," he said,
"the death toll in the province's capital of Banda Aceh is now reported at
more than 9,000."

The Associated Press reported that 10,000 were killed in the
Indonesian city of Meulaboh, in the Aceh province. Augsburger said
complicating factors could be that Aceh has become increasingly isolated from
the world due a clampdown by the Indonesian government in an effort to
control
fighting between government soldiers and separatist rebels.

Access by international relief and development agencies has been limited 
during the past
year. CWS Pakistan office deploys emergency team to Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka, a
CWS emergency assistance team from its Pakistan/Afghanistan regional office
will be deployed to support efforts by the National Christian Council of Sri
Lanka (NCCSL). NCCSL is already responding to the emergency brought on by the
massive sea surge, which swamped the country's southern, eastern and northern
coastlines. Estimated deaths in Sri Lanka alone have climbed to 22,400
according to AP. NCCSL reports that a sea surge triggered by the undersea
quake caused massive inland tides (in some instances up to 2.5 km long) in
places like Trinco, Batticaloa, Amaprai, Matara and Galle. NCCSL also reports
complete destruction in parts of the capital city Colombo along the seashore
where many of the poorest of the city lived. The tides swept most of their
homes and belongings out to sea. Telephone lines are also down, making
communication difficult.  CWS partners assessing needs in India In India, CWS
is providing financial support for regional response by its long-time partner
Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA). Two CASA teams of 15 people each
were deployed to affected coastal areas on Monday to assess damages and
needs.
Along India's southeastern coast, several villages appeared to have been
swept
away, and thousands of fishermen -- including 2,000 from the Chennai area
alone who were out at sea when the seismic waves swept across the waters and
have not returned.  Latest reports say more than 4,000 Indians were killed as
a result of the massive waves.	Another 1,500 are reported dead in Thailand.
CWS may also support other affected areas and anticipates updating its
initial
financial appeal as recovery actions expand. Millions of people are homeless
across the region. "One of the biggest threats we face now," says Augsburger,
"is that diseases from polluted drinking water, dead bodies and lack of
sanitation may pose a health disaster as great as the earthquakes and
tsunami." "Do what you can," Augsburger urged U.S. citizens. "This country
can't be viewed as 'stingy' in the face of such a catastrophe. U.N.
Undersecretary Jan Egeland has said this disaster could be one of history's
costliest," Augsburger added, "We simply have to help."

Contributions to support CWS recovery efforts in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and 
India may be sent to
Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515; by calling:
(800)-297-1516 ext. 222; or by going the Church World Service website at
www.churchworldservice.org

Please designate contributions for emergency # 6970
SOUTHERN ASIA EARTHQUAKE-TIDAL WAVE EMERGENCY.

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