Three natural disasters in September have left thousands injured, dead, homeless, or without water and sanitation, and have had PWS&D staff working overtime to help coordinate emergency responses through Action by Churches Together, an international relief organization that PWS&D has partnered with since ACT’s inception in 1995.
In Samoa and two neighbouring islands, survivors continue to search for those missing after an earthquake-triggered tsunami struck on Sept. 29. More than 32,000 people are homeless, and 1,146 people were confirmed dead, most of whom were children, women and elderly.
On Sept. 2, a 7.3 earthquake hit the southern coast of West Java. Over 6,000 people are displaced from their homes and over 8,000 houses were damaged, with the worst damage occurring in rural areas. Materials for temporary shelters, tarpaulins, blankets and mats are badly needed.
A typhoon hit the Philippines on Sept. 26, killing 144 people and leaving more than 150,000 homeless. Almost all residents have lost their means of livelihood and flooding in the major cities has contaminated water supplies and destroyed rice crops.
Urgent relief assistance will include food, drinking water, clothes, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, basic medicines and personal hygiene needs. Medical teams, as well as equipment for search and rescue teams have also been deployed, and longer-term assistance and rehabilitation efforts will also be undertaken.
Congregations and individuals can support this work by donating to PWS&D by phone, mail, or online. For more details and for new developments, visit www.presbyterian.ca/pwsd. –with files from PWS&D and ACT International.
