Earthquake-triggered tsunami in Samoan Islands


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The Situation:

UPDATE: Following the second earthquake, the death toll rose to over 150. Coordinated immediate-response relief efforts from many international and domestic agencies are underway. On the American Samoa side, Church World Service’s domestic response unit is interacting with FEMA and assessing how best the agency and its U.S. member denominations can assist in that emergency.

Early Tuesday morning, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck just off the Samoan Islands, triggering a massive tsunami to rush ashore on Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga. The tsunami was also felt in French Polynesia and New Zealand. Over 130 deaths have been confirmed, with authorities concerned that the toll will continue to climb as rescuers dig through piles of debris.

A second earthquake struck near the islands on Wednesday evening, measuring at 5.5 magnitude. While the second quake did not cause warnings of additional tsunami waves, it made an early beginning recovery effort more difficult, causing additional damage and casualties.

A Presidential Disaster Declaration has already been issued for the U.S. territory of American Samoa while Australian and British interests in the Independent State of Samoa are helping in the recovery efforts there. Officials from FEMA and the American Red Cross are traveling to the area, along with shipments of relief supplies and equipment, to begin the process of assessment and relief.

ELCA Response:

ELCA Disaster Response has been actively communicating with Church World Service and other partners on the ground to understand the scope of the situation and the needs of the people affected. We have already issued a $20,000 grant to Church World Service as seed money for the response that will soon get underway.

What you can do:

Pray:

Please remember the people of the Samoan Islands in your prayers. Prayer petitions are provided by the staff of the ELCA worship team. Include these prayers in your personal time of devotion and in your Congregation Prayers.

Study and Share:

In addition to what you find in the media, look at the following.
    ACT International
     Church World Service
     Oxfam International
Return here periodically for updates.

Give:

Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response help us to provide immediate and effective support to communities which are hurting and in need. Please consider giving to support the needs of this response and others like it. Information on giving is provided in the box on the right “How You Can Help.” Your gift will be used in full to bring life sustaining support to this crisis. Thank you for your prayerful consideration. Funding is vitally needed at this time.

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Photo: ACT for Peace/ACT International