2 October 2009
Christians and churches are being called to prayer by Christian relief and development agency Tearfund, as thousands of people face loss and trauma following a week of horrific disasters in South East Asia.
A week ago Typhoon Ketsana ripped though Luzon, the northern island of the Philippines, leaving – in Metro Manila alone – well over a million people in need of rescue, relief or support. News reports and YouTube showed people wading waist deep through even the main highways that connect the sprawling cities. Other images showed furniture suspended in overhead cables. The poorest people in the slum areas have been acutely hit, with their fragile homes and their possessions washed away in the flood water. Mudslides in rural provinces have brought further loss of life and logistic chaos. A second storm, being forecast as a ‘super typhoon’ is expected to hit the Philippines this weekend.
Days later in the South Pacific, Samoa and Tonga were flattened by a tsunami triggered from an earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, which has left some 130 people dead. The following day, another earthquake hit the Indonesian city of Padang on Sumatra’s west coast. More than a thousand people have been killed and, with rescuers searching the rubble for thousands still missing, the death toll is likely to be far greater. Aftershocks and the fear of tsunamis is compounding the trauma as the region vividly recalls the disaster of December 2004.
‘The needs are enormous and after the initial loss there comes the sense of devastation and shock. People – many of whom are already desperately poor – are left with nothing,’ says Matthew Frost, Tearfund Chief Executive. ‘Homes and livelihoods are destroyed; loved ones are lost or missing – the disorientation and trauma is unimaginable. The relief effort is being built up daily. Our partner relief teams in Sumatra and in Metro Manila are assessing the need and responding, but we can also surround the crises and the families affected in prayer.’
Immediate needs to pray for are:
- access to clean water
- food aid and basic items
- shelter provision
- medical supplies and counselling support for the grieving and distressed
Pray also that typhoons continuing to move through the region, now also affecting Vietnam and threatening Laos and Cambodia, will subside and greatly reduce in destructive power.
Tearfund partner agencies work tirelessly when a relief operation on this scale is triggered. The first week is crucial to establish the most effective response, demanding agility and resilience as well as emotional stamina.
‘Teams in the region will be immensely grateful to know churches are praying,’ adds Matthew Frost. ‘Pray for wisdom and strength as they respond, as well as for swift access and logistic support. But above all, pray for the thousands of families affected, that they may get relief and find hope to rebuild their broken lives.’
Tearfund is appealing for donations to its S.E. Asia Disasters Appeal and is grateful for any amount that people feel they can afford. www.tearfund.org or call 0845 355 8355.