ELCA NEWS SERVICE
December 29, 2003
Lutherans Add to Relief Efforts Following Earthquake in Iran
03-234-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) began sending donations immediately to the ELCA
International Disaster Response fund upon hearing of a Dec. 26
earthquake in southeast Iran. The Iranian government reported
that searchers have retrieved more than 25,000 bodies since the
magnitude 6.6 earthquake shook the city of Bam and the
surrounding region. Tens of thousands more residents were
injured or left homeless.
An initial amount of $50,000 from the ELCA International
Disaster Response fund will help buy tents, blankets, food, clean
water and medicine, and help meet the sanitation needs of
survivors of the earthquake, said the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida,
director for international communication, ELCA Division for
Global Mission.
"The greatest need among survivors is shelter, food and
water," said Ishida. "Most survivors are spending nights
outdoors in cold temperatures."
"Virtually all of the mud and brick buildings and houses in
Bam were destroyed," Ishida said. "Those that remain standing
threaten to crumble with each aftershock," he said.
Half of the initial amount from the ELCA International
Disaster Response fund will be sent to Church World Service (CWS)
to help buy and distribute emergency materials, Ishida said. In
addition to airlifts of supplies, CWS is planning to provide long-
term rehabilitation assistance to communities the earthquake
affected.
CWS is a relief and development agency of 36 U.S. Protestant
and Orthodox churches, including the ELCA. It works in
partnership with indigenous organizations in more than 80
countries to meet human needs and foster self-reliance.
Ishida said the ELCA is sending the other initial $25,000 to
the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) through Action by
Churches Together (ACT). ACT is a worldwide network of churches
and related agencies that meets human need through organized
emergency response. ACT is based with the World Council of
Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), both in
Geneva, Switzerland. The ELCA is a member of the WCC and LWF.
MECC, the ACT member closest to the affected area, is
working with its partner organizations in Iran and "has been
asked to help with tents, blankets and medical supplies. These
items will be purchased in Iran and transported to the affected
area," Ishida said.
Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), another ACT member, is shipping
400 winter-weather tents that can accommodate 3,000 to 4,000
people there, Ishida said. NCA is also helping meet water and
sanitation needs.
The earthquake destroyed two hospitals in Bam, and relief
workers are evacuating the injured to hospitals and medical
centers in neighboring areas, Ishida said.
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INTERNATIONAL DISASTERS:
Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds for aid to
survivors of major disasters outside the United States, Puerto
Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, please include:
ELCA International Disaster Response
PO Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
1-800-638-3522 or
http://www.elca.org/scriptlib/dcm/giving/idisaster.asp on the
Internet
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
