Since July, heavy rains and four tropical storms have hammered Southeast Asia, affecting the entire region with flooding and landslides. In the two hardest hit countries, Cambodia and Thailand, it is estimated that one-third of each country is underwater. Recent reports put the number of dead at over 1,000, with over 75% of those lost coming from Thailand (533 deaths) and Cambodia (250 deaths). With the rains continuing to come the crisis grows as more areas become inaccessible while simultaneously increasing the number of those in need. An example is the city of Bangkok, with a population of 12 million, being threatened with complete submersion.

On November 2, the ELCA commited $150,000 to the relief efforts being coordinated by Church World Services (CWS) in Thailand ($50,000) and Cambodia ($100,000). In Thailand they are working with our companion, the Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT) and in Cambodia they are working with our partner, Life with Dignity (LWD). These efforts will address immediate needs such as supplying emergency food, water and hygeine kits. It will also involve the rebuilding of destroyed homes and the restoring of lost livelihoods.

As this disaster continues to develop and relief efforts move from disaster response to disaster recovery, the ELCA will continue to walk with our companions. Please check back here to learn about these efforts and continue to keep the people of the region in prayer.

For more information:

• ELCA Disaster Page: Southeast Asia Flooding
• Church World Service: Thailand Appeal | Cambodia Appeal | Cambodia Country Page

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

Heavy monsoon rains in late August/early September led to widespread damage, mostly in the southern province of Sindh. The National Disaster Management Authority in Pakistan has appealed for international humanitarian assistance. The most urgent needs have been food, potable water, shelter, and health care because of the great risk to waterborne diseases, malnutrition, and food insecurity.

In the Sindh province, it is estimated 5 million people have been affected, some of whom are still recovering from the floods in July 2010. Twenty-two of its 23 districts receiving heavy rain and flooding. Approximately, 700,000 homes have been damaged and more than 1.7 million acres of crops are affected. According to the UN Offices for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) some regions of the province still have not been reached.

The ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together) has issued an appeal and is coordinating a response, through members like Church World Service (CWS). As heavy rains have continued to affect here and many places in the world, please keep those affected by the rising waters in thought and prayer. May the God who stills the raging waters continue to be with them.

For more information, please check out the CWS Website and Flooding Update (31 Oct).

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

Japan Lutheran Emergency Relief (JLER), which was formed by the Lutheran churches in Japan following the tsunami and earthquake, has been taking a lead role in responding to the continued work of clean-up and restoration within the hardest hit areas of Japan. This second newsletter from earlier this month gives an update to their work. I would especially recommend the first two articles. the first one gives an overview of the first phases of response and the second a field report from Fumitaka Sato.

The point that stuck with me from the field report were that besides decreased populations in hard hit areas, cities were also dealing with the issue of shifting demographics as younger people choose to leave and older adults, to stay. It was an issue I had not heard before and one I hadn’t thought about and gave me pause.

So give it a read and let us know what you think. And please continue to keep the people of Japan and those working on their behalf in your prayers.

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

It is hard for me to write about the six month anniversary of the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami without naming that it actually falls on the same day as the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. I spent the past week feeling a strange tension as my personal life was flooded with conversations and media portrayals of the past ten years here at home and my professional life called for a reflection on the past six months halfway round the world. Two pieces that stuck out to me during this time were the Church World Service’s Japan Situation Report and Rev. Kevin Massey’s Disaster Response blog “Field Report: New Jersey and New York City“. I figured the best way to be honest to myself and get the message across was to talk about how these two documents have fit together in my head.

The CWS Situation Report gives a good update on the continuing work going on in Japan and the fact that the need will continue to be there into the foreseeable future. The major areas of work are around providing shelter, food, pest control, psycho trauma care and debris/home clean up. To date the ELCA has committed $975,000 to this appeal and continues to be present with and through our companions and partners. This report reminded me of the church’s commitment and calling to be present with people in their moments of need and how the gifts of our members can have such a powerful impact in places few of us have heard of, let alone been to.

In Rev. Massey’s (Director for Lutheran Disaster Response) post, I heard of how disaster affects us, not just in the destruction it brings physically but for the gap it can leave spiritually and emotionally. Even ten years later, the disaster and tragedy of 9/11 still casts a shadow across many hearts. Yet, through our communal rememberance of the tragedy there is the chance for solidarity and unity, for pain to be released.

And through both documents I saw how the church is present in disaster. Whether it happened at home or halfway round the world. Whether it happened yesterday, six months ago or ten years ago. The church is present to help in the naming of Christ present in tragedy through word and deed. So as we look back on the past six months of work in Japan, and the past ten years here in the United States, let us thank God for sustaining strength, continued resolve and the space for healing.

It has been almost one year to the day since what has been described by UN General Secretary as a “slow-motion tsunami” struck Pakistan. With heavy monsoon rains in mid-July 2010, bodies of water throughout the country began to overflow their banks leading to flooding that started in the north and wound its way southward causing a domino effect of floods lasting from July to September. In total an estimated 18 million people were affected by flooding, with 14 million needing humanitarian assistance.

As the work to help the Pakistani people rebuild their lives continues, this is a great resource to take stock of how things have progressed. I really appreciated the map explaining the progression of the flood as well as the timeline. Also of note are the amazing pictures that do more to tell the story than words sometimes can. Interspersed throughout you will find informative reports and heart-wrenching and -warming stories of those affected by the flooding and those who have dedicated themselves to the relief effort.

I recommend taking some time and giving the report, “Pakistan – One Year On“, a read.

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

After the March 11th earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Japan, which devestated the country, the four Lutheran churches in Japan came together to form Japan Lutheran Emergency Relief (JLER). The purpose of this umbrella organization has been to help coordinate the disaster response to help alleviate any gaps that exist and to eliminate the duplication of work. The ELCA been working closely with JLER as we continue to respond to the needs of the Japanese people affected by this disaster.

JLER has now released its first newsletter giving an overview of the initial phase of their response. This document is a collection of reports describing the work being done and personal stories of staff and volunteers. Take a moment to read through how your church and gifts are helping to support the good work of JLER.

JLER Newsletter (PDF) | JLER Website

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.