BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME
The Lausanne Movement has called on Christians to do everything they can to offer comfort, encouragement and tangible support to Japan as it struggles with a nuclear crisis and a massive recovery effort.
Tsunami survivors cook and eat in front
of their damaged house, picture by AP
The call is contained in a report by Brian Hutt of Christian Today (www.christiantoday.com) adding that thousands of people have been killed by last Friday’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, which has devastated whole swathes of Japan’s north-eastern region.
450,000 People Staying in Temporary Shelters
He noted that around 450,000 people are staying in temporary shelters, while food and water remain in short supply adding that in a rare televised address, Japanese Emperor AkihitoAkihito said he was praying for the people of Japan and admitted that he was “deeply worried” about the nuclear situation.
He said that seawater has been pumped into the Fukushima Daiichi plant in a desperate effort to cool the reactors but radiation levels have surged in recent days, prompting serious health concerns.
According to Hut, more than 140,000 people living within 19 miles of the plant have been ordered to stay indoors but many people are trying to move further south or leave Japan altogether to avoid any risk of contamination from leaked radiation.
Lausanne Movement Expressed Profound Sadness over Disaster
Speaking on this development, the International Director of the Lausanne Movement, Lindsay BrownLindsay Brown expressed his “profound sadness” over the disaster that has hit Japan.
“We grieve at the loss of life and the unimaginable devastation being experienced by the Japanese people. Our prayers, and the prayers of the Lausanne family, are with our brothers and sisters in Japan. We pray for strength for them as they struggle to comprehend these enormous losses in light of the hope we have as believers in Christ,” he said in a statement.
Impact of ACT Alliance of Christian Development Agencies
The ACT Alliance of Christian development agencies said today that the relief supply needs at evacuation sites were increasing adding that the sites were reporting a lack of food, water, electricity, health and hygiene kits, and blankets. The need for stoves had become “critical” following a drop in temperatures and the arrival of snow.
Also speaking, the advocacy officer for World Vision Japan, Mitsuko Sobata, said her organization is in one of the worst hit cities, Sendai describing the situation there as: “Last night, I visited one of the shelters housing some of the 340,000 people who have been evacuated around the city.
She continued: “Children are sleeping on cardboard with one blanket in freezing weather. It was very difficult for me to see that.”
World Vision Gathering Relief Supplies
According to her, World Vision is gathering relief supplies for thousands of people affected by the disaster and that a relief team was making its way today to the city of Tome, 250 miles north of Tokyo, to distribute clean water, blankets and other essentials to 4,500 survivors.
Head of emergencies at World Vision UK, Mark Bulpitt, said: “The sheer scale of this disaster is as bad as anything we’ve seen globally. Our experts on the ground are constantly assessing the situation and will focus on the specific needs of children, many of whom will be deeply affected by this experience.”
To read other articles from this writer, click here: http://www.allvoices.com/users/success4u
The Lausanne Movement has called on Christians to do everything they can to offer comfort, encouragement and tangible support to Japan as it struggles with a nuclear crisis and a massive recovery effort.
Tsunami survivors cook and eat in front
of their damaged house, picture by AP
The call is contained in a report by Brian Hutt of Christian Today (www.christiantoday.com) adding that thousands of people have been killed by last Friday’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, which has devastated whole swathes of Japan’s north-eastern region.
450,000 People Staying in Temporary Shelters
He noted that around 450,000 people are staying in temporary shelters, while food and water remain in short supply adding that in a rare televised address, Japanese Emperor AkihitoAkihito said he was praying for the people of Japan and admitted that he was “deeply worried” about the nuclear situation.
He said that seawater has been pumped into the Fukushima Daiichi plant in a desperate effort to cool the reactors but radiation levels have surged in recent days, prompting serious health concerns.
According to Hut, more than 140,000 people living within 19 miles of the plant have been ordered to stay indoors but many people are trying to move further south or leave Japan altogether to avoid any risk of contamination from leaked radiation.
Lausanne Movement Expressed Profound Sadness over Disaster
Speaking on this development, the International Director of the Lausanne Movement, Lindsay BrownLindsay Brown expressed his “profound sadness” over the disaster that has hit Japan.
“We grieve at the loss of life and the unimaginable devastation being experienced by the Japanese people. Our prayers, and the prayers of the Lausanne family, are with our brothers and sisters in Japan. We pray for strength for them as they struggle to comprehend these enormous losses in light of the hope we have as believers in Christ,” he said in a statement.
Impact of ACT Alliance of Christian Development Agencies
The ACT Alliance of Christian development agencies said today that the relief supply needs at evacuation sites were increasing adding that the sites were reporting a lack of food, water, electricity, health and hygiene kits, and blankets. The need for stoves had become “critical” following a drop in temperatures and the arrival of snow.
Also speaking, the advocacy officer for World Vision Japan, Mitsuko Sobata, said her organization is in one of the worst hit cities, Sendai describing the situation there as: “Last night, I visited one of the shelters housing some of the 340,000 people who have been evacuated around the city.
She continued: “Children are sleeping on cardboard with one blanket in freezing weather. It was very difficult for me to see that.”
World Vision Gathering Relief Supplies
According to her, World Vision is gathering relief supplies for thousands of people affected by the disaster and that a relief team was making its way today to the city of Tome, 250 miles north of Tokyo, to distribute clean water, blankets and other essentials to 4,500 survivors.
Head of emergencies at World Vision UK, Mark Bulpitt, said: “The sheer scale of this disaster is as bad as anything we’ve seen globally. Our experts on the ground are constantly assessing the situation and will focus on the specific needs of children, many of whom will be deeply affected by this experience.”
To read other articles from this writer, click here: http://www.allvoices.com/users/success4u
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