Caritas Appeals for Tsunami Relief in the Pacific

1 October 2009

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has pledged $25,000 towards relief efforts in response to the earthquake and tsunami in the central Pacific on Wednesday (NZT). It is appealing for donations to help relief and recovery following the devastation that has affected parts of Samoa, American Samoa and the northern islands of Tonga.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is liaising and working through its partners on the ground Caritas Samoa and Caritas Tonga. There are immediate needs for food, water, shelter and support, especially in Samoa.

“It’s ironic that only last week, Caritas staff from New Zealand and Oceania were in Samoa, and participated in a simulation exercise involving a tsunami hitting the south coast,” said Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Director Michael Smith. Caritas Samoa has also run recent workshops on disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness.

On the day the tsunami hit, a Caritas Samoa team visited one of the worst affected areas on the south side of the main island of Upolu. Caritas staff helped survivors find higher ground, clear land and prepare temporary shelter. They also brought injured people to the hospital in the capital Apia, and helped get 70 people to shelter and safety at a Church centre south of Apia.

Caritas Samoa Director Puletini Tuala described the destruction he saw as “appalling”. The first concern has been to gather the people and lead them to higher ground, then to assist with shelter and carry out an assessment of other needs.

On the larger, but less populated, island of Savai’i, a Catholic pastoral centre has been converted to an emergency medical centre.

Caritas Samoa is coordinating its tsunami response with the local National Disaster Management Office and the Red Cross.

In Tonga, the Prime Minister’s office specifically asked Caritas Tonga to provide a counsellor to help people in the northern island of Niua Toputapu, where the capital Hihifo was reported to be completely 'wiped out'. Tonga has reported seven deaths.
Donations to Caritas’ Pacific Tsunami Appeal can be made by:
*Phoning 0800 22 10 22 to make credit card donations or
*Donating online using a credit card at www.caritas.org.nz or
*Posting to Caritas, PO Box 12193, Thorndon, Wellington 6144, New Zealand.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 165 Catholic aid, development and social justice agencies active in over 200 countries and territories.
All Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand media releases are available on http://www.caritas.org.nz

ENDS

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