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USPG will send emergency funds to support relief work in Chile, where more than 700 people died in an 8.8 magnitude earthquake on Saturday.
The quake struck close to Concepcion, on the Pacific coast, causing devastation in small towns: tidal waves caused flooding, buildings have collapsed and an estimated 2 million people have been left homeless.
USPG has a long-standing partnership with the Anglican Church in Chile, providing support for outreach to marginalised communities.
Our emergency funding will be sent to the Diocese of Chile to enable it to support relief work and meet other needs.
Bishop of Chile describes church response
The Bishop of Chile, the Rt Revd Hector Zavala, told USPG: ‘Most congregations in Concepcion are sleeping together in three different areas in tents. There’s hardly any water, so USPG-supported community worker Felipe Saravia is using a pick-up truck to collect water supplies.
‘There are food shortages also, so the diocese, based in Santiago [300 miles away] is organising emergency deliveries of food, as well as nappies and other vital supplies. The journey to collect the materials will be arduous; some roads are impassable so the collection of materials is likely to involve sea travel along the coast.’
Until 2008, Andy Bowman was a USPG Mission Companion, based in Concepcion. Now USPG’s Trusts Officer, he said: ‘It is difficult for anyone to imagine an earthquake that is so intense it has damaged buildings and bridges 300 miles away from the epicentre.
‘The quake has affected an area almost the length of England – it is like an earthquake in Newcastle bringing down buildings in London. It has snapped concrete like dried twigs, and sent tidal waves crashing into the coastal towns.
‘Communities and congregations in the worst-affected area have lost love ones, homes and livelihoods. And the full extent of the devastation is not clear as so many areas are without any kind of communication, as well as losing access to electricity and water.’
Chile is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire. The effect of the earthquake has not been as severe as the recent quake in Haiti because many buildings in Chile have been constructed to withstand tremors and quake-response procedures are in place.
Ali Saunders, USPG’s Locum Regional Desk Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean, said: ‘The Anglican Church in Chile has a strong record of supporting people in situations of great vulnerability. We are calling on churches in Britain and Ireland to support them at this time in prayer and action.’
Make a donation
Make a donation online to USPG's Chile Earthquake Fund or phone 0845 273 1701. This will enable USPG to support the Diocese of Chile in relief and reconstruction efforts following the earthquake.
Please pray for:
Prayer for Chile
God of grace and deep disturbance,
we know you in the beauty
and the terror of your world:
Grant to all who shudder
in the aftermath of earthquake and tsunami
the knowledge of your gentle love
to hold and heal.
And may that costly love be known
through the unshakeable bonds of generosity
that bind your people
here and everywhere;
Through Jesus Christ
our rock and our strong tower.
Amen
Posted on 01.03.2010
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