Tuesday, April 19, 2016

#PrayForEcuador #PrayForJapan

Very tragic news from opposite sides of the world. :(

A massive, magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Ecuador on Saturday evening. As of this writing, CNBC reports that the death toll has risen to 350 and CNN reports that more than 2,500 people have been injured. Damage has been extensive throughout the country, and it is estimated that billions of dollars will be needed to rebuild the nation. Ecuador is now in a state of emergency as a lot of rescue workers are still trying to find survivors.

CNN provides a few ways that we can help Ecuador earthquake relief efforts:

  • The Ecuador Red Cross has teams on the ground providing first aid and searching for survivors.
  • UNICEF has delivered 20,000 water purification tables to the area worst affected by the quake. UNICEF is also assessing the needs of children in the earthquake zone.
  • World Vision has deployed an emergency response staff to assist with aid distributions and is setting up shelters.
  • Samaritan's Purse personnel are on the ground to help coordinate with churches and community officials. The groups says field hospital and medical staff will be arriving later this week.

On the other side of the world, Japan was hit by two earthquakes in less than 48 hours. The first one, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake, struck the region of Kumamoto on Thursday. As if that was not enough, a stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck again at around 1:30 AM on Saturday. BBC reports that 250,000 people have been told to leave their homes due to fears of further aftershocks and possibly even more damage. As of this writing, Bloomberg reports that the death toll has risen to 42, with more than a thousand others injured.

You can donate to Japan relief through GlobalGiving. Bustle.com provides a few ways to help Japan earthquake relief efforts.

  • The Association for Aid and Relief, Japan, which was founded in 1979 in Japan, works with countries around the globe in disaster relief. Now, it's all coming back home. When you donate, you can enter "Kumamoto earthquake" in the text field if you'd like your funds to go directly to those victims and relief efforts.
  • Peace Winds America is a disaster preparedness and response organization that focuses on the Asia Pacific. Although they don't have a specific field set up for the Kumamoto earthquake, you have the option to give "where it is needed most."
  • Save The Children, which focuses on the needs of kids in disaster relief, posted this emergency alert: "Save the Children stands ready to help survivors of the 2016 Japan Earthquake. In the early chaotic times after immediately after disaster strikes, we don’t know always know what help will be needed, but we do stand ready to respond to the unmet needs of children. You can help. Your donation today to the Children’s Emergency Fund will be dedicated for the earthquake should a response needed. Otherwise, your gift will help us prepare and respond to other urgent crises."

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the Ecuador and Japan Earthquakes. If you can, please help out. #PrayForEcuador #PrayForJapan

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