ASIA EARTHQUAKE APPEAL LAUNCHED BY WORLDVISION
(28 December 2004)

International relief charity World Vision is delivering aid to communities in south and east Asia after massive tidal waves were triggered by the world's strongest earthquake for 40 years. The massive quake, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, struck 160 km off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra around 7am Indonesian local time (00.00 GMT) sending a wall of water across thousands of kilometres of sea.

Casualty figures are rising throughout the region and government statistics estimate thousands dead in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Many are still thought to be missing and officials believe millions have been affected by the tidal waves.

Latest reports:

SRI LANKA
Report by Sitnini Perera in Colombo

An estimated 2300 people were killed and one million are said to have been affected in Sri Lanka when tidal waves hit the country during the early hours of today.

According to sources, the east coast of Sri Lanka is the worst hit with over 1000 reported dead in Batticaloa, where four of World Vision's projects are located, and over 300 people reported dead in Trincomalee. Sources state that waves as high as 40 feet slammed into villages along this coast.

In the east, World Vision's Vellavali and Eravur Pattu project areas in the Batticaloa district and Pottuvil project area in the Ampara district are the worst affected.

The southern city of Galle has also been affected by after effects of the quake, with over 200 casualties reported by police and hospital sources. Along the western coast, World Vision's Negombo project area and Wennappuwa ADP have also undergone considerable damage due to the tidal waves.

The President of Sri Lanka has declared a nation disaster and appealed for aid, while rescue work has begun in the affected areas.

World Vision staff have already started relief handouts consisting of cooked food, medicine & water in a range of affected areas.

INDIA
report by Jayanth Vincent in Chennai

More than 2000 people are reported dead and hundreds of houses damaged in an unprecedented sea surge that swept through the eastern coast of India early this morning.

Triggered by the strongest earthquake in 40 years that shook the island on Sumatra in Indonesia, the tidal surge struck the coastal states of Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of the morning on 26th December 2004.

In Chennai where the national office of World Vision India is situated, the first warning came as a slight tremor at 6.30 in the morning. Around 7:30am walkers and children playing on the Marina beach of the city were taken aback and started running at the sight of a wall of water rising to flow into the almost one kilometer-wide beach towards the car park.

Reports say the surge was so strong that parked cars were thrown around like toys.

In coastal Andhra Pradesh, World Vision India works in six World Vision project areas. Of these, all but three are safe and unaffected by the surge.

Premamaya project area is by far the worst affected, five villages in this area were affected by the surge. More than 1500 people from the villages of Pakalipalipalam, Chellamagiripalam, Pinkinipallipallam, Surendradipa and Bersingapilla were evacuated and provided shelter in government schools and a cyclone shelter built by World Vision.

Fourteen adults and three children are feared dead.

In Godavari project area, two villages with over 400 families were affected by the sea surge. One village had to be evacuated and more than 15 families are trapped by water. The local services are working to rescue them. World Vision India is responding by distributing 1000 packets of food today and tomorrow.

Even though none of the villages in Krupasagar project area were affected, people from one of the villages just outside the target area evacuated to Giripuram in our area. World Vision will be providing food and shelter for close to 500 families in this village.

In Tamilnadu, where more than 2000 people are feared dead, World Vision India has sent out two assessment teams in the coastal districts of Cuddalore and Nagapattinam, said to be worst affected areas to evaluate the need.

Close to 500 families from villages close to areas in Mannargudi project area have been accommodated in villages in World Vision project areas. Relief staff are providing food packets for them as an assessment team is surveying the future needs of these communities.

At the time of writing there is no report of damage from Orissa, another coastal state very susceptible to hurricanes and cyclones.

To donate to Worldvision call 0800 088 088 or visit www.worldvision.org.uk