As some of you may have already heard, Tuesday saw a horrific tsunami wash upon the islands of Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga.
The prime minister of Samoa said 110 people were dead on his islands and the devastation "was complete".
Officials said planes carrying aid supplies were arriving on Samoa and nearby American Samoa.
They said tens of thousands of people need help in villages swamped by waves triggered by Tuesday's huge earthquake. The United Nations said it was sending an emergency team to Samoa. Some villages have been completely washed away. Several hundred people are still missing after being swept out to sea.
As some of you might know, recently I've been reading a lot about and studying the history and cultures of the Pacific Islanders. I am absolutely devastated to hear of this tragedy and I do think that's it our job to not just sit back and watch this happen.
The world's falling apart and, while we can't do a lot to stop these natural disasters, we can get together to help those who need us.
The people of Samoa and Tonga have had their community washed away in a matter of 10 minutes and it's our job to help restore their faith. I don't know about you but, as with the Thai tsunami a few years ago, I feel so hopeless sitting here in my home on the other side of the world.
I've set up a Relief fund online and am trying to encourage people to donate a little something to go towards the islanders. Every bit makes a difference.
Today, in the Daily Telegraph, an article was published telling the story of one family currently mourning the loss of 21 members, including a year-old baby girl, after this disaster.
It's families like this we need to help. Hundreds are homeless. Please do the right thing.
You can donate and help on my relief page here:
http://www.everydayhero.com.au/ceri_tsunami
Thank you so much. It really means a lot.
See pictures of the disaster here.
1 year ago
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3 comments:
Ceri, this is such a great thing you're doing. Those poor people. My uncle married a woman from Samoa, and so we are all mailing care packages over to them via the Red Cross, I believe.
I didn't even know there was a tsunami. No TV and rarely read news online. Wow.
Sarbear - Oh dear. I hope your uncle and aunt are okay. My thoughts are with them. :( It's such a tragedy.
Uninvoked - The media haven't been as open about this tsunami as the Thai one for some reason. I don't really understand why.
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