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Christians want to buy blankets for those who lost everything. |
Some 2 million people in Chile were affected in one way or another by the fifth most powerful earthquake in the last 100 years. The strong tremors began early Saturday morning with an 8.8 magnitude quake followed by more than 90 aftershocks. As of Monday, March 1 over 700 people were reported dead, with more than 540 deaths in the Maule region, along the southern coast. It was reported that over 500,000 homes sustained considerable damage.
Christian Aid has been in contact with an indigenous ministry, the Chile Evangelical Mission, about the situation. The leader, Jose Sanchez Troncoso, reported "The congregations that we have in the towns of Chillan and Tome (close to epicenter) have been seriously affected by the earthquake. Their small meeting halls have been destroyed and most of the homes of believers collapsed. Our meeting hall in Santiago has severe damage to the infrastructure and needs to be torn down because it is not safe to be used.
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This is one of the meeting halls that was destroyed by the earthquake in Chile on Saturday, February 27. |
"The earthquake also caused a tsunami that hit the village of Tome but they didn’t sound the alarm, which was a great mistake, as many lives could have been saved. There is a desperate need of water, clothing and food."
Christian Aid is receiving gifts to help Chile Evangelical Mission rebuild their meeting halls, and to help Christians in Chile who lost their homes and all their possessions. As God leads, send what you can to help them. Leader Troncoso wants to buy blankets as soon as possible for all families who lost everything. Contributions are tax-deductible and used 100% as designated. Emergency gifts may also be mailed to Post Office Box 9037, Charlottesville, VA 22906.