10,000 die as tidal waves sweep Asia

JAKARTA, Indonesia - The world’s most powerful earthquake in 40 years struck deep under the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra on Sunday, triggering tidal waves up to 20 feet high that obliterated villages and seaside resorts in six countries across southern Asia. Nearly 10,000 people were killed in the devastation, and the death toll was expected to rise.Tourists, fishermen, homes and cars were swept away by walls of water that rolled across the Bay of Bengal, unleashed by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake. The tsunami waves barreled nearly 3,000 miles across the ocean to Africa, where at least nine people were killed in Somalia, witnesses said.At least 4,185 killed in Indonesia, the country’s health ministry said.

10,000 die as tidal waves sweep AsiaA missionary friend in India emailed me to pray about this.. from where he is the devestation and reports is tremendous and boggles the mind. We need to sincerly pray for peoples and families involved with this.

This was forwarded to me by a friend:----Dear friends,As the horrific scenes of the tsunami disaster in Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives Island, Thailand and even in Somalia flashes through our mind, please PRAY.One siesmologist wrote "The whole planet was shaking", and the "Quake likely jolted the Earth's rotation". In Indonesia alone, nearly 5,000 were killed, according to official figures, but the country's vice president said he believed the number of dead could reach 25,000.As people of HOPE and the people of the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE . . . we have to do something. The Father heart of God goes out for those in need.PRAY now for:1. God's mercy and grace2. Grieving families, mothers, fathers, children, relatives, friends3. Local people of the region and international tourists.4. Relief agencies and churches as they extend God's hand in love.5. People to turn to the Living God, in the face of incomprehensible deaths,disease and destruction6. Ministry to the broken-hearted, suffering and those in despair7. Protection for volunteers8. People to be sensitive to God they present Jesus-the Hope of this world.9. Khristians and churches regionally and globaly to pray and ACT.10. As the Lord leads, to prayHOW CAN I HELP?If you would like to donate some money, please approach YOUR ch__rch, as theymay have some relief initiatives planned. Or you may click below to visit thewebsites of agencies carrying out relief work.www.worldconcern.orgCare InternationalInternational Federation of the Red CrossMedecins Sans FrontieresOxfamSave The ChildrenWorld Vision

Tidal Waves Death Toll Rises to 40,000BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - The death toll from the epic tsunami that rocked 11 countries rose to 40,000 people Tuesday, and food and supplies poured into the region, part of what the U.N. said would be the biggest relief effort the world has ever seen. Millions remained homeless.Rescuers struggled to reach remote locations where thousands more were likely killed by the deadliest tsunami in 120 years. Bodies, many of them children, filled beaches and choked hospital morgues, raising fears of disease across the region.Sri Lanka raised its death toll past 18,700. Hundreds died when a train carrying 1,000 passengers from Colombo to Galle was thrown off its tracks by Sunday's waves, police chief B.T.B. Ariyapala said Tuesday.The waves wrenched most of the train's cars into twisted metal, he said. The passengers were dead or missing; about 150 bodies had been recovered.

Tsunami Death Toll Rises 76,700 in AsiaBANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Cargo planes touched down with aid Wednesday, bearing everything from lentils to water purifiers to help survivors facing the threat of epidemic after this week's quake-tsunami catastrophe. The first Indonesian military teams reached the devastated west coast of Sumatra island, finding thousands of bodies and increasing the death toll across 12 nations to more than 76,700.The international Red Cross warned that the toll could eventually surpass 100,000.Town after town along the Sumatran coast was covered with mud and sea water, with homes flattened or torn apart, an Associated Press reporter saw on a helicopter overflight with the military commander of the island's Aceh province. The only signs of life were a handful of villagers scavenging for food on the beach.Western Sumatra suffered a double blow in Sunday's disaster, shattered both by the most powerful earthquake in 40 years and perhaps the deadliest tsunami in recorded history, which wreaked destruction across a dozen nations.

Here are great resources and links to sites that are being updated regularly on this issue:Gospelcom.net Featured Resource  |  Dec 29, 2004Responding to the Earthquake Disasterhttp://www.gospelcom.net/content/disaster/

Tsunami Death Toll Jumps Over 120,000BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - The mercilessness of Asia's tsunami grew clearer on Thursday as worst-hit Indonesia sharply raised its death toll, taking the number of fatalities around the whole Indian Ocean region above 120,000.Health Ministry sources told Reuters just under 80,000 had died in Indonesia's northern Aceh province that was close to the undersea quake, some 28,000 more than previously announced. Two sources said the toll would be officially announced soon.Aceh, already suffering a prolonged conflict, has emerged as the "ground zero" of Sunday's great earthquake just off its coast. It triggered monstrous waves all the way to Africa that killed thousands more in India, Thailand and elsewhere.Sri Lanka, severely afflicted, raised its toll on Thursday by just under 3,000 people to 27,268.