Editor's Desk: Time to Respond

By Michael F. Flach
Herald Editor
(From the issue of 1/13/05)

Relief agencies around the globe report overwhelming generosity in their efforts to collect money to assist the victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami in South Asia. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) committed $25 million for emergency relief and long-term rehabilitation programs. That amount will no doubt increase as CRS continues to collect contributions.

Catholics in the Arlington Diocese will have the opportunity to display their generosity this weekend. Bishop Paul S. Loverde has asked diocesan parishes to take up a second collection. All proceeds will be forwarded to CRS headquarters in Baltimore.

"We must brace for the commitment this emergency asks of us and be as generous as we can," said Ken Hackett, CRS president and CEO. "Right now the immediate needs for clean water, medical care, shelter and food are critical; we can only expect that the aftermath and recovery will take place over a long period of time. It’s especially important that we don’t overlook the impact of trauma among the survivors, who are grieving under life-threatening circumstances."

CRS is the official international humanitarian organization of the U.S. Catholic community. The agency has had a significant presence in south and southeast Asia for more than 60 years, providing both emergency and long-term development assistance.

Hackett was scheduled to meet with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and the Sri Lankan president on Jan. 11 in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo to assess the situation. With the estimated death toll nearly doubling each day as relief workers gain greater access to affected areas, the picture of devastation is staggering. CRS staff throughout the region are working around the clock conducting assessments and collaborating with local partners in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia to establish the most effective and appropriate measures of response. Lack of fuel in certain areas, due to the destruction of gas stations by the tsunami, has made access and transportation especially arduous.

CRS’ $25 million funding for relief and rehabilitation will focus primarily on India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, but the agency is likely to address the effects in Burma, Somalia and Madagascar as well.

CRS officials said the initial use of funding will be used as necessary:

In India: Working with Caritas to provide life-saving food, medicine and shelter in the worst affected districts of Tamil Nadu/Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and the Andaman and Nicobar islands; supporting ten diocesan partners to organize and manage 93 relief camps sheltering over 125,000 people along the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coastlines; providing displaced persons with cooked food three times a day, and with clothing, clean water and medical assistance, as required; providing resources to partners for distributing dry food rations, medicine, oral rehydration solutions and water purification tablets in remote areas.

In Sri Lanka: Providing cooked food and dry rations, non-food items, and mobile medical assistance; purchasing and distributing soap, water cans, kitchen sets, and bed sheets/sarongs for displaced persons; and providing technical support for local partners.

In Indonesia: Collaborating with other agencies for the delivery of "survival kits," including kitchen utensils, hygiene items, blankets, sleeping mats, water storage cans and plastic sheeting to 755 families in Aceh.

In Thailand: Assisting the needs of poor fishing communities affected by the tidal waves in six southern provinces.

Donations can be sent to: Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD, 21203-7090 (memo line: Tsunami Emergency); or call, 1-877-HELP-CRS (435-7277); or visit www.catholicrelief.org. — M.F.F.

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