South Asia Catastrophe Update 5

Friday, December 31, 2005 – Dispatches to International Headquarters from Salvation Army teams working in the areas affected by the South Asia tsunami provide the following snapshots.

In the Indian South Eastern Territory, thousands of food parcels have been distributed in Kanyakmari District, where The Salvation Army’s hospital ambulance, at the request of the police, has been used frequently to transport dead bodies recovered from the wreckage of buildings.
Another Salvation Army ambulance has transported doctors and medical supplies to stricken areas.
Clothing, blankets and cooking utensils have also been distributed.

In the Indian South Western Territory, when people were evacuated from coastal areas because of fears of a second tsunami, hundreds were housed and fed at The Salvation Army’s Trivandrum High School.
In Kerala State, much-needed sleeping mats were distributed along with other emergency supplies.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, Salvationists offer help from a distance. In Chicago, USA, Major Patrick McPherson, National Director of SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network) is monitoring ham radio transmissions to collect and relay information from the disaster-affected areas.