Relief supplies shipped to India
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Relief supplies from the Church were already en route to India before a magnitude-7.9 earthquake devastated the country's western Gujarat state Jan. 26.
Church leaders simply diverted the six containers of food, powdered milk, medical supplies and clothing — sent as part of a longer-term aid project in India — to help earthquake victims.
Those six containers will be followed by an additional 10 containers — totaling more than 600,000 pounds of food, blankets and other supplies — sent from Salt Lake City to the devastated areas.
As of press time, government officials in India counted 12,000 dead and 29,000 injured, with many still trapped in the ruins of collapsed buildings. Some estimated that the death toll could rise as high as 100,000 because of the high populations in the cities destroyed by the earthquake: Bhuj, with 150,000 and Anjar, with 80,000. The Church had no organized units or missionaries serving in the affected areas. However, Douglas Rose, the Church's in-country director of Humanitarian Service, said one or two Church members were living in the quake zone.
Brother Rose said that the damage to the area is extensive, noting that entire villages were flattened with tens of thousands dead or injured.
To assist with search and rescue operations, the Church donated $25,000 to the Prime Minister of India's relief fund, said Rich McKenna, manager of planning and administration for LDS Humanitarian Service. The money will also help establish temporary shelters for those who lost homes
An additional $40,000 was sent to help local relief agencies purchase supplies for refugee camps — such as kitchen equipment and blankets, said Brother McKenna. Nighttime temperatures in the quake zone have neared freezing, making the need for blankets a priority.
Standing in the LDS Humanitarian Center Jan. 29, Kent Hinckley of the Church's Emergency Response Committee showed reporters food and other supplies that only 12 hours later would be en route to India. The supplies will be distributed by charitable organizations, such as Diwaliben Mohanlal Mehta Charitable Trust and the Share and Care Foundation.
The aid follows 85,000 pounds of relief items sent to El Salvador, where a Jan. 13 earthquake killed hundreds and left thousands without homes.
Brother Hinckley said that as soon as Church leaders learn of a disaster, they begin assessing the kinds of supplies and commodities needed for relief.
In India, for example, food was shipped in bulk to be used for mass feedings in field kitchens. "The food will be distributed through refugee camps where they do preparations in large quantities," said Brother McKenna, noting that the quake victims would not have a place to fix food if it were distributed individually. "We tailor what is sent based on the assessment of those in the country."
Brother Rose said Church members, who generously donate to the Church's humanitarian aid fund or who give time assembling items such as hygiene kits, are having an impact in India.
He received word from Diwaliben Mohanlal Mehta Charitable Trust officials who were extremely grateful for Church assistance. "This will make a tremendous difference in their ability to act in the area," he said.
Brother Rose added that earthquake victims will need aid for a long time. "The displaced people are running into the hundreds of thousands," he said. "There will be a very long feeding program and a need for temporary shelter lasting several months. The Church effort will certainly address that."
He noted that this is not the first time the Church had offered humanitarian assistance in India; LDS Church humanitarian efforts in the country have been under way for the past decade. On Jan. 11, Latter-day Saint Charities, a distribution arm of the Church's' Humanitarian Service, was recognized by the Diwaliben Mohanlal Mehta Charitable Trust for this assistance. Since 1990, LDS Charities has formed partnerships with more than 50 Indian government, private and non-governmental organizations, providing volunteers and donated supplies.
"This generosity is going a long way towards helping people in need in India," Brother Rose said.
E-mail: sarah@desnews.com
