One month to the day after 15 Church members died in a earthquake in El Salvador Jan. 13, a second earthquake devastated other communities in that nation Feb. 13.

"With the number of homes lost, the earthquake we suffered yesterday is worse than the first," said Amita Guerra of the Church service center in El Salvador.

No missionaries were injured in the 6.6-magnitude quake, which killed at least 255, injured an estimated 2,261 people and destroyed or damaged more than 2,200 homes. While Church members may have been injured in the second quake, no member deaths were reported as of press time. It is thought that 335 homes of members were damaged or destroyed, but not all areas had reported.

"Most of the roads are closed and many of the big buildings have fallen," said Elder Matthew Scott O'Neal of Payson, Utah, serving in the El Salvador San Salvador East Mission. "All the people were on the streets. There were people living in the meetinghouse." He said leaders organized members to look for unaccounted members. Some relief supplies had arrived, but San Vicente had no water or lights. No Church buildings were damaged, he said.

Church supplies shipped from Salt Lake City are being distributed: tools, blankets, tents and essential supplies. Some government officials estimate that as many people may have died in El Salvador's most recent quake as the more than 800 who died in country's earthquake last month.

Church relief supplies — four 40-foot containers sent to help victims of the first quake — arrived Feb. 9 in the country days before the second quake. That shipment reinforced 250,000 pounds of Church relief supplies sent by air.

In addition, more than 800 Church members gathered Feb. 5-9 along Utah's Wasatch Front to assemble 8,100 food boxes for the disaster victims. They didn't know then that a second earthquake would strike in El Salvador. Nevertheless, the boxes, which contain vegetable oil, powdered milk, beans, rice and soup mix, are being sent to refugee camps where they will provide needed support to the new wave of quake victims. The Church plans to send another 250,000 pounds of supplies by air as well as four additional containers by sea.

The Church is also aiding earthquake victims in India, sending 600,000 pounds of food, blankets and other supplies to areas devastated by a magnitude-7.9 earthquake in that country's western Gujarat state Jan. 26. The Church also donated funds to assist with search and rescue operations and to help local relief agencies purchase supplies for refugee camps in the country.

Douglas Rose, in-country director of LDS Humanitarian Service in India, said the Church's major relief effort to the Diwaliben Mohanlal Mehta Charitable Trust for blankets, tents and field kitchens has helped victims after earthquakes. Additionally, he said, the Church also made donations available to Help Age India, which is operating 10 mobile medical units and providing blankets to victims; the Aurobindo Education Society, which has volunteers working near the heavy impact zone; and the Carmel Convent Order of Catholic Nuns, who were living in the open after their school was rendered unsafe by the quake. LDS Humanitarian Service leaders donated tents to the Catholic nuns, protecting them from temperatures that are near freezing each night.

Church leaders say they will continue to monitor the disaster zones and assess the need for long-term support efforts in both El Salvador and India.

E-mail: sarah@desnews.com