Archbishop Peter Jensen has called for prayer and practical support for the victims of the Burma cyclone, which has affected at least two million people.
The official death toll from Cyclone Nargis, which hit the country’s south on May 3, is 60,000 dead or missing, but it could reach 100,000.
Those who survive in the worst hit-areas of Myanmar (formerly Burma) are at risk of hunger and disease, including those in the rice-growing areas which have been wiped out by the storm.
Archbishop Jensen has encouraged donations through the Overseas Relief and Aid Fund - Emergency Burma Cyclone Appeal.
Dr Jensen says “We are working with churches in Asia to get as much help as possible to the affected areas”.
Archbishop Stephen Than Mint Oo of Myanmar issued a statement saying “As you know many people from the delta region including our church members dramatically become the victims of the recent storm. Please pray for us and help us.”
The local church has established a relief committee to travel to the three worst hit regions and to report back within a week on what is needed.
Many mission agencies work in Myanmar, including Crosslinks from the UK.
One US agency, Gospel for Asia, has told how its Bible College in the capital Rangoon (Yangon) was turned into a makeshift shelter for victims.
Those further afield, will not have been as fortunate.
“The people in Burma live in clusters of small communities in simple bamboo structures,” explained GFA President K.P. Yohannan. “These villages are not made of concrete. I imagine that literally hundreds of these simple structures were just blown away. We are praying here and are asking Christians around the world to join us.”
Thai churches in border areas are also collecting food and clothing for transport into Myanmar.
The disaster is also having reverberations thousands of kilometers away in New York City.
New York has a sizable Burmese expatriate community numbering about 10 thousand spread across the city including at Brooklyn, Queens and China Town.
Although most are Buddhist, there are also hundreds of Christians.
Donations to the Archbishop’s Emergency Burma Cyclone Appeal are tax deductible. Click here for further details or call the
hotline on 1800 653 903 (toll free).
