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No stone unturned

12 Apr 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We hear in this Sunday's psalm of stones rejected becoming cornerstones and in the gospel choices of stones moved or rolled away. Residents of the historic city of L'Aquila in central Italy are struggling to find survivors amidst mounds of stone and rubble after a powerful earthquake struck early Monday morning. Rescue workers continuing their search still held out hope to find somebody alive as the week wore on. Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the rescue efforts would likely continue at least until Easter Sunday. With 260 fatalities confirmed thus far, the quake's aftershocks sent new fears through the tent camps that shelter thousands of survivors. Since the quake, some 430 aftershocks have rumbled through, including some strong ones, said Marco Olivieri of the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology in Rome. Pope Benedict XVI said Wednesday that he would visit the shocked and injured people of the area as soon as possible. The pope praised the relief operations as an example of how solidarity can help overcome "even the most painful trials." The Vatican said the pope would make the trip after Easter Sunday and that he does not want to interfere with relief operations. Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said about 17,700 people left homeless by the quake had found shelter from the chill night air in the tent camps. An additional 10,000 people were housed in hotels along the coast, bringing the overall number of homeless to almost 28,000. A funeral for the victims is scheduled for Friday morning and is to be conducted by L'Aquila Bishop Giuseppe Molinari. Fifteen people remain missing, officials said. Source: An article by Vanessa Gera for the Associated Press

benedict xvi laquila earthquake roberto maroni marco olivieri italy silvio berlusconi giuseppe molinari
An anything-but-peaceful week in the Pacific

04 Oct 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Pharisees tested Jesus with their question on divorce, we hear in this Sunday's gospel. The people and disaster resources of nations across the Pacific are being tested this week by a spate of powerful natural disasters. The Philippines suffered the worst flooding to hit the country in more than 40 years after tropical storm Ketsana swept through earlier in the week. Overwhelmed officials have called for international help in the storm's aftermath and fear that another powerful storm could hit as early as Friday. Ketsana grew to typhoon-force as it gathered strength across the South China Sea before blowing down wooden villages in Cambodia and crushing Vietnamese houses under mudslides. "We're used to storms that sweep away one or two houses. But I've never seen a storm this strong," said Nam Tum, governor of Cambodia's Kampong Thom province. The storm has claimed at least 331 lives across the region. The Vietnamese government said the tempest destroyed or damaged nearly 180,000 homes, inundated 150,000 more, and flattened crops across central Vietnam. More than 350,000 people were evacuated from the typhoon's path, posing a logistical headache to shelter and feed them. "The scale of the devastation is stretching all of us," said Minnie Portales, a World Vision aid agency official in the Philippines. Meanwhile, disaster officials rushed food, medicine, and a temporary morgue to the Samoas on Wednesday after a powerful earthquake unleashed a tsunami that leveled villages and swept cars and people out to sea. At least 119 people were killed, and the death toll is expected to rise. Many towns and tourist resorts along the southern coast of Samoa's main Upolu Island were "destroyed," according to witnesses. In addition, a powerful earthquake rocked western Indonesia Wednesday, trapping thousands under collapsed buildings--including two hospitals--and triggering landslides. At least 75 people were killed on the island of Sumatra, and the number of dead is predicted to climb sharply. Source: Articles by Rohan Sullivan, Teresa Cerojano, and Tran Van Minh for Associated Press

pacific indonesia upolu island tsunami samoas world vision minnie portales nam tum vietnam cambodia ketsana philippines disasters earthquake flooding sumatra
Haiti’s devastation heavy on the world’s heart

17 Jan 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In 1 Corinthians this Sunday we read of the different spiritual gifts that flow from the same Spirit. The gifts of healing are most urgently needed in Haiti as the impoverished Caribbean nation reels from a powerful earthquake Tuesday that completely devastated the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Haitians piled bodies along the ruined streets of the capital Wednesday after the earthquake flattened the president's palace, the cathedral, hospitals, schools, the main prison, and whole neighborhoods. Officials feared hundreds of thousands may have perished, but there was not yet any firm count. "Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed," President Rene Preval told the Miami Herald. The head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission was missing and the Roman Catholic archbishop of Port-au-Prince was dead. Catholic Relief Services was preparing for "thousands and thousands" of dead and injured people in the wake of the most catastrophic earthquake to strike Haiti in two centuries, said Karel Zelenka, the agency's country representative. Among those reported dead were Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot of Port-au-Prince and Zilda Arns Neumann, a pediatrician who founded the Brazilian bishops' children's commission and sister of Brazilian Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns, retired archbishop of Sao Paulo.Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican's apostolic nuncio in Haiti, told the Vatican missionary news agency Fides: "Port-au-Prince is completely devastated. The cathedral and the archbishop's residence, all the big churches, all the seminaries are reduced to rubble." President Barack Obama promised an all-out rescue and humanitarian effort, adding that the U.S. commitment to its hemispheric neighbor will be unwavering. "We have to be there for them in their hour of need," Obama said. Other nations from Iceland to Venezuela said they would start sending in aid workers and rescue teams. The U.N. said Port-au-Prince's main airport was "fully operational" and open to relief flights. Speaking at the Vatican Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI said: "I appeal to the generosity of all people so that these brothers and sisters of ours who are experiencing a moment of need and suffering may not lack our concrete solidarity and the effective support of the international community. The Catholic Church will not fail to move immediately, through her charitable institutions, to meet the most immediate needs of the population." More than 30 significant aftershocks of 4.5 magnitude or higher rattled Haiti through the night and into the early morning, according to Amy Vaughan, a geophysicist with the United States Geological Survey. "We've seen a lot of shaking still happening," she said. The earthquake left the country without electricity or phone service, complicating efforts to provide relief. "There are massive, massive, massive challenges," said Paul Conneally, a spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Source: Articles by Simon Romero and Marc Lacey for the New York Times, Jonathan M. Katz for Associated Press, Edvige Jean-Francois, Shasta Darlington, Deb Feyerick, Matt Smith, Mike Mount, and Pierre Meilhan for CNN International, Dennis Sadowski for Catholic News Service, and Jesuit Refugee Services, USA

Haiti barack obama benedict xvi earthquake bernardito auza zilda arns neumann joseph serge miot rene preval port-au-prince
Hungry Haitians struggle for survival

24 Jan 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Because the day is holy to the Lord, Ezra informs the people in next Sunday’s first reading, they are to “eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared.” Troops, doctors, and aid workers flowed into Haiti this week even while victims of the quake that killed an estimated 200,000 people still scrambled to find a cup of water or a handful of food. The massive international effort has been struggling with logistical problems, and many Haitians are still desperate for food and water. The World Food Program said more than 250,000 ready-to-eat food rations had been distributed in Haiti by Tuesday, reaching only a fraction of the 3 million people thought to be in critical need. Governments have pledged nearly $1 billion in aid, and thousands of tons of food and medical supplies have been shipped. But much remains trapped in warehouses. Port-au-Prince’s nonfunctioning seaport and many impassable roads have complicated efforts to get aid to the people. The challenges were heightened Wednesday when the most powerful aftershock yet struck, shaking rubble from already damaged buildings and sending screaming people running into the streets. The U.S. Navy’s floating hospital, U.S.N.S. Comfort, which was already treating two severely injured quake victims, dropped anchor Wednesday in view of Port-au-Prince. The ship carries about 550 medical staff and 60 civilian mariners. Search-and-rescue teams have emerged from the city’s ruins with some improbable success stories, including the rescue of a 69-year-old ardent Catholic who said she prayed constantly during her week under the rubble. Ena Zizi had been at a church meeting at the residence of Haiti’s Roman Catholic archbishop when the January 12 quake struck, trapping her in debris. On Tuesday she was rescued by a Mexican disaster team. Zizi said that after the quake she spoke back and forth with a vicar who also was trapped. But he fell silent after a few days, and she spent the rest of the time praying and waiting. “I talked only to my boss, God,” she said. “I didn’t need any more humans.” Source: Articles by Paul Haven and Michelle Faul for Associated Press and Mary Beth Sheridan and William Booth for the Washington Post

Haiti earthquake port-au-prince usns comfort ena zizi
Chile’s recovery on shaky ground

07 Mar 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Saint Paul sounds the alert in this Sunday's reading from 1 Corinthians that "whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall." Some 2 million Chileans had a firsthand, harrowing experience illustrating that point on Saturday when one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck off the coast of central Chile. Some 800 people were confirmed dead and that number is expected to rise. At midweek rescue crews with dogs were searching the rubble of ravaged cities and villages for survivors. With tensions still running high in areas devastated by the quake and the ensuing tsunami, President Michelle Bachelet urged Chileans to support the relief and reconstruction efforts. She also sought to ease concerns of potential food and fuel shortages in the disaster area. "There is no shortage, there is enough food and therefore we must remain calm," she said. "There is also enough fuel, there is no risk of shortages." An 18-hour nightly curfew was in place in Concepción, Chile's second-biggest city, where many residents are now homeless and 14,000 troops patrolled the streets to stop looting, keep order, and oversee aid distribution. Chilean emergency officials and the military blamed each other for not clearly warning coastal villages of tsunamis, angering survivors who lost relatives and friends in the massive waves that followed the quake. "We had no idea, we only found out what was going on because some people saw the ocean swelling and we took off for the hills," said Isaac Lagos, a father of three in Coliumo, a small fishing village just north of Concepción. Forty retirees fleeing a seaside campground in a bus after the quake were among those swept away by the surge. Bachelet, whose approval rating hit a lofty 83 percent in February, has faced mounting criticism for failing to grasp the scale of the tragedy in the initial hours following the quake. She admitted that rescue efforts have been slow, in part because of mangled roads, downed bridges, and power outages. But observers said officials also misjudged the extent of the damage and initially declined offers of international aid. Source: Articles by Mario Naranjo and Terry Wade for Reuters, BBC News, the Associated Press, and CBS News

earthquake tsunami chile michelle bachelet concepción coliumo
Chinese officials quake at the sight of Tibetan monks

25 Apr 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"My sheep hear my voice," Jesus promises in the Sunday gospel. For a week Tibetan Buddhist monks have been in the forefront of rescue operations, calling out the names of the missing after a strong earthquake hit one week ago in a remote Tibetan region. But the monks, thousands of whom had poured into the quake zone from surrounding areas to help, were conspicuously absent from a silent tribute involving thousands of Chinese officials, soldiers, and civilians that was held in the region Wednesday, one week after the quake. The monks said they had been ordered to leave the region, an apparent sign of the Communist Party's unease over the leading role they played in the relief effort. The quake has left at least 2,183 dead, 84 missing, and 12,135 injured. Source: Articles by the Associated Press and www.chinadaily.com

china tibet earthquake buddhist monks
Indonesian volcano claims life of its “spiritual guardian"

31 Oct 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Book of Wisdom praises the diversity of God’s creation and promises that all created things, being of God, will be spared. Indonesia was not spared this week from a string of natural disasters that included an earthquake, tsunami, and volcanic eruption. Also not spared was the “spiritual guardian” of the mountain that erupted, who was buried by the mountain’s thick ash while at prayer. Mount Merapi, on the outskirts of the city of Yogyakarta on Java island, first erupted on Tuesday, a day after a tsunami pounded remote islands in western Indonesia. The death toll in the tsunami was near 300, said West Sumatra provincial disaster official Ade Edward. The tsunami, triggered by a 7.5 magnitude quake that struck west of South Pagai, one of the Mentawai islands, flattened several villages and a surf resort. At least 411 people are still missing, Edward said. Indonesians posted tributes via Facebook and Twitter to the volcano’s widely-loved custodian, 83-year old Mbah (grandfather) Maridjan, regarded as a protector who used a combination of Islamic and animist rituals in an effort to keep Mount Merapi under control. The mountain is seen as sacred in the region, the home of ancient Javanese spirits. “Every day will I bless you,” the psalmist promises the Lord this Sunday. For years Maridjan had led ceremonies at the volcano, dispersing rice or flowers in or around the crater in an effort to appease the spirits. Even after an eruption alert was issued and most villagers on the slopes of Mount Merapi had been evacuated, Maridjan stayed put. “I’m so used to being at home, it’s better for me to just stay here and pray,” he said. He was reportedly found dead in a prayer position in his house as rescuers also dug out more than two dozen more victims in the area. Source: Articles by Sunanda Creagh and Olivia Lang for BBC News

earthquake tsunami indonesia volcanoes maridjan yogyakarta mount merapi eruptions
One year later, Haitians still reeling from quake

16 Jan 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist “waited, waited for the Lord” and the Lord heard and responded, we read this Sunday. One year after an earthquake devastated their island, Haitians continue to wait for much of the aid and reconstruction promised in response to the disaster. Dignitaries from around the world were in Haiti Wednesday to mark the anniversary. But they are also facing skepticism from a Haitian public that expected more progress by this point. Aid groups say only about 5 percent of the rubble from the quake has been removed and the capital is strewn with 20 million cubic yards of collapsed concrete and twisted steel debris, enough to fill a line of dump trucks encircling half the globe. At least a million displaced people, including 380,000 children, are still in 1,200 tent-and-shack encampments that sprung up after the quake. Businesses closed and people walked in solemn processions to prayer services marking the anniversary of the worst natural disaster in the nation’s history. Many people wore white, a color associated with mourning in Haiti, and sang hymns as they navigated collapsed buildings and rubble from the earthquake that left much of Port-au-Prince in ruins. The estimated death toll stands at 316,000. Evens Lormil joined mourners in a crowd at the Roman Catholic cathedral, its towering spires and vaulted roof now collapsed, waiting for a memorial Mass next to what was once a prominent landmark in a ragged downtown. “I’m here to mourn all the victims,” said the 35-year-old driver of the collective taxis known as tap-taps before the Mass, which was held in a tent next to the ruined cathedral. “Even though life was bad before the earthquake, it got worse. I am hoping the country can move together and come forward.” Despite the outpouring of solidarity for Haiti from around the world, billions of dollars of aid pledges, and a huge ongoing humanitarian operation, ordinary Haitians say they are still waiting to see a positive impact in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest state. “If the reconstruction were serious, the Mass would be happening inside the rebuilt church,” Carla Fleuriven, a 19-year-old mother of three, said outside the cathedral. Source: Articles by Reuters and NBC News Services

Haiti earthquake
Crisis deepens for shaken Japan

20 Mar 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and our shield,” says the psalmist this Sunday. Millions of desperate Japanese still await assistance in the wake of a powerful earthquake and tsunami that rocked the island nation last Friday. Damaged nuclear reactors have complicated the already grave state of affairs. Much of the tsunami’s havoc was wrought in rural and even inaccessible areas, and much of that has barely been touched. “About 20 percent of the damaged area here has been searched,” Ken-Ichi Sato, who heads emergency operations in a hard-hit region, said Wednesday. “Parts we can’t reach because we can’t get into the area, and parts haven’t been searched because there’s so much debris to clear away.” Japan’s National Police Agency placed the disaster’s toll late Wednesday at more than 4,300 dead and more than 8,000 missing, figures that are likely to rise sharply as more complete reports are compiled. Meanwhile, the closure of highways and lack of goods have slowed government efforts to deliver supplies. Entire swaths of northern Japan remain without electricity, water, or cell phone service. Officials now worry that freezing weather could create a humanitarian crisis for survivors, many of whom have been left without homes. Even those whose homes were spared have found themselves living in a state of privation that this modern and wealthy nation has not known since World War II. At the same time, Japan’s nuclear crisis intensified on Wednesday after authorities announced that a second reactor unit at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan may have ruptured and appeared to be releasing radioactive steam. There are concerns about other reactor units at the site as well after a series of explosions and other problems in the earthquake’s wake that have resulted in the world’s worst nuclear crisis since the Chernobyl accident in 1986. International alarm about the nuclear crisis is growing, as several nations urged their citizens in Japan to head to safer areas in the south or leave the country. The chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wednesday gave a bleak appraisal of the threat posed by the nuclear crisis, saying that the damage at one crippled reactor was much more serious than Japanese officials had acknowledged and advising Americans to evacuate a wider area around the plant than ordered by the Japanese government. Sources: Articles by Hiroko Tabuchi, Keith Bradsher, Michael Wines, David E. Sanger, Matthew L. Wald, and Martin Fackler for the New York Times and Mark Magnier, Barbara Demick, and Laura King for the Los Angeles Times

nuclear power earthquake tsunami japan radiation fukushima daiichi
Turkey reels from devastating quake

30 Oct 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Saint Paul reminds the Thessalonians in this Sunday’s second reading of the “toil and drudgery” of the early followers of Christ among them who were “working day and night” to proclaim the gospel of God. Rescuers in eastern Turkey toiled day and night in a frantic search for survivors amid the rubble of Sunday’s devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake. At midweek the death toll was 461 but the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has said that "hundreds, possibly thousands" of people are still trapped under the rubble in eastern Van province, and time is running out. With powerful aftershocks continuing and sub-freezing temperatures falling on the region for a fourth night, hope of finding more survivors faded Wednesday. The hard decision to turn search-and-rescue into a clearance operation looms as the risk of disease grows. Facing mounting criticism for its slow initial response, the Turkish government has now accepted offers of help from 30 countries around the world. The quake destroyed thousands of apartment buildings suffering from shoddy construction and leveled numerous villages where the houses are made of clay and mud. With winter fast approaching, authorities are under increasing pressure to provide for those who have lost their homes. While tent cities and field kitchens have been built in several towns and cities, "We were not expecting such a huge demand for tents," Besir Atalay, the deputy prime minister, said. "When people ask for tents for 100,000 households, you cannot meet that demand." There have been frequent complaints among residents of the mainly minority Kurdish region that the Ankara government would have acted faster if disaster had struck elsewhere. The revelation from the Turkish Red Crescent that 17 aid trucks had been raided highlighted the sense of despair among survivors. Sources: Articles by Dorian Jones for VOA News and Agence France Presse

earthquake turkey kurds

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