Bischof Zappo stirbt bei Tsunami/ SPENDENAUFRUF

01.04.2007: Bei einem Tsunami (Flutwelle) und mehreren aufeinanderfolgenden Erdbeben auf den Salomon-Inseln kamen mehr 52 Menschen um's Leben. Über 900 Häuser wurden zerstört. 7.500 Menschen sind obdachlos.

Ständig aktuelle Informationen zum Tsunami auf den Salomonen finden sich hier.

Die Nachrichten aus den Salomonen finden sich auf der Seite der Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation.

Unser Partner ECSIEP (Utrecht) konnte sich bei einem Telefonat Klarheit über die Situation verschaffen. Es folgt die Meldung in englischer Sprache: On Monday 2 April a strong earthquake with the magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale followed by a Tsunami struck the Western part of the Solomon Islands. Thousands of people are left homeless, some islands are still out of contact and dozens of villages unreachable by road and at least 34 people were killed with several dozen still missing.

Officials have declared an emergency and say the death toll would rise with an increasing risk of disease, including malaria.

Strong aftershocks have continued since the magnitude 8 quake - with many residents too scared to leave makeshift shelters in the hills. Some coastal areas are still inundated, with buildings sucked into the sea by the tsunami. Aerial patrols reported bodies could still be seen floating. The Solomon Islands National Disaster Council estimated that between 900 and 2,500 houses have been destroyed. The tsunami caused widespread damage to homes constructed from traditional materials, while the earthquake caused more damage to sturdily-constructed buildings.
The United Church of Solomon Islands is the biggest church in the affected Western part of the Solomon Islands, and the European Centre on Pacific Issues (ECSIEP) contacted their head office in Munda to learn about the situation. Fortunately, their head office in Munda as well as the Helena Goldie Hospital were missed by the tsunami with only 2 meters. Their training centre and hospital in Sasamunga (Choiseul province) were however destroyed just like the rest of the Sasamunga village. Their constituency in Gizo was also badly affected by the tsunami and the earth quake seriously damaged and destroyed the Goldie College, many of their residential houses and a great number of water tanks (making access to drinking water very difficult). At the time of calling, preparations were underway for the funeral of Bishop Rowlington Zappo who was conducting the ordination ceremony early Monday when the waves hit the church on Simbo Island, near Gizo, in the Solomons' Western Province. Bishop Zappo was killed along with three other worshippers attending the service.
Lots of money will be needed for the general emergency aid, as well as for the rebuilding of the services network (health, education) of the United Church in the area.

Donations to support the important work of the United Church in Solomons Islands in this difficult time of rebuilding its services to the people of the Western part of the country are very welcome and can be made on account number 37.52.31.137 of the Stichting European Centre on Pacific Issues (ECSIEP) in Bunnik IBAN: NL88RABO0375231137, SWIFT address: RABO NL 2U. Please label your donation with "Solomon Tsunami. We will make sure that these donations will get to the Solomons.
For more information please contact: Pavel Klinckhamers, Programme Officer European Centre on Pacific, Issues (ECSIEP), Phone: +31 10 4651464, Mobile: +31 6 44522205, www.ecsiep.org

Mission EineWelt- Centrum für Partnerschaft, Entwicklung und Mission der Evang.-Luth. Kirche in Bayern hat sich mit einer Solidaritsbekundung an die United Church der Salomonen gewandt.

Dear brother and Sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Even in far away Germany in Europe we have been informed by the media, also and especially by our Pacific Info Desk (Julia.Ratzmann@mission-einewelt.de) about the disaster which has struck your beautiful islands in the Western Solomons with lots of damage and esp. heavy loss of life.

On behalf of our church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria in South Germany and its Mission OneWorld Centre (=overseas department, so to say) with its long standing, active partnership with ELC-PNG and in the Pacific region let me express our sincere condolence and sharing of your mourning - also and specifically as to the death of the Bishop of the United Church, Rt. Rev. Zappo during the Sunday Service as the wave had hit the church and the villages in your region.

We are shocked and deeply concerned about this tragic event with the loss of lives. Our prayerful thoughts are with your church and the victims.

The climate change does manifest more and more explicitly in terms of disasters across the regions and it does hit people who did not cause it. If possible and ad hand please give us more detailed information for the sake of awareness in our church and country.
May God bring about peace and restoration again to the land, villages and souls of those who have been hit. May many open their hearts and esp. give a hands to bring about assistance which is dearly required. May the joy of life and the "gutpela sindaun" again return to your region. May our God also grant the grace that His creation will be protected and restored what has been destroyed."

In Christ and the fellowship of believers
Rev. Dr. Traugott Farnbacher, Secretary for Papua New Guinea, Pacific and East Asia, Mission OneWorld Evang. - Luth. Church in Bavaria

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