Statement from the National Council of Churches USA
On Monday, an 8.7 magnitude aftershock of the devastating earthquake that triggered the December 26 tsunami killed hundreds of people on Indonesia's Nias Island. NCC's Interfaith Relations Director, Shanta Premawardhana, was in Sri Lanka preparing for the Ecumenical Assembly in Thailand (see 
story below). He remarks: "Nias Island is 95% Christian -- mostly Lutheran -- and is very remote. Roads and telephone service are in bad shape. Evacuation and rescue will not be easy." Tsunami warnings went out all over Asia, but the latest quake apparently did not generate tidal waves endangering the coastline. In the aftermath, however, tens of thousands of people scrambled for higher ground. Church World Service (CWS) staff reported electricity off in Banda Aceh and frightened people fleeing their homes. CWS Emergency Response Program staff is in contact with personnel throughout the region.
