Geneva, 7 March, 2003 - ACT member,
Church World Service (CWS), reports that recovery efforts continue in the
Mexican states of Colima and Jalisco following the earthquake that struck
the Country on January 21. The quake measured 7.8 on the Richter Scale.
According to the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFCR), it is estimated that 25
people died in the disaster and 324 were injured. 2005 houses were
destroyed and many damaged. Colima is a predominantly rural state, characterised
by many low-income villages with houses made of adobe. It is reported that
primary needs for food, clothing and shelter of the affected population
are being met by family members and local resources.
CWS reports that as a result of the earthquake, 36 percent of the population in Colima has suffered from trauma. Colima is a state particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.
CWS plans to respond to this emergency with their own resources. Through their local partners they will provide basic shelter and domestic utensils packages for 150 families, and will organise mental health and disaster prevention workshops for 288 families. CWS informs that they will not request support from the ACT Alliance.
Thank you for your attention.
For further information please contact:
ACT Web Site address: http://www.act-intl.org
ACT is a world-wide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through co-ordinated emergency response.
The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.