Tsunami Disaster Touches Eastern Africa

JANUARY 2005 ... The earthquake and tidal wave that decimated many coastal regions of South Asia on December 26 extended a path of destruction all the way to the eastern coast of Africa.

The hardest hit African nation was Somalia, where hundreds of people have been killed and many fisherman have been reported missing. Off the coast of Somalia, almost all of the buildings on the island of Hafun were swept away. Thousands of refugees have fled the coastal areas to seek aid inland.

In Seychelles, the tsunami caused considerable damage on two of the country's most populous islands, Mahe and Praslin. Millions of dollars of damage occurred to the public infrastructure and the tourism industry, and many citizens are now homeless or displaced due to the flooding and continued rainfall.

In Kenya and Tanzania, a small number of people were reported killed and many fishing boats were damaged as a result of the tsunami. In Madagascar, over 1,000 people have been made homeless.

Africare is not providing direct disaster assistance to any of the tsunami-impacted countries in Africa at this time. Africare presently assists communities in Tanzania by iplementing a variety of long-term development programs. Although Africare is not operational in any of the other countries impacted by the tsunami, we are continuing to monitor the situation in Africa. We will continue, through our governmental and nongovernmental agency contacts in the various impacted African countries, to assess how we can support the relief effort in Africa.

If you would like to donate to Africare for tsunami relief in Africa, we will channel your funds to sister organizations working in this relief effort. Click here.

Thank you for your continued support and concern for the people of Africa and others so severely impacted by this devastating situation

Back to News Index