Story number 1 for 17 Jan 2001

Our newscast begins today in the crumbling ruins of El Salvador, where the devastation is so massive, the only tasks now are burial, survival and grief. Christian groups are rushing aid to the area after Saturday’s ruinous quake. Latin America Mission’s Ken MacHarg tells us their response. “The 7.6 magnitude earthquake has left over 600 dead, more than 500 missing and 20,000 homeless. LAM missionary Bob Sabean reports that his colleague Mario Palencia lives just blocks from where a major landslide took out a middle class neighborhood. Now, the area residents are without water and fear that there will be an outbreak of disease in the coming days. Dr. Palencia is organizing doctors to help them treat the injured in towns not yet reached by rescue teams. LAM controller Jose Zirena told missionaries in the region that the mission has established a fund to build houses, rebuild churches and help get communities back together. For Mission Network News, I’m Ken MacHarg.”