Convoy of Hope Team Heads to Tsunami-Devastated Indonesia

KSMU | By Michele Skalicky

Published October 2, 2018 at 12:11 PM CDT

A damaged mosque in Palu, Indonesia. The U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, or UNISDR, says up to 1.6 million people could be affected by the earthquake.

Help is headed from Springfield to a part of Indonesia devastated by a tsunami that was triggered by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

Convoy of Hope’s Disaster Services Team left Tuesday morning for Palu, Indonesia on the Island of Sulawesi, the worst-hit area.

The death toll at last report was just over 1,340 people and is expected to rise, possibly significantly, as search and rescue efforts continue.

According to the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management, an estimated 2.4 million people have been affected by the disaster, and at least 61,000 people have been displaced.

The Convoy of Hope team will meet up with a network of churches and partners in the area. They plan to purchase food, water and other supplies to help tsunami victims, and they’ll distribute water filtration systems and solar lanterns.

Learn more about Convoy of Hope and donate toward the organization's relief efforts here.