Samoa Tsunami - We Must Help

Many people are suffering due to the recent Tsunami in and around Samoa and we feel it is our obligation to do what we can to help out as soon as possible.

Petra is a Great Southern Humanist Society member who lives in New Zealand and she has been a good friend and an online contributor to our cause before, during and after hurricane Katrina and was there to get the word out to other freethinkers and humanists regarding the plight of our MS gulf coast. Much of the attention and aid that you read about in our narrative "Humanist in a Hurricane" was as a result of her diligence, care and action.

She has sent me me several emails depicting the horrible destruction in Samoa, here is one:

One of my friends in Hamilton - "TC" is a Samoan Kiwi, and has a lot of close relatives in and around Apia. I met some of them at his 50th birthday party awhile back. Sweet, shy, smiling people with gentle hearts. I hope they're all safe and still have housing on higher ground. Anyone in a coastal village fale would be in dire trouble, I'd say.

Please consider an immediate online donation to the NZ Red Cross (or to the charity of your choice) while we start formulating a plan to help further.

New Zealand Red Cross

Here is another recent post regarding our efforts from Petra:

Hi, Steve - and g'day to all the GSHS members.

Thank you for starting this.

I have just spoken to TC (Tony Crichton) about his family and home village. TC is one of my dearest friends. You guys know what a beautiful man Steve is, right? Well, TC is right up there in the beautiful human being brigade also. I love the guy and I'm relieved to know he is safe and well and is in NZ not Samoa.

But his family in Samoa are not so well. Samoans have big, extended families and in his family alone, 30 of his cousins are missing. 3 are dead. Some are okay as they live in the hills outside Apia, but the 30 that are missing all come from the low lying coastal land. Others are left homeless and are squatting on higher ground in mourning.

Tony has another cousin in Auckland who is coordinating help and communications from NZ family for Samoan family, so he will email me her details tonight. I will share those details with you.

When I told Tony about this thread and the kind thoughts and actions of this group, he almost choked up and we both agreed that there are some lovely, lovely people out there in the world and you guys are truly amongst them. :-)

I still have some photos of TC's 50th birthday and in them are 6 of the people who are currently missing. :(

More information is on our GSHS messageboard and at the Peace Corp blogs over at Global Voices:

“Samoa will remember this day in her heart for ever,” said Moleli.

We cannot walk their path this day or in the long days to follow, but we really do share the common bond of our own recent despair with these good folks.

The photographs from the region are eerily similar after all.

What we can do is realize that are people who are alive and need help and those that are no longer here would surely want us to keep taking care of each other.

Thanks,

Steve Schlicht
Biloxi MS

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Tags: Tsunami, Samoa, Great Southern Humanist Society, New Zealand, humanist, hurricane, Peace Corps