A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey, ACT International A young tsunami survivor poses in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

NEW YORK (UMNS) — Guy Hovey was in Sarajevo, Bosnia, during the siege of that city, and he witnessed in Northern Iraq how Saddam Hussein’s efforts at ethnic cleansing wiped away entire villages.

But Hovey — who directs operations for Europe and Asia for the United Methodist Committee on Relief — was unprepared for the magnitude of the devastation he found in Sri Lanka after the Dec. 26 tsunami.

Though only sections of the country were struck by the tsunami, "the destruction is just total in the affected areas," he said. "Nothing comes close to the scope of it. The power of nature is unbelievable."

In a Feb. 1 presentation at the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, UMCOR’s parent organization, Hovey outlined preparations under way for the agency’s long-term response. United Methodists already have donated more than $6 million to assist the Asian tsunami survivors.

Photo by Paul Jeffrey, ACT International A tsunami survivor walks in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

David Sadoo, field staff for UMCOR’s emergency services, will arrive in Sri Lanka on Feb. 4 to set up an office, do assessments, act as a liaison between the agency and local Methodists, and meet with donors and government officials. A second person, yet to be named, will be deployed to Indonesia.

Hovey visited Sri Lanka in January with Kristin Sachen, UMCOR’s head of disaster response, and said they were impressed by the capabilities of Sri Lankan Methodists. "Their emergency response was excellent," he added.

But the church has been overwhelmed by the task, he noted, and the Sri Lankan Methodists want UMCOR to provide the mechanism for their continuing relief work.

UMCOR and the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka have chosen an area on the east coast of the island nation for the work. Hovey believes the area will be underserved by other relief organizations, which are concentrated in the south. Tamil rebels control the area, and the Methodist Church is one of the few organizations allowed to work in areas under their authority, he said.

Photo by Paul Jeffrey, ACT International Sri Lankan refugees return home to rebuild their lives.

As they have in places like Bosnia and Kosovo, United Methodists want to foster interfaith dialogue and opportunities for reconciliation among the Christians, Hindus and Muslims in the area. "There’s a lot of good we can do beyond the reconstruction and income generation," Hovey pointed out.

Work in Indonesia will include housing and income-generation projects in Banda Aceh and Meulaboh. Hovey expects to conduct short-term employment generation or cash-for-work projects, such as cleaning up debris. UMCOR also is investigating relief work on the small island of Nias, which he said had more tsunami damage than first reported.

Monetary donations to UMCOR’s "South Asia Emergency" relief efforts can be placed in local church offering plates or sent directly to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Designate checks for UMCOR Advance #274305 and "South Asia Emergency." Credit-card donations can be made online at www.methodistrelief.org  or by calling (800) 554-8583.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org

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Suggested Resources The Tsunami in Asia: NPR ACT International Donate to United Methodist Committee on Relief UMC.org UMCOR General Board of Global Ministries