Rebuilding efforts have begun in El Salvador in the wake of a devastating earthquake which hit on January 13. The death toll has exceeded 725, with 4,400 injured, hundreds missing and 1.1 million homeless. About 196,553 homes have been either partially or fully destroyed.

Otoniel Zelaya, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in El Salvador, says the Adventist Church was able to respond to the emergency immediately. “The Adventist Church is taking a leading role in terms of local response. We are providing food, fuel, transportation, and shelter to assist the emergency efforts.”

Adventist medical teams who are assisting in disaster response efforts have been allocated helicopters by the government. Church members have coordinated their resources and are opening churches and schools as shelters to aid those who have lost their homes.

Of the casualties from the earthquake, five people were Adventist Church members.  Many members watched as their homes were destroyed or heavily damaged. Zelaya says preliminary reports indicate that 17 Adventist churches were completely destroyed and 55 incurred significant damage.

While the Adventist Church in El Salvador has joined the disaster response effort and provided as much assistance as possible, church members “will have difficulty rebuilding their homes and we will need help to repair and rebuild churches,” says Zelaya.  Zelaya has presented a request for help to Maranatha Volunteers International, a lay Adventist organization that builds urgently needed schools, churches, and community buildings around the world.