Latter-day Saint leaders in Asia issued a statement Tuesday about Monday’s earthquakes in Japan, expressing sadness, calling for prayers and encouraging residents and church members to remain alert for aftershocks.
We are deeply saddened by the earthquakes on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, and the subsequent tsunami and fires,” said the statement by the Asia Area North presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The area leaders also had reported that all full-time missionaries and church members of the church are safe and accounted for, according to the Church News. Church leaders continue to assess damage to buildings and property.
A powerful earthquake and aftershocks struck Japan’s west coast on New Year’s Day. The initial, magnitude-7.6 quake hit at 4 p.m. Japanese Time (2 a.m. ET in the United States).
News reports Tuesday said the death toll had reached 55 so far as rescue workers continued to look for people trapped amid hundreds of damaged buildings. Roads also sustained damage and many people lost power and cellphone service.
Officials ordered nearly 100,000 residents to evacuate because of the possibility of a tsunami, though the warning now has been downgraded to an advisory.
“For their safety, members and those in the communities of the Hokuriku Area are encouraged to remain on alert for the next several days, as aftershocks may continue throughout the week and beyond,” the presidency said in the statement, which was released on the church’s Japan Newsroom and Micronesia Newsroom sites.
The Asia North Area president is Elder Takashi Wada, a General Authority Seventy for the church and a native of Nagano, Japan. His counselors are Elders John A. McCune and J. Kimo Esplin.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife Sister Lesa Stevenson, and Elder Takashi Wada and his wife Naomi Wada, pose for a photograph outside the Okinawa Japan Temple in Okinawa on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, two days before Elder Stevenson dedicated the new temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
“We invite all church members and our friends to join in prayers for the safety of the people in the area, as well as the first responders and volunteers who are working to assist in the aftermath of the earthquake,” the presidency said in its statement.
They added, “For those desiring to help, it is recommended that such persons begin by donating to the Church Humanitarian funds, rather than sending items directly to units in the Kanazawa Stake. Other opportunities to serve will be updated in the near future.”
Those who want to donate can visit donate.churchofjesuschrist.org.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihwFodHRwczovL3d3dy5kZXNlcmV0LmNvbS8yMDI0LzEvNC8yNDAyMjg4Mi9sYXR0ZXItZGF5LXNhaW50LWxlYWRlcnMtZGVlcGx5LXNhZGRlbmVkLWJ5LWphcGFuLWVhcnRocXVha2VzLWFuZC11cmdlLXBlb3BsZS10by1yZW1haW4tYWxlcnTSAQA?oc=5
2024-01-04 20:24:00Z
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