There was an earthquake 
and 10 meter tsunami wave that hit the northern Solomon Islands at 7:35am (local time) Monday morning , 02 April 2007

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake centered near the town of Gizo in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. The quake was followed by a 10 meter tsunami wave that caused extensive damage and a mounting death toll. 
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An estimated 6,000 people are homeless, but it's difficult to tell because at least 13 isolated villages are totally destroyed, and many families have fled into the jungle to escape the continuing tremors.

An email from Tina Lemazi, Station Manager of Gud Nius Redio in Honiara  "Some more latest . . . Gizo is utterly devasted and sick patients from the hospital are sleping in either mkeshifts shelter others in the open sky Thank God that it has not rained since then. Aid supplies have come flooding in now but dispersing them is taking time especially with the scatteredness of our island. People who have lost homes still some sleep in open sky. Food and water are in very high demand also doctors.

Here at Gud Nius Redio we started an appeal to our Listeners and Christian Families cos thats what we are and the response has come .In Simbo from the shore line the sea went 200 metres in land. Getting to Gizo now can be only by boat or choppers. The airstrip is still coverd with water. A lot of children are still missing . Just looking at footages and it breaks your heart . When you see mothers and their children sleeping on top of roofing irons cos that is the only thing available. . . "

Thousands Flee "Strange Sea" in Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) 
News from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, April 3) - 
Thousands of people in Misima District of Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea fled for their lives to higher grounds yesterday when they saw strange movements of the sea. [PIR editor?s note: Milne Bay province is located on the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea?s mainland peninsula.] When contacted around midday yesterday, Misima District office administration manageress Ellice Samano said nearby villages and the Misima town was deserted as people had fled to the mountains and higher grounds to get away from the tsunami. She said at about 6:30 a.m., people had noticed the sea level along the coastline had risen higher than normal and then sucked everything along the coastline towards the ocean, including canoes and small boats and left the sea bed dry exposing marine life. This happened three times within an hour and scared off the people.

[ read today's news story here ] 

Wednesday 04 April 
Official death toll stands today at 22 with many people still missing. 13 villages are destroyed and 5,400 people left homeless

[ click to listen to a 6 minute interview about the Tsunami ] 
by Tima Lemazi, Station Manager of Gud Nius Redio, in Honiara, Solomon Islands

[ read today's news story here ]

"This is just some sketchy reports that I found out after doing some ringing around. . . It has hit Gizo Ranoga and Simbo . . . It has also hit Munda but not as bad as in Gizo. . . I'am still trying to contact our National Disater office for more update reports. A team from our local TV station have flown down to Gizo so when they come back I will be able to get some more news and hopefully some pictures too. The boys with May and myself we have just finished praying. Standing on God promise . . . So thats what I have gathered so far I' ll Let you know If anything new arises. God Bless. Tina" 
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Other local reports

• An email from a man named Sione in the village of Simbo says villages have been destroyed by tidal waves. He estimates the waves washed 200 metres inland and destroyed 15 houses in Marusu village and a class room at Legana Community High School. Sione also said every building in Tapurai village had also been washed away.
• Another email from Freddie in the Solomons says, ". . . The low line coastal areas do have some damages. . . So far, one death was confirm over the radio. Yes, the destruction will be a huge one. It was said, that the dammages will be in millions. . ."
• And from Mercy in Honiara, ". . . every one in the city were not settle, we also find new signs to some water close by to where i worked. . . there was a report this morning that many people under causalties one 12year old girl died. we were listerning to radio updates every now and then. alot of telephone system too was not working well, far most the traffic was too busy carrying people back home. i was still in the office to listern for further information. . . i will let to know of any update from this end should we experience further damages."
• The Solomon Star's (newspaper) website confirms that one person has died in Gizo and others were missing. It said people were swept away by the tsunami which has hit many of the islands. The newspaper said there had been extensive damage on the Gizo foreshore and the nearby Nusa Tupe airport. Phone lines have gone down.
• The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) website reported that all beaches in New South Wales and Queensland have been closed and the Manly ferry service in Sydney has been suspended because of the tsunami alert. 
  

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We thank the Lord that the damage was not worse

Like cyclones, earthquakes and tsunamis are a fact of life in the Islands. There are few multi-storied buildings to collapse in an earthquake, so thankfully the death toll is usually small. However, rural people subsist from the land and sea, so any loss of fishing boats and crops will make it hard for families to feed themselves. .

And thank you too, for praying for the Solomon Islands and for our Gud Nius Redio staff. 
Last year we talked with some local leaders from Minda and Gizo (near the earthquake centre) and have been offered land for a relay radio station in the area (to re-broadcast programs from Gud Nius Redio in Honiara). So please ask God to supply the money we need to get that little station established and broadcasting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the rural people of the Western Province.