Christchurch Earthquake Update

February 26, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
Add Comment

Several days on from the massive quake which has caused so much destruction in Christchurch, I took the opportunity yesterday to update my radio listeners on what was happening in New Zealand.

Tuesday’s 6.3 magnitude tremor is the largest of many aftershocks from the 7.1 magnitude quake in the same area on the 4th of September last year.

At this time 123 people are confirmed dead with 200 still missing and many hundreds injured.

Allan Lee is Director of News and Current Affairs for Rhema Broadcasting Group in New Zealand. He joined me live during my program on 98.5 Sonshine FM the day after the quake as he headed by road to Christchurch. I spoke to Allan again yesterday and he updated me with details from the last couple of days.

Since we last spoke Allan had been into the city of Christchurch and witnessed the devastation as well as travelling through the suburbs and finding out how the people of the area are coping.

You can hear our discussion by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

I also asked Allan how we should be praying for those caught in the tragic events. He reminded us that while the physical needs are being attended to as quickly as possible, the emotional scars will take many years to heal.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR250211_1401.mp3]

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Christchurch Earthquake Update? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Rescue and Recovery continues in Christchurch

February 23, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
Add Comment

A national state of emergency has been declared in New Zealand following the devastating earthquake that rocked the area surrounding Christchurch yesterday. Horrific images have been beamed into our lounge rooms as the rescue and recovery efforts continue.

Yesterday’s 6.1 magnitude tremor is the largest of many aftershocks from the 7.1 magnitude quake in the same area on the 4th of September last year. At this time 75 people are confirmed dead with 300 missing and many hundreds injured.

Allan Lee is Director of News and Current Affairs for Rhema Broadcasting Group in New Zealand. He joined me live during my program on 98.5 Sonshine FM this morning as he headed by road to Christchurch.

We talked about the feeling in New Zealand today as people continue to come to terms with the tragedy and the dangerous rescue efforts as aftershocks continue to shake buildings that are already on the brink of collapse.

You can hear our discussion by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

I also asked Allan how we should be praying for those caught in the tragic events. He reminds us that while the physical needs are being attended to as quickly as possible, the emotional scars will take many years to heal.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR230211_1128.mp3]

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Rescue and Recovery continues in Christchurch? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Amateur Video Shows Flood Devastation

January 11, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
8 Comments

2011 hasn’t started well in many parts of Australia. Not even two weeks in and it’s been a fairly wild start to the new year.

Here in Western Australia we’re dealing with destructive fire in our south and floods in our north.

Across the country in Queensland the devastating floods continue. The vision coming out of Toowoomba is astounding.

Check out the amateur video above as a couple of people capture the storm waters swelling and dragging car after car out of a car park and sending them down what moments earlier was just a small creek. At this time, eight people are dead and dozens are missing in that part of Queensland. It’s hard to get your head around the scale of the devastation.

The floods have not yet reached their peak and thousands of people are still being evacuated as the scale of the disaster grows.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Amateur Video Shows Flood Devastation? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Update on Haiti from Compassion

January 14, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

Edouard Lassegue is the Vice President Compassion Latin America and Caribbean RegionThings were already extremely difficult for Haiti’s desperately poor population of over nine million but yesterday’s earthquake has now brought about further untold suffering. Estimates say that over a hundred thousand people may be dead and that well over three million people will be affected by the magnitude 7 quake and strong aftershocks.

This morning during my radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM I spoke to Edouard Lassegue about the devastation in Haiti.

Edouard is Compassion’s Vice President, Latin America and Caribbean Region. He is based in Miami where he is trying to gather information so that he can coordinate Compassion’s immediate relief efforts.

The tragedy has struck very close to home for Edouard who is Haitian and was once the Compassion Country Director for Compassion in Haiti. He has family and friends in the country and his heart is breaking with the current tragic situation.

Listen to what he had to say by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

You can donate to the emergency appeal set up by Compassion Australia by clicking here.

Edouard was in Haiti with our Australian team in April 2008 when we had to exit the country rather quickly as rioting and looting took hold in Port-au-Prince.

When we made our somewhat risky trip to the airport to leave Haiti, Edouard was the one who stepped out of the ‘safety’ of our vehicles to try to find a way forward. He’s a very brave man who quite possibly saved our lives.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR140110_0947.mp3]

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Update on Haiti from Compassion? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Victorian fires continue to destroy lives

February 10, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
4 Comments

Fires are continuing to rage across the Australian state of Victoria. Extreme conditions have made the firefighters’ task even more difficult as they battle to bring the flames under control.

The death toll in the Victorian bushfire crisis is expected to rise above 200 in the next day or so as more bodies are discovered. It is the worst ‘natural’ disaster in Australia’s history. It’s difficult to come to terms with the fact that the fires which are causing untold death and destruction were deliberately lit.

There are still over twenty fires across the area with some towns completely wiped out and others still under threat.

Strathewen, with a population of only 200 people before the bushfires, had lost 30 residents in the last official count.

It’s hard to know what to do in a time like this but it seems to be a very natural thing to want to offer some kind of support to those in need.

At 98.5 Sonshine FM we’re encouraging listeners to do whatever they can to help the survivors of the tragedy.

We’ve placed a number of links on the Sonshine FM website to allow people to make a secure online donation to the organisation of their choice.

There’s also opportunity to post a prayer or a few thoughts for others to read online.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Victorian fires continue to destroy lives? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.