The Canberra Multicultural Community Forum is ready to support moves to instigate an appeal for the victims of the Chilean earthquake, CMCF chair Sam Wong said today.
“I have been approached by the Australian Chilean Friendship Society and the Chilean Embassy in Canberra requesting an appeal be set up,” Mr Wong said.
“To this end I have been in touch with the Australian Red Cross which has always been quick to move on these emergencies.”
The Red Cross has already opened a news page on the disaster on its website. It can be reached at http://www.redcross.org.au/chile_earthquake_and_tsunami_2010.htm
Mr Wong said the Chilean community in Canberra had been shocked by the news.
“People live with earthquakes in this part of the world, but the size of this one is almost unprecedented,” he said.
“It is fortunate that the epicentre was in a relatively unpopulated area, otherwise the toll would have been much higher.
“Even so, at least two million people have been affected in one way or another, and there is considerable damage to infrastructure.”
Mr Wong said a Chilean member of the CMCF Executive Committee, Victor Marillanca, would act as a liaison with Chilean community representatives to decide on fund-raising activities.
“We hope to have more information when the full extent of the disaster becomes clear,” he said.
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