Covenant News

Covenant Church Damaged in Japan Earthquakes

NAGAOKA, JAPAN (October 25, 2004) - The Nagaoka Covenant Church was severely damaged during a series of three earthquakes that rocked areas of Japan over the weekend, Covenant News Service has learned.

Three major earthquakes Saturday evening and several aftershocks were centered in Niigata prefecture, reports Ronna Husby, who with her husband, David, serve as Asia region coordinators for the Department of World Mission of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

"As of tonight (Sunday) at 6 p.m., 21 people are confirmed dead and the injured number about 1,500," Ronna said. Nagaoka city was near the center of the quake and is the city where the Nagaoka Covenant Church is located. It is a three-story building with a parsonage on the top floor, worship sanctuary on the second and a church-run daycare facility on the first floor.

"Covenant missionary Jim Peterson drove to the church today and reported that the building looks like it has been cracked in half," Ronna said. "Members are busy removing valuables from the building as expected aftershocks may cause further damage. The pastor, Rev. Hiyoshi, and his family are all safe and there have been no reported injuries among the church members."

Many roads and rail lines in Niigata and neighboring Nagano prefecture are also damaged. "The shinkansen bullet train was derailed near Nagaoka station and the Kan etsu express way, the major route from Tokyo to Niigata and Nagano, is closed at the northern end due to damages," Ronna noted. "Many houses were damaged by the quake as well as by landslides. There has been record rainfall in this part of Japan this October due to an unusual number of typhoons that have passed over land, causing the soil to be unstable on mountain sides. Much of the affected area is rural."

More information will be posted to this online Covenant news report as it becomes available.

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