Tim Serban has helped people grieve in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
On Friday morning, the volunteer chaplain from Marysville left on a flight to tsunami-ravaged American Samoa. Serban is the sole spiritual care adviser among a 50-member Red Cross delegation to the island territory. As others attend to physical needs, his mission will be helping the spiritual recovery.
“My job is to assist them in the very beginning stages of the grief process right after the tsunami,” he said. “I’m helping them rediscover the strength they need to get through the event.”
Serban, 44, is a member of the National Red Cross’ spiritual care response team. For the past several years, he has served as a board member with the Snohomish County Red Cross. Since 2001, he has worked as a lay Catholic chaplain at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, where his job is to support a team of 20 other chaplains.
Once he reaches the South Pacific, Serban expects to be working with people who live in American Samoa, a U.S. territory, and people who are returning there after the disaster to find out what has happened to their family. He will be helping them find members of their own faith to help with the grieving process.
The dead from Tuesday’s earthquake and tsunami include 129 in Samoa, 32 in American Samoa and nine in Tonga.
A day later, a 7.6 magnitude quake flattened hundreds of buildings in Padang, Indonesia, a port city with almost a million people on the west coast of Sumatra. Officials said at least 1,100 people died and predicted the death toll would rise.
The quake also was felt in Singapore and Malaysia. A second, less powerful quake hit another part of Sumatra on Thursday.
Disaster-relief experts from the Pacific Northwest are playing high-profile roles in the relief efforts.
Lina Thompson, a Samoan-American from Seattle, is leading the response for Federal Way-based World Vision, a Christian relief group.
Thompson, World Vision’s national program director, was expected to leave for American Samoa this weekend.
“There’s already a groundswell of people, churches and other groups wanting to do something to help,” Thompson said in a statement.
Thompson is the sister of former football star Jack Thompson, who played quarterback for Washington State University and National Football League teams.
World Vision also has about 1,000 staff members throughout Indonesia, including some in Padang.
Local Salvation Army offices are taking donations to help the charity’s mission in the countries hit by the recent disasters. Salvation Army personnel from New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory are helping evacuate people to New Zealand. Plans are also under way to provide direct assistance.
The local Red Cross chapter is asking for donations of money because of the high cost of shipping actual supplies overseas, Snohomish County Director Chuck Morrison said.
Serban, the emergency chaplain, was scheduled to fly to Hawaii on Friday, then board a U.S. military plane to Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa.
How you can help
Make sure your money goes to a legitimate charity if you donate to help survivors of recent natural disasters in the South Pacific.
Washington state officials warned about scammers looking to cash in on goodwill. Anyone who solicits charitable donations in Washington must register with the secretary of state and disclose how much of the money raised went toward an actual charitable cause.
For donation tips, go to www.secstate.wa.gov/charities. You also can check on whether a charity is registered by calling the state’s toll-free Charities Information Hotline at 800-332-GIVE.
Some charities working in the South Pacific:
Red Cross: 1-800-REDCROSS (800-733-2767) or www.redcross.org. People who need information about family members in American Samoa can go to https://disastersafe.redcross.org.
The Salvation Army: Mail donations to The Salvation Army World Service Office, International Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 630728, Baltimore, MD 21263-0728. Or go to www.salvationarmy.org.
World Vision: 888-511-6548 or www.worldvision.org.
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