Silver Spring, Maryland--In response to the major eruption of the Tungurahua volcano in central Ecuador on August 16, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is providing emergency bedding, food, and medical care for hundreds of families seriously affected by the disaster.

Tungurahua, which means "throat of fire" in Quechua, a widely spoken Native American language of South America, has been active since 1999. According to the National Geophysical Institute of Ecuador, the volcano spewed large amounts of molten lava, rocks, and ash nearly 19 miles into the air during August's eruption. A mushroom-shaped cloud measuring an estimated 50 miles hung over the east section of the volcano, showering ash over several nearby provinces.

In the aftermath of the eruption, Tungurahua's most violent in seven years, thousands of local residents continue to reel from the psychological, physical, and economic damages. The volcanic eruption killed at least five, wounded dozens of others, and displaced thousands from their homes. In addition, falling ash has contaminated water supplies, destroyed or damaged an estimated 300,000 acres of farmland, and killed hundreds of farm animals.

The ADRA office in Ecuador is responding with aid for those affected by this crisis, providing blankets, sheets, and food kits containing rice and sugar--staples of the region's diet--for 2,000 residents in the hard-hit provinces of Tungurahua, Chimborazo, and Cotopaxí. ADRA Ecuador is also providing volunteer physicians to treat residents suffering from respiratory diseases, eye, or skin problems caused by the thick, powdery ash.

"The supplies being distributed to the survivors of the Tungurahua volcano eruption will help mitigate the hunger and the cold of 400 families that suffered the effects of this catastrophe, and ease their suffering," says ADRA Ecuador staff member Ruth Bejarano.

The project, which is valued at $20,000, is funded in partnership by the ADRA office in Ecuador and ADRA International.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, or ethnicity.

Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.