600,000 people flee as volcanic activity threatens Democratic Republic of Congo ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
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Dear Friend,

The skies turned red, the earth shook, and streams of lava poured into neighborhoods, cutting off water and electricity. Last Saturday, Democratic Republic of Congo’s Mount Nyiragongo volcano erupted without warning, and thousands of panicked residents fled their homes.

Democratic Republic of Congo
Lava from Mt. Nyiragongo in Goma, DRC is moving farther into populated areas, forcing evacuations.

Early this morning, as tremors and aftershocks continued, local authorities issued a preventative evacuation order for the city of Goma: magma underneath the soil and nearby Lake Kivu has been detected, warning that the mountain could erupt again at any moment.

Please make a gift to Mercy Corps today, to help provide urgently needed support for communities at risk in places like DRC and other countries where we serve.

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Mercy Corps is preparing for what we anticipate could be a major emergency response in DRC. Based on our experience, we expect people’s most immediate needs to be food, shelter, water, and sanitation. Your gift today supports our Humanitarian Response Fund, which provides assistance where most needed in response to crises of all kinds around the world.

"There’s fear everywhere. Over 600,000 people are already on the road with little or no belongings. The sky is dark, as an ash cloud has covered the city. The emission of poisonous gas due to volcanic activity cannot be ruled out — this is an incredibly worrying scenario."

—Barbara Bitton, Mercy Corps Strategic Response Manager for DRC

The risks of water-borne diseases are high, as families resort to drawing water from contaminated sources, and a rise in COVID‑19 cases is an added threat. We know from our decade-long experience providing water and sanitation in the aftermath of crises here in Eastern DRC, that the window to respond to avert further secondary health crises is short.

Your urgent gift today can help provide relief including clean water, hygiene supplies, and long-term support to communities in places like DRC, Nepal, Somalia, and around the world. Please give today.

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Around the globe, we are working alongside people facing the world’s biggest challenges. Thank you for being there for our global community during times of crisis.

Adrienne Karecki
Adrienne Karecki, Mercy Corps Chief Development and Marketing Officer

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