LDS aid for Samoa on its way Tuesday

Relief for Samoans left without housing and needing help following the recent earthquake and tsunami will be on the way Tuesday.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is flying emergency relief supplies to Samoa, including food, clothing, wheelchairs, water containers and mosquito nets. The church is partnering with Islamic Relief Worldwide, a nonprofit organization, and other donors to send out an air cargo charter flight filled with supplies.

The devastation of the tsunami affected thousands last week as more than 150 people were killed in Samoa, Tonga and American Samoa. About 90 percent of residents in American Samoa were left homeless and without resources. The church reported that 26 church members died.

— Lana Groves