WHO: Risk of Disease Still High in Indonesia's Aceh

Tsunami-stricken Indonesia has escaped major disease outbreaks so far but hundreds of thousands of people are at high risk due to poor conditions in refugee camps, the World Health Organization said Monday.

Health officials have feared epidemics since the Dec. 26 disaster that may have killed 230,000 people in Aceh province and left hundreds of thousands homeless, forcing them to live in makeshift outdoor camps with poor sanitation.

"It's too soon to declare any sort of victory, there's still plenty of threat and we have to be careful because the situation is still precarious," said Bob Dietz, the WHO spokesman in Aceh.

United Nations officials credited a swift response to the tsunami disaster with preventing epidemics that some feared could cause a second wave of death after the tsunami, in which nearly 300,000 people died or disappeared around the Indian Ocean region.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News
Read the WHO's latest Situation Report

A First Person account of his volunteer efforts in Sri Lanka

From our comments:

A group of us have been organizing relief work for Sri Lanka, providing scientific information (including cited in Wiki) at http://www.recoverlanka.net & http://www.geolanka.net

I have just returned from affected areas in Sri Lanka and you shall find details of this at
http://lareef.blogspot.com. Having seen, the importance of direct assistance to those who were affected and neglected, I can recommend several grass roots groups to receive funds for specific projects - see http://lareef.blogspot.com for details of the groups - we shall arrange to have all funds disbursed directly for relief or to support relief.

UK tsunami appeal auction

From Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com):

UK-based magazine What Digital Camera has joined forces with some of the top digital camera and equipment manufactures to run an online auction in support of the tsunami appeal. Simply visit www.whatdigitalcamera.com/auction before midnight on February 11th to place your bid for some great kit, at some great prices. Bid items include the award-winning Nikon D70, which has a starting bid of just £450 (approx $700) and the Pentax *ist D which has a starting bid of £500 (approx $778). Other items include a selection of software, printers and scanners all with a starting bid of half the RRP. *NB: Non-UK bidders may be subject to local taxes.

Tsunami Warning Centers to Be Created

Delegates at a conference in Thailand decided Saturday to create several regional tsunami warning centers around southern Asia that would protect the area from killer waves, a U.N. official said.

The two-day meeting at tsunami-battered Phuket island had considered a Thai proposal to make a Bangkok-based disaster prevention center the hub of the Indian Ocean region but chose to have several centers after other nations objected.

"There will not be one regional center," said Margareta Wahlstrom, special envoy of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. She added that there are "a number of institutions" around the Indian Ocean that could serve as smaller regional centers.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

SMILE Foundation to support physically handicapped

SMILE Foundation, Delhi, a registered Trust, is a development support agency without any religious, political affiliations. It works to promote child education and their general well being for their holistic development- focusing on children from impoverished and neglected strata of our populace.

As an immediate intervention support to Tsunami victims, Smile proposes to focus on physically handicapped people having lost their aids and appliances. It intends to provide the same to the suffering people.

Smile therefore appeals to the NGOs, including those working in areas of disabilities, to get in touch with us with details of such identified people, their location (residence),kind and number of ids and appliances required and estimated cost, at the earliest.

Kindly contact the Chief Program Officer at:proposal@smilefoundationindia.org

India: Special Tsunami relief package for fishermen

The Government today announced a special Rajiv Gandhi Tsunami Relief Package for distressed fishermen even as it directed the banks to speedily clear the loan applications of people in the tsunami-hit areas.

The Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, outlined the package at a meeting with the chief executives of 27 public sector banks. He said the new scheme would provide a subsidised financial package for the affected fishermen.

In addition, he directed the banks to clear the loan applications of those in tsunami-hit areas within 48 hours and restructure their debts. The Government will provide interest and capital subsidies to the banks giving loans to fishermen affected by the tsunami, according to the Financial Sector Secretary, N.S. Sisodia.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

Update:

More details about the package at The Hindu

Indian village beats tsunami with tree power

Two years ago, drought-stricken farmers in a village on the southern coast of India walked into the Guinness Book of World Records by planting the highest number of saplings in a 24-hour period.

On Dec. 26, as the killer tsunami struck down thousands of people and homes in Tamil Nadu state, the casuarina and eucalyptus trees which had been planted to appease the weather gods saved the lush green village of Naluvedapathy.

Of the nearly 8,000 people who died in the state, including 6,000 in one fishing village, only seven were from Naluvedapathy.

Read the Full Article at Reuters AlertNet

'Unusual quake pattern observed in A & N Islands'

Experts today said that there was "unusual earthquake pattern" in Andaman and Nicobar Islands with more than 120 tremblors recorded in the last one month releasing a large amount of seismic energy.

This kind of unusual release of large energy is considered as "unusual events" and "is unheard of in the history of seismology," the seismologists from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and the Earth Sciences Department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here, told PTI.

The Seismology Department of BARC and the Earth Sciences Department of IIT have recorded over 120 such unusual events in the islands following the December 26 major earthquake that measured 8.9 on the Richter scale in Sumatra Island in Indonesia triggering tsunamis that wrecked havoc in South and South-East Asia.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

To our readers

It's a month, almost to the hour, since this blog started posting, and we've been overwhelmed by the response from you, our readers, from the aid organisations we have been trying to help, and the support from the blog world and the press.

It reassures us that we have, in our small way, been able to help. Yet we also know there's a lot more that needs to be done.

We're also dealing with the fact that much as we want to help, we do have families and careers we've put aside, things we have responsibilities towards, lives of our own to live.

To help us focus our energies better in the more limited time we all have to give to this effort, we'd like to ask you what we can continue to give you, how we can keep helping, what kind of information you want.

Please use the comments section of this post to tell us.

(And if i may put in a small personal note to the team: it's been an honour to work with all of you on this. The experience has changed my life in so many ways, touched me in places i thought were long dead. Thank you.
Love and respect,
peter)

India: Scholarships for tsunami orphans

Association of Accredited Advisors on Overseas Education (AAAOE) today announced scholarships to 100 students who were orphaned in the December 26 tsunami as part of its five-point agenda this year.

AAAOE had proposed to offer scholarships worth Rs 20,000 per year for two years for students in the affected areas, especially in the worst-affected Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari and Cuddalore districts of Tamil Nadu.

The scholarship would cover the cost of uniform, fees, books at the school, under-graduate and post-graduate levels, the release said adding that all the children orphaned by the tsunami were eligible for the scholarship.

They had to submit a requisition letter along with relevant documents, the release said.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

UN seeks $67 million for increased risk of malaria, dengue fever after tsunami

Warning of an increased risk of deadly mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever sweeping across South Asian countries ravaged by last month’s tsunami, the United Nations health agency issued an urgent appeal today for $67 million to ward off a potentially severe public health crisis over the next six months.

With stagnant water creating favourable breeding conditions for the insects, the World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed experts and set up early warning and surveillance systems while public health laboratory services are being restored including provision of rapid diagnostic kits, medical supplies and equipment, and training of local health workers.

“Proper management of dengue hemorrhagic fever can reduce fatality rates and save many lives,” WHO’s Regional Director for Southeast Asia Samlee Plianbangchang said of the endemic disease, where rapid diagnosis and early treatment can make the difference between life and death. Unless proper treatment is given promptly, the patient may go into shock and die.

Read the Full Article at UN News Centre

Tsunami Survivors Risk Fungal Infection -Report

Survivors of the Asian tsunami, in which nearly 300,000 people were killed or are still missing, could be at risk of a deadly fungal infection, Australian researchers said on Friday.

Doctors at Sydney's St George Hospital who treated an infection called mucormycosis in an Australian man who was injured in the disaster, fear it could be the first case of many.

"Other cases of mucormycosis might develop in survivors, but this disease can be difficult to diagnose and even harder to treat, particularly in those who remain in affected regions," said Pamela Konecny in a report published online by The Lancet medical journal.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News
WHO's Report on Vector-borne diseases

Online Center at Save The Chidren - USA

Save the Children USA has set up a new online center created that enables people who may have already given money to take further action to aid the victims of the devastating Southeast Asian tsunamis. The site is here - Save the Children.

Tsunami Song & its Aftermath

Here is a post that describes what is going with the so-called Tsunami Song, and the outrage it has generated. We have linked to an Mp3 of the radio clip, which is a lot like broadcasting, in my opinion.

Protests have succeeded, apparently, and the song is off air on Hot97. However, it's freely available and gaining popularity very rapidly via the internet. You really cannot stop information that wants to spread. Also, banning any kind of speech should not be an option since it only makes the song even more popular.

We have seen the rapidly waning interest of BigMedia in the "tsunami story", they're back to selling soap.

So one positive consequence of this offensive song is that it has put the tragedy right back into the immediate global consciousness. This is a desirable effect. We need to keep the global focus on fixing the tsunami's mess. We need art, even if offensive, to portray what happened, even if it seems tasteless to some people.

Lest we forget.

I may not agree with what you say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it. - Voltaire (French philosopher)

Warning over tsunami aid 'holdup'

Only half the money requested by the UN in immediate aid for Indian Ocean tsunami victims has been received, according to the UK charity Oxfam.

A report by the charity published one month after the tragedy said more effort was needed to maintain the quality and quantity of aid.

Meanwhile the Red Cross said it was winding down its appeal after raising sufficient funds for aid efforts.

More than 70 Red Cross societies around the world are involved in the campaign.

Read the Full Article at BBC News
Oxfam's Latest Situation Report

Asia tsunami death toll may be close to 300,000

The toll of dead and missing from the Asian tsunami, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Indonesia on Dec. 26, was 297,271 on Tuesday, according to collated figures from government and health officials.

The toll includes the missing from all tsunami-hit countries after Indonesia retracted a figure released last week for dead, and missing and presumed dead of 173,981.

Jakarta's health ministry said from Tuesday onward it would list the confirmed dead and another figure for the missing, many of whom were believed to be dead, but not all.

As of Tuesday, 95,992 bodies had been found and confirmed dead and there were 132,172 missing, it said.

Read the Full Article at Reuters AlertNet

In week 5 of tsunami disaster, UN help ranges from topography to AIDS

As the relief effort for the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster moves into its fifth week, United Nations agencies are producing topographical satellite maps to aid rehabilitation while raising the alarm for extra vigilance to avoid the further spread of AIDS through people forced into the sex trade because they have lost their other means of livelihood.

Beyond the immediate UN relief work of providing shelter, food and urgent medical and preventive care, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has prepared the Tsunami Atlas using satellite images collected from FAO data bases and completed by major spatial data sources on the web to assist in rebuilding lives and livelihoods.

"The atlas shows the tsunami-affected areas before and after the disaster, thus helping experts in evaluating the damage and estimating reconstruction and rehabilitation needs especially in the agricultural lands, the mangroves areas, as well in the coastal infrastructure that is used by farmers and fishermen," FAO remote sensing expert Dominique Lantieri said.

Read the Full Article at UN News Centre

Scandinavian Airlines sends $4m Tsunami Bill to 3 Nations

Source: Forbes.com

Excerpt: "Scandinavian Airlines System sent a 28 million kronor (US$4 million, euro3.1 million) bill to the governments of Denmark, Norway and Sweden for its 10-day airlift of Nordic citizens from Thailand in the aftermath of the tsunami. SAS organized 23 evacuation flights from Bangkok to the Scandinavian capitals Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm from Dec. 26 to Jan. 4, bringing home some 3,600 injured and stranded people from the region, including passengers on scheduled flights. Some of the planes were converted into air ambulances, the cost of which was included in the bill. "We also had to take aircraft out of normal service to be able to handle the flights, which were ordered by the three governments," SAS spokesman Bertil Ternert said. SAS said about 400 staffers were involved in the airlift. There was no immediate comment from the governments."

Rebuilding through microfinance - Grameen Foundation, USA

The task of rebuilding after the tsunami is enormous, and Grameen Foundation USA is committed to helping poor families in the region.

They say "We are in daily contact with our partners in South Asia helping them respond to the needs of the tsunami's victims -- with immediate relief followed by sustainable microfinance programs as the recovery progresses. We are supporting our microfinance partners -- such as ASA in Tamil Nadu, India -- to provide relief and rehabilitation to those hit hardest by the tsunami. As a grassroots organization, ASA is providing immediate aid. And, as an experienced microfinance partner, they are in place to help with rebuilding efforts and long-term solutions to poverty. The tsunami emergency will continue well into the future, although it will change form. Thousands have been thrust into poverty, including micro-entrepreneurs who have lost everything, including their business. Our partners in South Asia are ready to help people recover through the power of microfinance."

Source: Grameen Foundation website

Habitat for Humanity to build homes in areas hit by tsunami

Read the full story Habitat for Humanity International announced this week it is launching its largest operation ever - a $25 million drive to build some 25,000 transitional houses in two years for thousands of families left homeless by the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 150,000 people and destroyed a huge number of houses.

Read the full story here

Unfortunate but true

Source: IOL

Port Blair, India - Pirated Bollywood movies aside, new releases are ruling the black market video charts - grisly amateur videos of the tsunami horror."There is great demand for them," said Mukesh Vyas, a compact disc dealer in Port Blair, capital of the hard-hit Andaman and Nicobar Island chain. "We don't have the stock, they are so hard to get."

In corners of tsunami-savaged Asia, videos from the disaster have become a retail commodity - popular in some areas, not so much in others. Some of the video CDs are simply news footage recorded from television broadcasts. But more often, it's highly graphic footage, often shot by amateurs, that would never make it onto broadcast TV. The videos have infuriated survivors and, in a few instances, put police into action.

Read the full story here http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=2985&art_id=vn20050124074458262C778887

Aftershocks will continue for six more months in the Andamans

A month after the high-intensity earthquake off the coast of Sumatra causing tsunami that killed thousands, the Katchall island today recorded another earthquake of 6.3 intensity on the Richter scale. This, according to R.K. Chadha, scientist at the Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute, is an aftershock. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, it is the 27th aftershock in the Andaman region with an intensity of six and above.

Aftershocks of reducing intensity can be expected to rattle the Andaman and Nicobar islands as they fall in the subduction zone. [A subduction zone is the place where one plate dives below another. In this case, the India plate dived below the Burma microplate. The trench is the surface expression of this phenomenon. The subduction zone in this case is nearly 100 km in width and stretches from Sumatra to the Andaman group of islands].

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

Low cost, low tech water filtration

Aid workers in the field will find this useful.

New filter promises clean water for millions

The production of the filters is extremely simple. Take a handful of dry, crushed clay, mix it with a handful of organic material, such as used tea leaves, coffee grounds or rice hulls, add enough water to make a stiff biscuit-like mixture and form a cylindrical pot that has one end closed. Dry the pot in the sun, then surround them with straw, place in a mound of cow manure, light the straw and then top up the burning manure as required. In less than an hour the filters are finished.

[...]

The filtration process is simple, but effective. The basic principle is that there are passages through the filter that are wide enough for water droplets to pass through, but too narrow for pathogens.

Organic materials which are combined with the clay burn away during the firing process, leaving cavities that help produce the structure in which pathogens will become trapped.

[...]

Tests with the deadly E-coli bacterium have seen the filters remove 96.4 to 99.8 per cent of the pathogen — well within safe levels. Using only one filter, a litre of clean water can be produced in just two hours.

Read the full article at Australian National University

Fresh earthquakes in Asia spark Panic

Fresh earthquakes in Asia Monday rattled traumatized survivors of last month's killer tsunami, while Indonesia and rebels in Aceh agreed to hold talks, seeking to turn the calamity into a chance for peace.

[...]

Almost a month after the tsunami killed as many as 234,000 people across the Indian Ocean, a strong earthquake hit Indonesia's eastern Sulawesi island, killing one person, and a tremor rattled the provincial capital Banda Aceh, sending frightened tsunami survivors running into the streets.

Another quake, measuring 6.5, was recorded west of Great Nicobar island in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were badly hit by the Dec. 26 tsunami, but there were no reports of casualties or damage.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

Rehabilitation package for fishermen in South India

In The Hindu : Rs. 32,000 subsidy for fishermen to buy boats.

"NEW DELHI, JAN. 19. Under the Union Cabinet's Rs. 2,731-crore relief and rehabilitation package for the victims of the tsunami in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Pondicherry, fishermen who have lost their catamarans will be provided a subsidy of Rs. 32,000 to buy new ones.

Those who have lost boats with motors will be given a subsidy of 35 per cent and a loan for the balance amount for a vessel costing up to Rs. 1.5 lakhs. Those who had mechanised boats will be provided a subsidy of 35 per cent up to a ceiling of Rs. 5 lakhs and a loan for the remaining amount up to a unit cost of Rs. 20 lakhs.

In case only repairs were required, a subsidy of 60 per cent with a ceiling of Rs. 3 lakhs will be given for mechanised boats and a full subsidy of up to Rs. 10,000 for all other types of boats."

Powerful Quake Rocks Indonesian Island

A powerful earthquake rocked parts of Indonesia's Sulawesi Island early Monday, damaging around 30 houses, officials said. No injuries were immediately reported.

The epicenter of the 6.2-magnitude quake was initially determined to be over the central part of Sulawesi, about 10 miles southwest of the city of Palu, said Suharjono, a seismologist in Jakarta.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

Malnutrition on the rise in tsunami-hit Indonesia, UN says

Malnutrition is a growing problem among tsunami survivors in Indonesia, the United Nations warned, with high prices and poor quality food leaving many vulnerable to sickness.

The UN's World Food Programme said a study of the west and northeast coasts of Sumatra island found families were eating less than three meals per day and were failing to get the required nutrients.

Despite a huge humanitarian effort to bring supplies to isolated communities, many people were without proper access to food weeks after the disaster, sparking fears that more people could perish.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

Sri Lanka: Urgent Flash Appeal for Tents

The Government of Sri Lanka through the Center for National Operations is appealing to the International Organizations to provide family size tents with immediate effect.

As the schools now providing shelter to over 17,000 families have to be vacated in order to start the first term it is very necessary that these families are provided with decent accommodation in temporary shelter until they are provided with semi-permanent and permanent housing.

Contact:
Dhammika Hewapathirana
Telephone Number 077-3166818
E mail Address cnops@presidentsoffice.lk

Guidelines for family tents:

Double fly double fold centre pole tent (family sized tent)

External dimensions:
4.4m x 4.4m (outer fly), surface area 19.36 sq.m., centre height 3m.

Internal dimensions:
4m x 4 m, floor area 16 sq.m., centre height 2.75m, side wall height 1.8m (25 cm distance between outer and inner fly).

Material:
Cotton canvas; 100% cotton yarn (10/2 x 10/2 twisted in warp 42/44, weft 24/26 threads per inch, plain weave); 15-16 oz/sq.m. Canvas to be free of weaving defects and finishing faults adversely affecting strength, waterproof ness and durability. Water proofing/resistance to water Penetration by paraffin wax emulsion and aluminum acetate to withstand 20-30 cm hydrostatic head. Stabilization against decomposition of the fabric (rot-proofing) with copper aphanites.

Poles/ropes/pegs:
4 aluminum or bamboo poles for roof corners (2m x 22mm diameter); heavy duty sectional steel tube (or aluminum or bamboo) centre pole, plastic clad or galvanized (3m x 50mm diameter). Complete with ropes made of 9mm 3 strand polypropylene; 24 T-Type bars 40mm x 40mm, 50 cm long; 12 iron pegs (25cm x 9mm diameter), one iron hammer of 1 kg; one repair kit with one straight and one curved needle with 20m of suitable thread for tent repair; illustrated assembly instructions with list of Contents.

Groundsheet:
Reinforced PVC groundsheet 250gm/sq.m.

Source: CNO

UK: Stadium tsunami gig raises £1.25m

The biggest charity concert since Live Aid 20 years ago has been staged in Cardiff - for victims of the tsunami disaster in Asia.

More than 60,000 fans were at Cardiff Millennium Stadium. Millions more joined in on TV, radio and online.

Eric Clapton, Manic Street Preachers, Keane and Charlotte Church were among those who performed in the marathon concert of more than seven hours.

At the end of the evening organisers said the event had raised £1.25m.

Read the Full Article at BBC News

Tsunami cost Aceh a generation and $4.4bn

The first comprehensive study of the damage caused by the tsunami in Indonesia reveals a devastated society and a staggering number children killed and orphaned.

The study by the World Bank and Indonesian government estimates the total bill for the destruction of property and businesses at more than $4.4bn (£2.34bn).

About 700,000 people are homeless, and farmers, fishermen and others with small businesses have lost their liveli hoods and cannot rebuild because they have no income.

"The scale of the damages to the local economy, infrastructure, and administration were unprecedented. In an instant, the livelihoods and security of hundreds of thousands of the survivors were ruined," the joint report says.

It concludes that only a massive international effort can rebuild the devastated areas.

Read the Full Article at The Guardian

India: UNDP to help TN State in rehabilitation of tsunami-hit

The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP-New Delhi), Maxine Olson, today said the organisation would give technical and financial support to the Tamil Nadu Government in rehabilitation and resettlement of the tsunami-affected people. The aim was to support Government efforts to regain the livelihood and provide shelter to the victims. This would be done in consultation with the people in the affected villages, and imparting them training on how to cope with such natural calamities in future.

Ms. Olson, who visited Cuddalore along with three experts, told presspersons that the UNDP had vast experience in dealing with natural calamities: it had brought succour at the time of Orissa super cyclone and Gujarat earthquake.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

Tsunami victim rescued after 26 days stranded on island

A victim of last month's tsunamis was rescued after surviving alone for 26 days on a partially submerged island in India's Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, the Indian navy said

Michael Mangal, a Nicobarese tribesman who had been living on coconuts since the December 26 disaster, was spotted waving a cloth flag made from his clothes by a joint navy and civilian search and rescue team on Friday.

"The team spotted him waving a stick flag on Pillow Panja island. He was in his underwear and had used his clothes to make the flag. He was exhausted and weak when the rescue team brought him back to Port Blair," navy spokesman Salil Mehta told AFP.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

India: Three-tier counselling in Nagapattinam

A three-tier strategic plan for counselling and psychological care has been put in place in Nagapattinam, one of the worst affected districts in the December 26, 2004 tsunami.

The district administration has drawn on the experience of experts and officials to firm up the strategy, which includes providing immediate psychosocial support, identifying the most affected and training community- level volunteers to assist those in need.

At the grass roots, the trained community volunteers and primary health centre nurses look at the needs. If need be, trained medical personnel will step in. Again, if trauma is considerable, the affected will be referred to psychiatrists who have come from the NIMHANS, Bangalore, the Institute of Mental Health, Chennai, and the CMC, Vellore.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

India: Fresh panic in islands drives hundreds to mainland India

Fresh panic gripped the Andaman and Nicobar islands today as rumours of its subsidence drove hundreds to board ships to mainland India with all their life's savings while the administration tried hard to explain that there was no scientific basis to the fear.

The rumours said the islands would slowly sink in the sea on January 21 or 26 and this made the tsunami-battered people rush to pack their bags.

Hundreds queued up to take any of the next available vessel - MV Akbar, MV Nicobar, MV Nancowry, MV Swarajdweep, MV Harshavardhan -- that could take them to the safer terrains in Chennai, Kolkata or Visakhapatnam.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

India: Chicken pox reported among children in Nagapattinam

Sporadic cases of chicken pox have been reported among children accommodated in temporary shelters for tsunami victims in Nagapattinam, Special Commissioner for tsunami victims Shanta Sheela Nair said.

She said prompt medical attention was provided to the children. They have been quarantined, Nair told reporters on Thursday.

Nair dismissed fears of any epidemic and said many medical teams were working in all the camps.

Of the 15,703 children screened, 15,407 were diagnosed with various minor ailments, District Collector J Radhakrishnan said. Medicines have been prescribed for them, he added.

Source: Rediff

Sri Lanka's tsunami recovery plan

Sri Lanka will spend $1.5 billion of its $3.5 billion tsunami-recovery budget on new infrastructure rather than reconstruction or relief, documents obtained by Reuters showed on Friday.

Following are key facts about the draft plan to rehabilitate areas devastated by the Dec. 26 catastrophe. All figures in millions of dollars unless otherwise stated. The plan has three phases:

Emergency repairs 270.35
Reconstruction and rehabilitation 1,688.25
Improvements and additions 1,525.70
Total 3,484.30

Read the Full Article at Reuters AlertNet
Sri Lankan Govt Report [Warning: PDF] on Relief Efforts so far
Sri Lankan Central Bank has setup a Tsunami Relief Fund [Warning: PDF]

Aceh: Help Journalist-victims of Tsunami Disaster

From International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) network:

Dozens of journalists and media workers were among the victims of last week's devastating tsunami disaster that has so far claimed the lives of over 150,000 people in South Asia, including staff members of "Serambi Indonesia," the only daily newspaper in the Indonesian province of Aceh, report IFEX members.

The Alliance of Independent Journalists (Aliansi Jurnalis Independen, AJI) is appealing for financial assistance to help the families of journalists who have been killed or have gone missing in Indonesia. AJI has 36 members in the affected areas, which include Lhokseumawe and Banda Aceh. It says three of its 25 members in Banda Aceh are confirmed dead and eight are missing.

Financial assistance can be sent to:

Account Number: 446-1479
Beneficiary Name: ALLIANCE OF INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS
Name of Bank: BNI Senayan Branch
SWIFT Code: BNINIDJA
Address of Bank: Jl. Gatot Subroto Kav. 55, Central Jakarta 10210

Contact AJI at:
Jl. Danau Poso Blok D1 no. 29,
Bendungan Hilir,
Jakarta, Indonesia 10210;
Tel: +62 21 5790 0489;
Fax: +62 21 573 4581;
E-mail: sekretariatnya_AJI@yahoo.com

Read the Full Appeal on IFEX's website

UN put in charge of coordinating tsunami warning system

The United Nations was put in charge of sorting out differences among countries offering to build a tsunami early warning system after a flood of proposals in the wake of the Indian Ocean tragedy.

Salvano Briceno, head of the UN disaster reduction group, said a system to warn of giant waves in the Indian Ocean was still on track to be running in 12 to 18 months.

A draft of the common statement of the 150 countries meeting in Kobe, Japan agreed the United Nations "would integrate regional disaster reduction strategies."

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News
Read UN's Comprehensive Plan

Sri Lanka: Protests

The People of Hambantota town who were displaced by the Tsunami have been protesting against the proposed resettlement site in Kajuwatta, which is about 4 kms from the harbor and 2 km inland. The fishing communities who lived in this area were seen holding up placards saying 'give us back our land' and 'lay the first stone here' in response to a symbolic stone laying ceremony held at the new site on Tuesday.

The Government has promised to carry out resettlement activities in consultation with the displaced people but the protestors in Hambantota town say that this has not happened.

Sri Lanka: Tsunami Relief Foundation

The Tsunami Relief Foundation, Sri Lanka was set up by several young tsunami survivors from Sri Lanka:
'Many young people from various places in the world have been putting a lot of their time & energy into the tsunami relief efforts being undertaken by existing organizations. Many of the relief efforts have proved fruitful, although there have been times when we have not been provided with efficient or informative feed back, and also times when we have received news of the misdirection of funds and aid. Frustrated by the lack of clarity about where funding is going to, or ‘not’ going to, we have, after much thought and consideration, decided to embark on our own project- The Tsunami Relief Foundation.'

http://trfsrilanka.blogspot.com

India: Centre to counsel tsunami victims launched

A specialised counselling centre to tackle the post-traumatic stress among tsunami victims and provide medicare for them was launched today in Chennai, Tamilnadu.

Prof. Krishnamoorthy Srinivas, Chairman, the Neurosciences India Group (NSIG) said the centre, set up at St. Isabel's Hospital, would offer multi-disciplinary service, through education of medical and allied professionals and organisation of public lectures and educational symposia each year.

The counselling centre has a psychiatrist, two clinical psychologists, a cognitive behaviour therapist, a child development counsellor, a physical/occupational therapist and social workers. Service-minded organisations working for the tsunami relief operations can depute their staff to register for the workshops by accessing the NSIG helpline 98401-24954 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., they said.

They require considerable financial assistance in order to ensure the comprehensive rehabilitation of these individuals. Donations (INR Cheques) can be mailed to the following address:

Flat 2, Mahadev Apartments,
No.8/6, Bhaskarapuram
(Behind Nageswararao Park),
Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004,
Tamil Nadu, India.

More info on NSIG's website
Read the News Article at The Hindu

Updated Relief Maps and Sat Images for Tsunami Affected Areas

Reuters AlertNet has a detailed list of available maps and satellite images found from various european agencies for the most affected countries/areas:

Sri Lanka Maps and Satellite Images

Thailand Maps and Satellite Images

Indonesia Maps and Satellite Images

India Maps and Satellite Images

Psychological trauma a serious problem in tsunami-hit areas: WHO

The World Health Organisation today warned that the problem of psychological trauma among the tsunami-affected might be more serious than what was so far believed. Unless urgent action was taken, the long-term effect on the victims could be "terrible."

Citing reports from health workers who had been in the tsunami-hit areas, the WHO said that virtually everyone who had been affected by the natural disaster appeared to be suffering from some form of psychosocial trauma or other and needed support.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

Asia's tsunami death toll soars

The number of people known to have died in last month's Asian tsunami has reached 220,000.

The toll increased dramatically after Indonesian officials announced that more than 166,000 had been confirmed dead in their country alone.

The latest figure is more than 50,000 higher than the previous total issued by Indonesia's health ministry.

Most of the deaths came from the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra, which were directly hit by the tsunami.

UN and Indonesian officials have said the total number of deaths may never be known.

Read the Full Article at BBC News

India: Nagore needs financial help for fishermen rehab

This request comes to us by email:

We are desperately in need of your help; we need your financial help to help these poor fisher man families to build their houses and to fix their boats so that they can stand on their feet. We are currently in the process of building a temporary shelter in the land which has been provided by the Nagore Dargha Shrine, so that these poor victims can be temporarily replaced from mosques and schools where they can have some privacy. Please help us in our effort; please send us your donations to

Ar-Rahman Helping Group
3/10 Siya Maricar Street
Nagore - 611002,
Tamil Nadu, India.

Mobile phone: Mr. Ahamed Maricar +91-94431-50782
Telephone: +91-4365-252821

In USA:
Shaik Maricar +1(718)406-4631

http://www.NagoreTsunamiDisaster.com
http://www.Ar-RahmanTrust.COM

UN agencies look to longer-term rehabilitation after Indian Ocean tsunami

With emergency relief now reaching nearly all affected communities in the Indonesian province of Aceh, the area most ravaged by last month’s Indian Ocean tsunami, United Nations agencies are looking to mitigate the longer term impact of a disaster that killed at least 165,000 in a dozen countries and deprived up to 5 million more of basic services.

From trade to employment to the environment experts are drafting plans for longer-term rehabilitation.

“The humanitarian response by the international community, under United Nations leadership, needs to be matched by a coherent, comprehensive and longer-term package of policy measures and actions to support and revive economic activity in the affected countries,” the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says.

Read the Full Article at UN News Centre

CRY telethon on Sony Entertainment Television

The CRY Telethon, a 7-hour live entertainment extravaganza, will see a host of celebrities from all walks of life come together to involve the nation in CRY's movement for child rights.
Date Jan 26, 2005
Venue Sony Entertainment Television
Time 1 p.m.onwards

India unveils $628m tsunami aid

India has unveiled a 27bn rupee ($628m) reconstruction package for mainland areas hit by December's tsunami.

The new money will be released when administrators provide details of projects, a government spokesman said.

More money could also be announced this week for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the finance minister said.

More than 10,500 people died in India and more than 5,500 are missing presumed dead - almost all in the Andamans and Nicobars.

Read the Full Article at BBC News

Sri Lanka: Rebuilding houses for Tsunami Victims

Ken Faris, wrote to us about The SEAChange Initiative through which they are helping tsunami victims to rebuild their houses.

My colleagues and I have created a collective of existing, and new foundations that have the express goal of providing semi-permanent, clean, modern, and dignified housing to those effected by the tsunami. We are working closely with IcosaVillage and are in touch with the staff of the Sewalanka Foundation to coordinate and execute this effort. Further we are working with All-In-Vision and DomeLife productions to ensure through daily broadcast that those who donate will have live updates on exactly how their dollars are being spent.

You can visit our website at seaci.org to find out more about this effort.

Tsunami environmental damage widespread,experts say

Vast expanses of once-green rice fields now turned brown from salty ocean water carried far inland only hint at the environmental damage caused by last month's mighty tsunami, environmental experts say.

They say the wave sparked by a powerful earthquake on Dec. 26 has destroyed beaches, damaged coral reefs, polluted ground water, put animal species in danger of extinction, changed the contours of land and rivers and rendered much farm land useless.

"The environmental damage has been huge, from the obvious and visible destruction along the coastal areas to the possibility of extinction of certain species," said Ridha Saleh, deputy of director at Walhi, a leading Indonesian environmental group.

Read the Full Article from Reuters AlertNet

Tsunami rumour sparks Chile panic

Thousands of panicking people in southern Chile have fled their homes after a false tsunami alarm.

One woman died of a heart attack and others were wounded as they tried to flee coastal areas near the towns of Concepcion and Talcahuano.

The exodus began as reports that fishermen had spotted apparent signs of an impending tsunami spread through the densely populated area.

Read the Full Article at BBC News

U.N. Tsunami Conference Opens in Japan

A global conference on the tsunami catastrophe opened Tuesday amid calls for direct world action to prevent such natural events from becoming mass killers. The gathering drew some 3,000 government officials, non-governmental experts and other specialists from around the world to find ways to reverse the growth in numbers of people affected by natural disasters.

[...]

The Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami, which claimed at least 162,000 lives in 11 nations, has focused new attention on the long-planned U.N. conference, where delegates are expected to work on plans for a tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean similar to one on guard for killer waves in the Pacific.

Read the Full Artile at Yahoo News

UK Radio Aid: Tsunami Fundraiser

Commercial radio stations across the UK will put their differences aside today, as they unite to support the Tsunami Victims with a unified broadcast. UK Radio Aid is a unique national commercial radio station that will specifically focus on raising money for the children affected by the Asian Tsunami and support them as they to start to rebuild their lives and look to the future.

In an unprecedented collaboration various radio groups and stations, including oneword, will suspend broadcast of their usual schedules from 0600hrs to 1800hrs (Today, January 17, 2005) , and air one single star-studded programme to an estimated audience of over 26 million listeners, the biggest ever UK commercial radio audience.

Participating stations have agreed to launch the appeal by each donating one day's profits. This initial donation will be supported and built upon by asking listeners to donate one hour of their time or money to the appeal. With the support of Prime Minister Tony Blair, some of the biggest names in radio history alongside other major politicians, musicians, sports and TV stars are being asked to take part in the 12 hour broadcast that will be aired live. Each hour of programming will be hosted by two guest DJs who will introduce live acoustic sets, guest interviews, competitions, auctions, pledges, messages and news breaks.

To donate by phone call: 0870 512 22 88
Text "radio" to 83321 and £1.50 will be donated to the appeal
To donate online visit www.ukradioaid.com

Read the UK AFP Article on this fundraiser

Computer Worm Exploits Tsunami to Spread Virus

A mass e-mail posing as a plea for aid to help the victims of last month's Asian tsunami disaster is actually a vehicle for spreading a computer virus, Web security firm Sophos said Monday.

The worm appears with the subject line: "Tsunami donation! Please help!" and invites recipients to open an attachment called "tsunami.exe" -- which, if opened, will forward the virus to other Internet users.

It could also initiate a denial-of-service attack against a German hacking Web Site, Sophos said, in which the site's server would be bombarded with messages, putting it out of action.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News
More info about Virus - W32/VBSun-A

UK: Friends of Unawatuna

An appeal from Friends of Unawatuna, a group of private individuals who have pledged their personal support (financial or otherwise) to assist the regeneration of the community of Unawatuna, Sri Lanka.

'The people of Unawatuna have lost every thing - families, homes and livelihoods. Friends at Unawatuna, set up by survivors of the disaster, is a long term project. The aim is to help the villagers rebuild the basic infrastructure necessary to allow them to reconstruct their lives.

This will include the reconstruction of sewage, clean water and electricity supplies, and to provide the materials to allow them to rebuild their community. Steps are being taken to set up facilities for donations which will be administered at no cost by the Friends of Unawatuna. Until this exsists, please register your support and pledge your donations to support@friendsofunawatuna.org.uk

Read their Statement of Intent

Friends of Unawatuna

The BECT Tsunami Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Trust - Sri Lanka

The Biodiversity & Elephant Conservation Trust (BECT) is a trust registered for the express purpose of conserving Sri Lanka’s biodiversity. The trustees of BECT have now set up a special trust named the BECT Tsunami Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Trust with the express purpose of assisting, in a tangible and permanent way, some of those who have been badly affected by the recent disaster. The trustees of the BECT Tsunami Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Trust are Messers Nihal Perera, Shanthi Perera, Lakdis Galabada, and Jayantha Jayewardene. There is provision in the trust deed to increase the number of trustees if necessary.

The Rotary Club of Panadura has agreed to cooperate with the trust and assist in the construction of houses in whatever way they can. Their representative Mr. Shanthi Perera, is also a trustee of the BECT Tsunami Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Trust.

The trust, through its various contacts both in Sri Lanka and abroad, will collect the funds that are necessary to implement this project.

Donations should be sent to: ‘BECT Tsunami Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Trust’ Account Number 0111 0000 7235 at the Nations Trust Bank, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 7 Sri Lanka. Bank No. NTBCLKCX

Jayantha Jayewardene
Managing Trustee
Biodiversity & Elephant Conservation Trust
615/32 Rajagiriya Gardens
Nawala Road
Rajagiriya
Sri Lanka
Phone: 00- 94 -1- 867902
E-mail: romalijj@eureka.lk

Thailand: SOS to the world: Please visit

Three weeks after the tsunami, the country's tourism industry is sending out a different kind of SOS to world travellers _ Please come to Thailand.

Even as Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga and other affected provinces begin repair efforts following the Dec 26 disaster, tourism authorities agree that the economic impact could only worsen the losses unless travellers returned to the area.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects losses of four billion baht per month over the next several months for the six affected provinces. Economic growth forecasts for the year could be cut to just 5.6% from 6.3% due to the tsunami, with some 200,000 jobs in the tourism sector potentially at risk.

In the first two weeks after the disaster, passenger arrivals at Bangkok International Airport fell 30%, while hotels and resorts across the southern provinces reported huge numbers of cancellations, right at the peak of the travel season.

Foreigners wanting to assist tsunami victims could do best by maintaining their travel plans to the area, according to panelists at a seminar held last Friday titled "After the Tsunami: Reviving the Andaman Coast", hosted by the Bangkok Post and Post Today newspapers.

Read the Full Article from The Bangkok Post

Scientists Release Tsunami Effect Data

Boats at sea felt only a gentle swell as the Asian tsunami passed under their hulls — but by the time the first giant wave slammed into Sri Lanka's coast it was a monstrous 15 feet high, scientists say.

A 15-member tsunami research team found that the wave struck with crushing force in some places, yet washed almost gently over the coast just a few hundred yards away, affected by shoreline and seabed features, the scientists said Saturday, releasing preliminary data at a seminar.

Read the Full Article from Yahoo News

Nat Geo Documentary Helps Port Worker Save Hundreds of Lives

Abdul Rezzak, a port official on the Andaman island of Teresa, saved hundreds of lives during the tsunami because he remembered two documentaries on tsunamis that he had seen the previous year on the National Geographic Channel. The two documentaries described the warning signs of a tsunami, so when Rezzak realized the port was experiencing these signs, he and his colleagues alerted hundreds of villagers, making them run nearly two kilometers up from shore. Because of Rezzak's actions, only three villagers died during the tsunami.

The IRC needs your help and donations

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) works in 25 countries, and because of the conflict in Indonesia, already had 25 staff members in Aceh, Indonesia, when the tsunami hit. This humanitarian agency has already budgeted $7 million for the next 3 months alone, for tsunami relief.

In Indonesia, five IRC mobile relief teams, with specialists in health, water supply, sanitation and child protection have fanned out across Aceh Province by boat, road and helicopter to deliver emergency services and supplies to some of the hardest hit villages.

The IRC teams are providing urgent medical treatment, stocking remote clinics with medicines, suture kits and bandages, constructing emergency sanitation facilities, bringing in water, cleaning and disinfecting wells, and distributing food, water purification tablets, shelter materials and hygiene supplies. The teams are also arranging for the most critically ill and injured to be evacuated by air to nearby hospitals for further medical treatment.

This work is only just beginning. The IRC has already dispatched 45 international skilled emergency response workers (doctors, nurses, dentists, logisticians, engineers, etc.) to Aceh, and are in the process of hiring 100 nationals.

You can donate to IRC's efforts at their website

Hollywood Stars Stage Tsunami Telethon

Hollywood stars and recording artists from Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis to Madonna and Elton John put their wattage to work on Saturday, raising money for victims of the Asian tsunami disaster in a nationally broadcast telethon.

"Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope" aired on NBC in a live two-hour broadcast in the East as well as a web cast, with a taped version showing in other areas and phone lines staying open through the night for contributions.

No numbers were available by early Sunday on the amounts pledged, but NBC officials said the phone lines (1-800-HELPNOW) had been jammed throughout the show, with the hosts appealing to viewers to use the web site (www.redcross.org) to make donations if their calls did not get through.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

[Ed. Although the live show is over the lines are open to accept donations.]

Get Active - Fundraising trends

BERKELEY, CA - January 14, 2005 - With over $350 million donated over the Internet to tsunami disaster relief efforts to date, nonprofit fundraisers are observing four trends in online giving, reports GetActive Software, Inc., a company that provides web-based relationship management services to nonprofits such as CARE USA, Oxfam America and Save the Children USA. GetActive's clients have raised over $30 million online since the disaster struck Southeast Asia:

- a large percentage of relief agency financial support is coming via the
Internet;

- a vast majority of gifts to relief agencies are from new donors;

- more than half of new online donors are asking to not be contacted again
by relief agencies;

- nonprofits of all sizes are collecting relief funds online.

The most notable online giving trend is that a large percentage of relief agency support is coming via the Internet. Three GetActive clients - Save the Children USA, CARE USA and Oxfam America - are reporting that 31%, 38% and 80% respectively of total tsunami giving have come via their Websites.

GetActive provides services to numerous organizations involved in tsunami disaster relief including: Acumen Fund, CARE USA, Center for Inquiry, Heifer International, NetAid, Oxfam America, Save the Children USA, The Humane Society of the United States, The Shawnee Institute, United Animal Nations,and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

GetActive is closely monitoring fundraising trends in the wake of the tsunami disaster, and makes its findings available online at http://www.getactive.com/tsunamirelief/ .

For more information, visit www.getactive.com or call 202.659.2791.

PRESS CONTACT:
Michael Stein, GetActive Software
P: (510)-540-4772 x.2105; mstein@getactive.com
Michael Stein | Media & Communications Strategist
GetActive Software, Inc.
2855 Telegraph Ave., Suite 600; Berkeley, CA 94705
v 510 540 4772 ext 2105 | f 510 540 4163
e mstein@getactive.com | www.GetActive.com

UN: Nearly 3 weeks after tsunami, relief effort going 'reasonably well'

Nearly three weeks after a massive tsunami devastated a dozen Indian Ocean countries, top United Nations officials today said relief operations were going reasonably well, called reports of child exploitation exaggerated, and hammered home the urgent need for an early warning system to save thousands of lives in the future.

"I am happy that my call for a global early warning system has been enthusiastically supported," Secretary-General Kofi Annan told a news briefing in Mauritius, where he attended a meeting on small island developing States at which he proposed such a system not only for tsunamis but for other natural disasters as well.

Read the Full Article at UN News Centre
Global Early Warning System

Fundraiser concert in Los Altos, California

From email from a blog reader:

Sankara Eye Foundation presents Jyothi2020 - An Evening of Kathak in aid of tsunami victims.

Details: Saturday, Jan 29th, 5pm to 8pm, Smithwick Theater, Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos, CA 94022. Ticket Prices : $10, $15, $25. You can buy tickets online here.
or call 866-SANKARA.

Singapore: Re-Building the Communities

In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, the Singapore International Foundation is working on various fronts to respond to the needs of the communities affected by the massive destruction. SIF's focus is on the long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction process ahead, in helping communities build a life and future for themselves.

Towards this end, we have set up the Tsunami-Affected Communities Fund (TAC Fund) and our target is to raise a minimum of S$1.5 million. The funds collected will be channelled to re-building as well as disaster mitigation projects and used to provide sanitation, clean water housing, healthcare and community care

Read more about their efforts here

Beacon of Light Candlelight Vigil

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that” The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In support of the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Asia, and in commemoration of the birthday of social justice hero, Martin Luther King, Jr., Oxfam America invites you to participate in the Beacon of Light Candlelight Vigil.

The vigils are part of the National Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. During the week of King’s birthday, Jan. 17 through Jan. 23, Oxfam asks friends like you to help our neighbors in Asia. You can be a beacon of light in these difficult times.

By selling candles, we’ll raise money for the Tsunami Response and Global Emergencies Fund. By lighting the candles, we’ll stand together as one global community united in the aftermath.

Oxfam America invites you to organize a Beacon of Light Candlelight Vigil in your community. Visit Oxfam’s special vigil site at www.oxfamamerica.org/vigil to read more about how to organize your own vigil and download flyers, candle tags, and more.

Cincinnati : Tsunami Relief Fundraiser - University of Cincinnati Initiative

Come together as a community to express solidarity for the victims and orphans of the tsunami disaster and see how you can bring light and hope to the lives of the affected people.

Tsunami Relief Fundraiser

Venue
Music Hall Ballroom
Downtown Cincinnati
1243 Elm St, Cincinnati,OH

Date
Saturday, January 22, 2005

Event Information
Inter Faith Prayer
Multi Cultural Music
Presentation on Relief Activities
International Cuisine Buffet Dinner

Ticket Information
Students , Children under 13 years: $15
Individual : $50
Sponsor Table for 8 people Gold : $2500
Sponsor Table for 8 people Silver : $1500

Where to buy tickets?
Tickets can be bought by Phone : (513) 621-ARTS (2787)

Tickets can be bought inperson at :
CAA Ticket Offices at Aronoff Center (map) , Music Hall (map)

Tickets can be bought online at : www.cincinnatiarts.org

Hosting UC Organizations

Association for India's Development - UC Chapter
Sri Lankan Student Association
Peace Village
Just Community

For More Information: Click Here

Srilanka : Urgent Medical and Vehicle Needs - Appeal by Srilankan Health Sector

The Srilankan Health Sector appeals to donors all over the world, to provide the tsunami health sector response team with all the urgent medical needs necessary in dispensing medical relief to tsunami affected victims/patients. The exact medical needs have been provided in the links below. The address to where these items have to be dispatched to is as follows.

Consignee:
Director General of health Services,
Ministry of Health Care,
Nutrition and Uva Wellassa Development,
Department of Health Services, Deans Road, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka.

In case of any queries regarding medical needs please contact:

Mr. Seneviratna Bandara
Senior Assistant Director

Tel :
(094) - 011-2696199
(094) -011-2694113/14 - Ex - 203
Fax : (094) - 011-2697096

Below are links describing the urgent needs for Srilankan Health Sector catering to Tsunami Relief.

Pharmaceutical Needs:
http://www.health.gov.lk/links/pharmaceutical.shtml

Surgical Needs:
http://www.health.gov.lk/links/drugs.shtml

Medical Equipment Needs:
http://www.health.gov.lk/links/equipment.shtml

Vehicle Needs:
http://www.health.gov.lk/links/vehicle.shtml

Other Needs:
http://www.health.gov.lk/links/otherneeds.shtml

More Contact Details:
http://www.health.gov.lk/links/contactdetails.shtml

For more information please click here

Srilanka: Sambodhi shelter - Help Needed - Disabled lay in their beds as waters engulfed them

GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) - Screaming with fear, paralysed children at a shelter for the physically disabled and mentally ill lay helpless in their beds as water surged into their dormitories during the tsunami that ravaged coastal areas of southern Asia.

Some desperate children gripped the rafters as the water level rose inside the one-storey Sambodhi shelter, while others floated away on mattresses to their deaths, witnesses say. Just 41 of the 102 residents of the home survived, caretaker Kumar Deshapriya said Saturday.

Read full report here

SAMBODHI SHELTER NEEDS URGENT HELP
(Can You Help? please email rohan2@xs4all.nl)

(11 Jan) LankaLibrary contacted the caretaker of the SAMBODHI SHELTER Kumar Deshapriya to inquire about the current status and the plans.

CURRENT STATUS AND URGENT REQUIREMENTS:

They have started cleaning the place and remaining children are in a temple. They need about 50,000 (500 USD) Sri Lankan rupees immediately to provide daily food for these children.

Then they need about Rs 100,000 (10,000 USD) to repair the place and mend damaged parts. They need to find this money fairly quickly.

On long term, government has taken a policy decision to remove all buildings within 3000 meters from the sea front and Sumbodhi is well within this limit. Hence it needs to be relocated. This will need big money and the current rough estimate is around 10 million Sri Lankan Rupees (100,000 USD).

Before this tragedy, they received Rs 28,200 daily from the Social department. This was about Rs 10.00 for one person per day. Also they had individual donations from local and foreign donors they were not on a regular basis. There were no regular either local or international donors.

Can You Help? please email rohan2@xs4all.nl

India: Tsunami Relief Efforts - Photo Feature

The below link provides a comprehensive set of photographs visually depicting the relief efforts in Tsunami affected areas of Tamilnadu and Andaman.

Click here to view the photos.

India: Field Report on Dalit Relief Activities

Srinivas Mirle of AID-Cincinnati reports:

Dalits comprise about 17% of India's population and continue to struggle to be included in mainstream India. They have been marginalized in India for ages and, surprisingly, they are not faring better even in the aftermath of the tragic tsunami disaster. This was evident from field visits that I made today with Ms. Shabnam Hashmi of ANHAD to the tsunami-affected areas of Velankany, Nagapattinam and Kesavanpalem in Tamil Nadu. Ms. Shruti Parthasarathy, a volunteer from Bangalore who is working with AID on coordinating relief activities in the village of Kuttiyandyur, has also observed the Dalit denigration.

In the tsunami affected areas of Tamil Nadu, there are about 8000 Dalit families who live in about 95 hamlets. About 30 hamlets were severely affected and about 5000 huts have been washed away, according to Mr. Vincent Manohar of the NCDHR, National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights.

Read full report here

AID cautions community on misrepresentation in fundraising

Association for India's Development (AID) wishes to caution the community to be circumspect about independent events or solicitation being made in the name of AID for Tsunami relief efforts. As reports of fraud, misrepresentation and solicitation by fly-by-night operators trying to make a fast-buck in the name of Tsunami-relief are emerging in the media in general, it has to our notice in possibly two separate instances that AID and its well-wishers might be the victims of such tactics as well.

In one incident, a club/party organizer in Washington DC has sent misleading emails to potential patrons that proceeds from an event will go to AID. Such a solicitation was made without AID's knowledge, authorization or consent. In a separate incident, AID's logo and banner for Tsunami relief was being used to sell questionable merchandise in at a popular online auction site. Again in this instance, this has been done without AID's knowledge, authorization or consent.

Read full report here

Threat of Disease Fades, But Agencies on Guard

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - The threat of disease decimating survivors of Asia's tsunami has receded but aid agencies are remaining on their guard, the U.N. said on Friday as doctors reported children dying from pneumonia

Indonesia found almost 4,000 more bodies of tsunami victims, taking the global death toll from the disaster above 160,000 with searches completed for bodies in the areas most seriously damaged by the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami that it triggered.

Read the Full Article on Yahoo News

India: Save The Family Life Starter Kit Unveiled

Couple of NGOs (HOPE & IMGEERF) in India have come up with an innovative relief package which helps one family to get back to a normal life. From their press release:

Today, three Indian families whose homes and livelihoods were wiped out by the tsunami were given a new future, thanks to an innovative program called Save the Family. The initiative, which is jointly sponsored by the IMGE Emergency Relief Fund and HOPE worldwide, ltd., consists of Life Packages that will provide tsunami-afflicted families the means to quickly rebuild their lives and their livelihoods.

Read the Full Press Release here
Visit IMGEERF's website for more information (Ed. Their site seems to be down right now)

Please Direct Contributions For "Save The Family" To:
Save The Family
One Bridge Plaza, Suite 690
Fort Lee, N.J. 07024
United States

UN calls for empowering women to address tsunami’s gender-specific needs

The Indian Ocean tsunami may have made no distinction between men and women in the grim death toll it reaped with its waves but it has produced some very gender-specific after-shocks, ranging from women’s traditional role in caring for the sick to increased cases of rape and abuse, a United Nations agency reported today.

“Understanding and measuring these differences is essential for an effective response,” the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a news release, stressing the need to raise awareness on gender issues among decision- and policy-makers to ensure that women’s and men’s different needs are reflected in policies, practices and resource through the phases of relief, rehabilitation and development.

Read the Full Article at UN News Centre

Sri Lanka offers free land and houses for poor tsunami victims

Sri Lanka has drawn up a plan to help tsunami victims that will include providing low income groups with land and houses free of charge, tax benefits and rations for at least six months, officials said Friday.

The preliminary report on government plans to help tsunami victims was Friday officially released. Some of the programmes have been put into effect by the authorities, but it is expected to fully come into effect only within the next week.

Read the Full Article at ReliefWeb

Turn the Tide: A Benefit Fundraiser for Tsunami Relief Efforts

A Benefit Dinner for Tsunami Relief Efforts in India Organized By Association for India's Development (AID) - Boston Chapter NetSAP - Boston Chapter

When: 6.00pm Sunday, January 16th, 2005
Where: Tantric Bar & Grill, 123 Stuart St., Boston MA-02116-5609
Reservation: http://www.aidboston.org/survivors

For more information, please contact Manisha at 617-510-4542 or Shailja at 617-388-4841

More Here: Turn the Tide

Malaria Threat Emerges in Tsunami Region

Aceh, Indonesia: Health officials plan to go door-to-door and tent-to-tent with mosquito-killing spray guns beginning Friday to head off a looming threat that one expert says could kill 100,000 more people around the tsunami disaster zone: malaria.

The devastation and heavy rains are creating conditions for the largest area of mosquito breeding sites Indonesia has ever seen, said the head of the aid group anchoring the anti-malaria campaign on Sumatra island. The pools of salt water created by the Dec. 26 tsunami have been diluted by seasonal rains into a brackish water that mosquitos love.

Read the Full AP Article at Yahoo News
Read the WHO's latest health report

Disaster Relief Blog for Phuket, Thailand - Day 2

Following up on our post two days ago on a first person's account about his disaster relief effort in Phuket, Thailand, the blogger has updated his site with a new post about his second day at the Body Work as he calls it.

Read the update [Warning: Graphic Content & Images]

Two aftershocks in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

More than a fortnight after the killer tsunami, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were today jolted by two aftershocks of moderate intensity, the Met Department here said.

A tremor, measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, was felt at 0015 hours and it was epicentred off the East of the Great Nicobar Islands, a department release said.

Another quake, also measuring 5.1 in intensity, was recorded at 1100 hours. Its epicentre lay off the West Coast of South Andaman.

Source: The Hindu

Tsunami Appeal from The Library of Life and the IFRC

This request comes from Henry Hardy of London:

The Library of Life, an UK based website (www.libraryoflife.org) whose aim is to compile the life stories of millions of people around the world, thereby creating the world’s first universal record of life that lasts forever. The website raises funds for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and in this time of need they have asked us to create a living memorial to all the victims of this tragedy. This will be done through photographs, text, film, sound and scanned documents on the site.

The Library of Life, in association with the IFRC, is inviting all those whose lives have been affected by the tragedy to create a memorial to commemorate their loved ones, or post their own experiences as a record for all future generations. We have also set up an online ‘Tsunami Book of Condolence’, which we are inviting the public to sign and express their feelings on this terrible disaster.

In order for this great humanitarian project to be successful it is essential that we have as much information and reach as many people as possible. We therefore, kindly request that you give us your assistance by contributing to the Library of Life through posting your experiences and opinions directly on our site

Seychelles urge tsunami relief fund

The Indian Ocean island-nation of the Seychelles on Thursday urged the creation of special fund for countries hit by the Asian tsunami disaster and echoed urgent calls for a regional early warning system.

The tsunami, which battered 12 nations leaving close to 160,000 dead, caused more than 30 million dollars in damage to the Seychelles where two people were killed, President James Michel told a UN conference on small islands.

Read the Full Article at Agence France-Presse (via ReliefWeb)

India: Tsunami Relief - A Social Movement in Progress!

Balaji Sampath, AID India Central Coordinator shares his experiences and provides a detailed report on the ongoing Tsunami Relief Activities of AID India and other partner organizations in Tamilnadu.

Excerpts:

Venkatesh is a poor daily wage coolie labor from Chidambaram. Right from the start he has been helping with dead body removal, debris clearance and relief distribution in the villages around our Killai center.

Every 2-3 days he gets a call from home "Come back! We have not eaten for 2 days."

Venkatesh's daily earnings decides whether his family will eat that day or not. When he gets this call, Venkatesh rushes back home - to work, to earn and to feed his family.

Two days later he is back at Killai - working on the relief efforts!

There are many DYFI volunteers like Venkatesh working in Killai and the other six centers in Cuddalore and Nagai. Extremely poor and extremely motivated volunteers. They are the backbone of our relief efforts there. They are the ones who cannot write reports, the ones who cannot discuss big ideas for long term planning. But they are the ones who went in first into the empty villages to dig out and clear and cremate dead bodies, to clean up the slush in the houses and to provide relief supplies. I would like to take this opportunity to salute these silent selfless volunteers and acknowledge their critical role.

At our Nagapatinam center a large number of "software" volunteers from and Chennai landed up to help with the relief operations. At first, the local DYFI volunteers looked at them suspiciously "What can these well-dressed rich professionals do here in this village?" But they were in for a shock. The IT professionals promptly folded up their sleeves, put on gloves and boots and walked into the slush to lift and remove dead bodies. The local volunteers were first zapped. They had never seen software professionals doing this kind of manual labor! By the evening - at the end of a hard day's labor - a new human relationship had developed - volunteers from both groups were now great friends, sharing jokes and beedis!


Read More Details on AID India Relief Operations here

The New York Times > International > International Special > Relief: Indonesia Puts Curbs on Relief in Rebel Areas

The New York Times > International > International Special > Relief: Indonesia Puts Curbs on Relief in Rebel Areas

The Indonesian military on Tuesday ordered restrictions on foreign aid workers, limiting their free operation to the two main cities hit by the tsunami in an effort to assert control over international relief operations here.

Outside those cities, Banda Aceh and neighboring Meulaboh, aid workers will need special permission to go into more remote areas where hundreds of thousands of people were uprooted by the disaster.

The general asserted that the new measures were needed to protect foreign aid workers from the separatist rebels that Indonesia has been fighting for 30 years. But rebels from the Free Aceh Movement, known by its acronym GAM, released a statement on Tuesday guaranteeing "the safety and free access to all parts of Aceh for international aid workers."

Many foreign aid agencies, including the World Food Program, are generally reluctant to work with military escorts because they fear that accepting the protection of soldiers from one side could drag them into the conflict. Only in "very rare circumstances" does the World Food Program accept military escorts, said Bettina Luescher, the spokeswoman for the program. She pointed to Darfur in Sudan, where a civil conflict rages but where the program's trucks are never accompanied by military personnel.

Yahoo! News - Fed-up Indian fishermen decide to do it for themselves

Yahoo! News - Fed-up Indian fishermen decide to do it for themselves

Tired of waiting for government help to repair his tsunami-battered boats, fisherman Mahil Vahanan decided to take matters into his own hands.
"More than two week after the tsunamis struck the government sent in a crane to lift damaged boats," Vahanan told AFP. "It tried to lift a small boat and immediately it stopped working."

The engine packed up.

"I have to try and make my boats work or I will be without employment for the rest of the season," which runs to April, he explained.

"No government official came here and asked me how to solve my problem. So I decided the best way is to ask for help from villagers."

What is Aid, really?

I've been forwarded this article from the New Yorker, and I feel that many more aid workers should be reading After the Flood: The Third R -

Govind was thrilled to see aid workers. He took them to the beach, showed them how far the water had reached, and described how the boats had been sucked out to sea. He pointed out a damaged boat from another village that had washed ashore. They were struck by the neatness of the waterfront: the debris had mostly been cleared. They asked Govind how many people had died in Komitichavadi, and Govind said none.

This seemed to disappoint the people from Bangalore. The woman mentioned that the scene did not much resemble what she had seen on TV. They had come looking, one of the workers later said, for "places that had been really destroyed."

Sri Lanka: Responding to Separated Children

From the Blog of the Psychosocial Support Program, Sri Lanka

Orphanages and Institutionalisation Should NOT be the First Option for Children Affected by the Tsunami

It is alarming to note the escalating interest in setting up orphanages and other forms of institutionalised care for the many children orphaned or separated from their parents and other family members. Whilst these children do need urgent care and support, it is very important that other care arrangements such as staying with family relatives and older siblings be explored first BEFORE seeking institutionalisation and permanent placements in orphanages.

Continued...

Full Document

From the Blog of the Psychosocial Support Program, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Psychosocial Support

From the Blog of the Psychosocial Support Program, Sri Lanka

Psychosocial Aspects of the Tsunami Disaster: What You Can Do Right Now to Support Wellbeing

People in areas affected by tsunamis may be experiencing many different emotional and physical responses at this time. Some of these responses include confusion, fear, hopelessness, sleeplessness, crying, difficulty in eating, headaches, body aches, anxiety, and anger. They may be feeling helpless; some may be in a state of shock; others may be aggressive, mistrustful, feeling betrayed, despairing, feeling relieved or guilty that they are alive, sad that many others have died, and ashamed of how they might have reacted or behaved during the critical incidents. There may be some experiencing a sense of outrage, shaken religious faith, loss of confidence in themselves or others, or sense of having betrayed or been betrayed by others they trusted.

Continued...

Full Document

From the Blog of the Psychosocial Support Program, Sri Lanka

USA: How To Help

From the US Senate Page for Senator Mary Landrieu

Below is a listing of non-profit agencies working to provide assistance to people affected by the earthquake and tsunamis. You may donate money to them by mail, phone, or through their web sites, which are linked below.

This list was compiled by USAID, the U.S. government agency responsible for economic and humanitarian assistance around the world. As a U.S. Federal government agency, USAID does not accept donations. However, it works together with many of the organizations below to provide U.S. taxpayer assistance to the victims of the earthquake/tsunami.

From the US Senate Page for Senator Mary Landrieu

Action Against Hunger
247 West 37th Street
New York , NY 10018
212-967-7800
www.actionagainsthunger.org

ADRA International
Asia Tsunami Crisis Fund
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring , MD 20904
800-424-ADRA (2372)
www.adra.org

Air Serv International
6583 Merchant Place, Suite 100
Warrenton , VA 20187
540-428-2323
www.airserv.org

American Friends Service Committee
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia , PA 19102
888-588-2372
www.afsc.org

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc.
JDC-South Asia Tsunami Relief
P.O. Box 321
847A Second Avenue
New York, New York 10017
212-885-0832
www.jdc.org

American Jewish World Service
45 W. 36th St. , 10th Fl.
New York , NY 10018
212-736-2597
www.ajws.org

American Red Cross
International Response Fund
2025 E St. NW
Washington , DC 20006
800-HELP-NOW
www.redcross.org

American Refugee Committee
Tsunami Relief
430 Oak Grove Street, Suite 204
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-872-7060
www.redcross.org

AmeriCares
88 Hamilton Ave
Stamford, CT 06902
800-486-4357
www.americares.org

Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT)
Tsunami Fund
6810 Tilden Lane
Rockville, MD 20852
301-984-0217
www.amurt.net

Baptist World Aid
Asia Tidal Waves
405 North Washington Street
Falls Church, VA 22046
703 790 8980
www.bwanet.org/bwaid

B'nai B'rith International
B'nai B'rith Disaster Relief Fund
2020 K Street NW
7th Floor
Washington , DC 20006
212-490-3290
www.bnaibrith.org

Brother's Brother Foundation
1200 Galveston Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
412-321-3160
www.brothersbrother.org

CARE
151 Ellis Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
800-521-CARE
www.care.org

Catholic Medical Mission Board
10 West 17th Street
New York, New York 10011
800-678-5659
www.cmmb.org

Catholic Relief Services
209 West Fayette Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
877-HELP-CRS
www.catholicrelief.org

CHF International
8601 Georgia Ave. Suite 800
Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA
301-587-4700
www.chfhq.org

Christian Children's Fund
Child Alert Fund
PO Box 26484
Richmond, Virginia - 23261-6484
800-776-6767
www.ChristianChildrensFund.org

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)
South Asia Earthquake
2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE
Grand Rapids, MI , 49560
800-55-CRWRC
www.crwrc.org

Church World Service
PO Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515
800-297-1516
www.churchworldservice.org

Concern Worldwide, US
104 East 40th Street, Suite 903
New York, NY 10016
212-557-8000
www.concernusa.org

Direct Relief International
27 South La Patera Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
805-964-4767
www.directrelief.org

Episcopal Relief and Development
South Asia Relief Fund
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017
800-334-7626, ext. 5129
www.er-d.org

Food for the Hungry, Inc.
Food for the Hungry
Asia Quake Relief
1224 E. Washington St .
Phoenix , AZ 85034
800-2-HUNGERS
www.fh.org

Habitat for Humanity International
Asia Tsunami Response Fund
121 Habitat St
Americus, GA 31709
229-924-6935
www.habitat.org

Heart to Heart International
401 S. Clairborne
Suite 302
Olathe, KS 66062
888-800-4327
www.hearttoheart.org

International Aid
17011 W. Hickory
Spring Lake, MI 49456
800-968-7490
www.internationalaid.org

International Medical Corps
Tsunami Emergency Response
1919 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 300
Santa Monica, CA 90404-1950
800-481-4462
www.imcworldwide.org

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)
Asia Disaster Response
P.O. Box 630225
Baltimore, MD 21263-0225
877-803-4622
www.iocc.org

International Relief and Development, Inc.
1621 N Kent Street, Suite 400
Arlington, VA 22209
703-248-0161
www.ird-dc.org


International Relief Teams
Asia Earthquake/Floods
3547 Camino Del Rio South, Suite C
San Diego , CA 92108
619-284-7979
www.IRTeams.org

International Rescue Committee
PO Box 5058
Hagerstown , MD 21741-9874
877-REFUGEE or 733-8433
www.theIRC.org

Latter-Day Saint Charities
Welfare Services Emergency Response
50 East North Temple Street , Room 701
Salt Lake City , Utah , 84150-6800
801-240-3544
www.lds.org/humanitarian

Lutheran World Relief
South Asia Tsunami
700 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-230-2700
www.lwr.org

MAP International
P.O. Box 215000
Brunswick, GA 31521
800-225-8550
www.map.org

Mercy Corps
Southeast Asia Earthquake
Dept. W
PO Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208-2669
800-852-2100
www.mercycorps.org

Mercy-USA for Aid and Development
Tsunami Disaster Relief
44450 Pinetree Drive, Suite 201
Plymouth, Michigan 48170-3869
800-556-3729
www.mercyusa.org

Northwest Medical Teams
SE Asia Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 10
Portland, OR 97207
800-959-4325 (HEAL)
www.nwmedicalteams.org

Operation Blessing International
Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Relief
977 Centerville Turnpike
Virginia Beach , VA 23463
800-730-2537
www.ob.org

Operation USA
8320 Melrose Ave. #200
Los Angeles , CA 90069
800-678-8876
www.opusa.org

Oxfam America
Asian Earthquake Fund
PO Box 1211
Albert Lea, MN 56007-1211
800-77-OXFAM
www.oxfamamerica.org

Plan USA
Asia Disaster
155 Plan Way
Warwick, RI 02886
800-556-7918
www.planusa.org

Project Concern International
5151 Murphy Canyon Road Suite 320
San Diego, CA 92123
858-279-9690
www.projectconcern.org

Project HOPE
Asia Tsunami Response
255 Carter Hall Lane
Millwood, VA 22646
800-544-4673
www.projecthope.org

Relief International
Asia Earthquake Response
1575 Westwood Blvd., Suite 201
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-478-1200
www.ri.org

Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO)
South Asia Relief Fund
615 Slaters Lane
Alexandria, VA , 22313
800-SAL-ARMY
www.1800salarmy.org

Samaritan's Purse
P.O. Box 3000
Boone, NC 28607
Phone (828) 262-1980
Fax (828) 266-1053
www.samaritanspurse.org

Save the Children
54 Wilton Road
Westport, CT 06880
1-800-728-3843
www.savethechildren.org

Stop Hunger Now
SE Asia Crisis
2501 Clark Ave, Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27607
888-501-8440
www.stophungernow.org

United Methodist Committee on Relief
Advance #274305, South Asia Emergency
475 Riverside Drive
Room 330
New York , NY 10115
212-870-3815
www.methodistrelief.org

United Way International
United Way South Asia Response Fund
701 N Fairfax St
Alexandria, VA 22314 USA
703-519-0092
www.unitedway.org/tsunamiresponse

US Fund for UNICEF
General Emergency Fund
333 E. 38th Street
New York, NY 10016
800-4-UNICEF
www.unicefusa.org

World Concern
Asia Earthquake and Tsunami
19303 Fremont Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98133
800-755-5022
www.worldconcern.org

World Emergency Relief
2270-D Camino Vida Roble
Carlsbad , CA 92009
760-930-8001
www.worldemergencyrelief.org

World Hope International
Asia Relief
P.O. Box 96338
Washington DC 20090
888-466-4673
www.worldhope.org

World Relief
SE Asia Earthquake/Tsunamis
7 East Baltimore St
Baltimore MD 21202
800-535-5433
www.worldrelief.org

World Vision
P.O. Box 70288
Tacoma, WA 98481-0288
800-56-CHILD
www.worldvision.org

From the US Senate Page for Senator Mary Landrieu