Two months after tsunami only some UN agencies have received full funding

Two months after a devastating tsunami wrought havoc on a dozen Indian Ocean countries and sparked an unprecedented outpouring of global relief aid, the United Nations reported today that while some of its agencies have received 100 per cent of their immediate flash appeal requirements, others still remain under-funded.

Overall aid pledged so far from or through governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), business and private sources totals $6.28 billion, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which has overall responsibility for supervising relief for the disaster. The deadly waves killed more than 200,000 people and left up to 5 million more in need of basic services.

As far as the UN's own Flash Appeal (PDF) for the first six months after the 26 December tsunami, governments have paid or committed themselves to pay $721 million out of the $979 million sought.

Read the Full Article at UN News Centre

UK: Variety show for tsunami appeal

Stars of the West End are taking part in a variety show in Essex on Sunday (Ed. today) in aid of the victims of the Asian Tsunami disaster.

The show, at the Princes Theatre, in Clacton on Sea, will benefit the Louise Willgrass Fund set up in memory of the Norfolk woman killed in the tragedy. Husband Nigel launched a special appeal for Phuket residents after they helped him and the children after the tragedy.

Sunday's event will also include a celebrity auction for the charity.

Read the Full Article at BBC News

India: Tsunami wipes out mosquito breeding areas in 3 TN districts

The December 26 tsunami had washed away all mosquito-breeding habitats in Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari and Cuddalore districts, where malaria and dengue were prevalent, according to a study by the Centre for Research and Medical Entomology (CRME).

There was no possibility of an epidemic in the coastal districts, as the tsunami had struck after the monsoon season.

Now there was also no threat of malaria and dengue, researchers of the Centre said in their study.

A team of entomologists, microbiologists, zoologists and biologists, carried out the study, on the directions of the Director General of the Indian Council for Medical Research, N K Ganguly.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

India: Revised relief package for TN fishermen

The Tamil Nadu Government today unveiled a revised relief package for fishermen to enable them to buy or repair small fishing craft and mechanised boats.

In a statement, the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, said 50 per cent subsidy would be provided for the replacement of fully damaged fibreglass reinforced plastic catamarans/vallams subject to a maximum unit cost of Rs. 1.5 lakh and a total maximum subsidy of Rs. 75,000.

Replacement of fully damaged/lost mechanised boats would be taken up with a subsidy of 35 per cent of the total cost restricting the subsidy to a maximum of Rs. 5 lakhs a boat. Repairs to mechanised boats would be taken up with a subsidy of 60 per cent of the assessed damage restricted to a maximum of Rs. 3 lakhs a boat.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

India: Appeal from Tsunami-South India NGO Coordination Cell

Charles, on behalf of Tsunami-South India NGO Coordination Cell writes to us:

There have been many kind offers of volunteers and thanks to all for their heartfelt wishes. The major relief stage is over, and we are now in the planning and rehabilitation phase. At present, there are several specific skills which would be useful. People who would be very useful are those who have expertise in the following areas:

- Repairing fibre-glass reinforced plastic (FRP), i.e. damaged fishing boats.
- Ability to fix out board motors.
- Mangrove reforestation/biologists
- Bamboo cultivation, suitability etc.
- Soil scientists, especially desalination of soil
- Play therapy and children's playground designers
- Project managers relating to rehabilitation projects, including housing/forestry/health/water and sanitation/fisheries
- Systems support, expand network and website development
- Journalists for documentation purposes (Tamil speaker especially)

There is a lot of available labour in the affected areas at present. Volunteers' skills are most helpful in organizational capacity, design, and knowledge transfer. Being able to speak Tamil is especially helpful. You can reach them at:

The Tsunami - South India NGO Coordination Cell
#4 Sathalvar Street, Mogappair, West Chennai 600058
Phone: 044 26244211, 26357854
Email: tsunami.prepare@gmail.com

Free legal help offered - UK and South East Asia

Via email from Graham Bucknall, LawWorks Manager of the Solictors Pro Bono Group in London

...we are coordinating the provision of free legal help for those affected by the Tsunami. There is a [UK] helpline number (020-7090-7363) where contact details can be left.

We have volunteer lawyers who will call, take details of the help required and then we offer them to our volunteer lawyers. We have a very large number of lawyers and firms involved. To date, any case has been accepted within the hour.

I will emphasise that this is a genuine free service. We have worked with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Law Society etc.

In response to our email, Mr Bucknall clarifies:

Mainly the help was set up for UK residents but some of the firms we have on our list have offices in the far east and so international cases may be picked up by such a firm.

Solictors Pro Bono's dedicated tsunami site is at http://www.tsunamilegalhelp.org.uk/, and they can also be contacted via email to tsunami@probonogroup.org.uk.

India: WHO to fine-tune services in affected areas

In the post-tsunami period, the World Health Organisation has decided to strengthen its healthcare delivery system in India, including in Tamil Nadu. Soon after the tragedy, the WHO deployed specialists to the affected areas to oversee health services, according to Salim J. Habayeb, its representative.

Dr Habayeb, along with three officials, today visited Thevanampattinam, Samiarpettai, Pudupettai and Chinnur in Cuddalore district "to study the field-level health needs in the coastal villages and fine-tune the WHO health services."

The WHO was working in coordination with the Government of India and the Governments in the States where the tsunami left a trail of devastation, to improve service delivery, spread health information among the people and arrange for finance, said Dr. Habayeb.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

Sri Lanka: Hikkaduwa Aid Information Centre

Jack Harding - a volunteer who is operating from Hikkaduwa in Sri Lanka writes to us:

Hello, my name is Jack Harding and I have recently set up an Aid Information Centre for the Hikkaduwa area, as there seemed to be many different organisations operating independently and there was no place where you could go to find out what was going on and what needed doing! So now the centre is up and running, so I thought I'd let you know, in case there were volunteers that wanted to know what was going on in this area or anything and needed a central place to go for information. The address is 326 Galle Road, Hikkaduwa, just over the road from the Coral Sands Hotel - look for our big blue sign - or the number is 091 43 83 180.

Yemen: Tsunami damage over US $1 million

The effects of December's Asian tsunami on Yemen's shores will cost more than US $1 million, according to an initial assessment conducted by the Ministry of Environment and the Environmental Emergency Unit (EEU), together with an emergency mission of the United Nation's Environment Programme (UNEP).

"We were lucky: our coasts are not populated, otherwise it would have been much worse," Abdulkhaliq al-Ghaberi, director-general of the EEU, told IRIN in the capital, Sana.

Nonetheless, the huge tidal wave has severely affected the livelihoods of the fishing communities of Socotra, a unique island, and its archipelago, 350 km south of the mainland, close to the tip of the Horn of Africa, and the coastal region of al-Mahrah governorate in the east of mainland Yemen,bordering Oman.

Read the Full Article at Reuters AlertNet

India to set up tsunami warning system by 2007

India said that a tsunami warning system would be in place in the Indian Ocean by 2007, giving up to three hours notice to evacuate coastal areas.

The entire round-the-clock operation would cost around 1.25 billion rupees (26 million dollars), Harsh Gupta, secretary in the federal government's department of ocean development, told reporters.

"When the warning equipment is finally in place, it will give 45 minutes to Andaman and Nicobar islands and three hours to Tamil Nadu for preparing against a tsunami following an earthquake in the region," Gupta said on board a ship off the coast of Madras, capital of southern Tamil Nadu state.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

Tsunami threat to water supplies

Fresh water supplies in countries hit by the Asian tsunami are under serious threat, according to a UN report. Drinking water sources have been contaminated by salt water and sewage, and every well in Sri Lanka may have been affected, the study says.

Hazardous materials such as toxic waste and asbestos from buildings may also be in the water in some areas, it adds. The study is the first attempt to assess of the environmental damage caused by the 26 December disaster.

"Shallow wells and groundwater supplies, especially in small islands, are now contaminated with salt water," says the study carried out in Indonesia, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Yemen.

Read the Full Article at BBC News

Sri Lanka, Colombo: Tsunami Fundraising Rock Concert

There's going to be a massive rock concert held in Colombo, Sri Lanka to aid the Tasunami Relief operation by the TRF (Tsunami Relief Foundation). Timothy Seneviratne runs a fledgling film and TV production unit in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Caught up in the Boxing Day tsunami while holidaying in Unuwatuna near Galle, he nearly drowned in the first wave, yet survived to spend the next three days and months to follow caring its living victims and burying the dead. Following his ordeal during the tsunami, Seneviratne went on to establish with colleagues and friends, the Tsunami Relief Foundation. More info about the TRF can be found on their website and blog.

'Living on a prayer' - the rock concert will be held on Saturday the 19th of February at CR&FC at 8pm. Tickets are Rs 250/- (2.5 USD) & (1.35 GBP) and are available at the entrance. A number of bands will be perfoming that night, including Venom, Paranoid Earthling, Soul Skinner, Cancer and the Ill Noize crew.

Directions on getting to this tsunami fundraising concert from one of the organizers (Iromi) at TRF: "CR&FC is at London Place, also known as Malalasekera Mawatha. Its the first road on the left right after you pass the BMICH, going towards Thummula junction. Just keep coming down that road and the car park to CR&FC is on the first turning to right. Anyone will know CR&FC when u ask for it, though i'm sure the sound of rock music will be a better guide".

All proceeds are in aid of TRF (Tsunami Relief Foundation) so please pass the word around about the concert !!! And in Timothy's words "Do what you can because every little bit counts".



Tsunami Relief Foundation,
66/5, Greenpath, Colombo -3,
Sri Lanka

Tel no: + 94 11 4740348
Email: trf.srilanka@gmail.com

USA, West Coast, Bay Area: Tsunami Benefit Concert

Bay Area Unites (according to their FAQs, "a coalition of ... organizations and groups ... Among the initial participants are: India Community Center (ICC), American India Foundation (AIF), The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPIO)) is organising a Tsunami Benefit Concert on 20th February.

On the programme:

* Interfaith vigil led by Dr. Deepak Chopra
* Personalized video message from Bill Clinton
* Music by Grammy-nominated singer Lisa Loeb
* Children's programs, music and entertainment
* Celebrities to call for pledges, including philanthropist Dr. Malini Alles
* Performance by critical acclaimed choreographer, Danica Sena
* Masters of the double violin, performance by Shankar and Gingger
* New perspectives on the songs Bob Dylan by 'Mostly Dylan'
* Balinese performance by Gamelan Sekar Jaya
* Fusing pop and rock performance by Tina Sugandh

Organisations and individuals wanting to participate can do so by visiting their website, or "show up at one of the daily organizing meetings at ICC www.indiacc.org (between 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM on weekdays and 12 noon on weekends).

Link via Sepia Mutiny.

Maldives tsunami damage 62 percent of GDP: World Bank

The Maldives will need massive amounts of aid to recover from last December's tsunami, which left damages in the Indian Ocean nation amounting to 62 percent of its gross domestic product, the World Bank said.

The country would need some 304 million dollars "to effectively implement a recovery and reconstruction strategy," according to a preliminary tsunami assessment released by the the World Bank along with the Asian Development Bank and United Nations Development Programme.

The assessment estimates total damages in the Maldives to be about 470 million dollars, which is close to 62 percent of GDP.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

Sonar pictured asian tsunami seabed

Source and Courtesy:- NewScientist.com news service (Will Knight)

View Image

Dramatic 3D images of the ocean bed where a monstrous earthquake caused the Asian tsunami have been captured by a UK Royal Navy ship.

The images reveal a landscape transformed by the quake which occurred as the Indian tectonic plate pushed against the Burma plate - its leading edge being driven further beneath it.

The earthquake - now thought to have measured a colossal 9.3 on the Richter scale - displaced massive amounts of water and produced killer waves that sped to coastlines around the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004.

The map of the ocean floor was captured using high-resolution multi-beam sonar from a UK Royal Navy survey ship, the HMS Scott. Marine geologists aboard the ship have identified several features that bear testament to the earthquake that wrenched the ocean bed.

Slabs of rock weighing millions of tonnes were dragged up to 10 kilometres along the seabed by the force of the displaced water. And while mountainous ridges 1,500 metres tall were forged from debris during the huge movement of earth, an oceanic trench several kilometres wide was ripped open.

Researchers from the Southampton Oceanography Centre, UK, and the British Geological Survey are analysing the pictures aboard the ship. The images should help scientists understand the geological process that produced the tsunami and ultimately assist with the construction of an early warning system for the Indian Ocean.

"From this we hope to better understand the geological processes which produced the earthquake and ultimately help to determine future earthquake and tsunami hazards so that everyone can be aware and prepared," said Lisa McNeill, of the Southampton Oceanography Centre.

ESRI provides support for earthquake and tsunami disaster

Redlands, California-ESRI and its international distributors are providing support in response to the recent Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami disaster.ESRI is working with government agencies and disaster relief organizations to provide geographic information system (GIS) resources including software, spatial data warehousing and management, Web hosting, emergency response GIS applications, and more.

"We are humbled by the amazing contributions our users are making to the immediate global response to the tsunami disaster," says Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI. "We are assisting in relief activities while at the same time thinking about a long-term spatial technology strategy that will aid in recovery efforts for years to come."

Organizations needing assistance can contact ESRI. Software, temporary keycodes, technical support, and other assistance are available within 24 hours of receiving the request. Requests for assistance should be sent to www.esri.com/assist.

ESRI was involved hours after the crisis and continues to offer its services to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Pacific Disaster Center, U.S. Pacific Command's Joint Task Force/Civil-Military Operations Center, Thailand Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DPM), Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, Asia Pacific Natural Hazard Information Network, and others. ESRI is also working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, and other U.S. agencies.

Organizations are using ESRI software and support for a diverse array of crisis management applications including resource allocation and deployment, situational awareness for first responders, health and emergency center site selection, damage assessment, infrastructure rebuilding, and more.

Some of the ESRI support includes: Locating, organizing, and building spatial data sets and spatial data libraries; Creating static maps for download; Making online mapping services available from Geography Network; Meeting journalism mapping needs with new content for MapShop; Providing emergency software and temporary licensing; Development of GIS emergency management applications to include damage assessment, infrastructure loss, displaced people, and other applications; and Deployment of ArcWeb Services for basemaps, mapping infrastructure before and after the event, imagery, and more.

Founded in 1969, ESRI is the leading developer of GIS software with more than 300,000 clients worldwide. ESRI software is used in all 200 of the largest cities in the United States and in more than 60 percent of counties and municipalities nationwide.


(Source: The Financial Times, Daily Mirror)

2004 Deadliest Quake Year in 5 Centuries

The death toll from the earthquake-generated tsunami in Asia made 2004 the deadliest year for earthquakes in five centuries, the U.S. Geological Survey said Thursday.

The agency estimated the toll from the Dec. 26 tsunami at 275,950. Waverly Person, director of the agency's earthquake information center in Golden, Colo., said he expects the final count to be even higher.

Other sources have estimated the number of dead at more than 160,000, with thousands more listed as missing.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News
Deadliest Earthquakes from USGS

Tsunami reveals ancient sculptures on southern Indian shores

The deadly tsunamis that crashed into southern India have unearthed priceless relics, including two granite lions, buried under sand for centuries, archaeologists say.

The towering waves that killed over 285,000 people throughout Asia also appear to have swept a bronze Buddha to Indian shores from Thailand in a basket attached to a bamboo raft, they say.

Archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have descended on the ancient seaport of Mahabalipuram, famed for its rock carvings dating back to the great Pallava dynasty, to see the objects.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

Indonesia May Build Walls to Save Aceh from Tsunamis

Indonesia may build huge embankments in the tsunami-ravaged province of Aceh to prevent a repeat of the disaster that killed more than 117,000 people last December, Planning Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Friday.

She said the country may build the walls in coastal city buffer zones where there are also plans to plant mangroves and palm trees as natural protection.

"In a bid to anticipate another disaster ... there will be a buffer zone with mangroves in the coastal areas and if necessary (we) build embankments," Indrawati told reporters.

An Indonesian government official said last week the government will not rebuild residential areas within a two-kilometer area from the shore in battered provincial capital Banda Aceh and other towns.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

Tsunami woman found after 45 days

A teenager who survived December's tsunami has been rescued by police from a remote island on India's Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.

Eighteen-year-old Jessy is said to have lived on wild fruit for 45 days.

She was found on Wednesday close to the site where nine survivors of the tsunami were found last week. [..]

Jessy is said to belong to the Nicobarese tribe and was rescued from the Pillowpanja islands in the south of the archipelago.

Read the Full Article at BBC News

US: Bush seeks $950 million in tsunami aid

President Bush said Wednesday he will ask Congress for an additional $600 million to aid victims of the December 26 tsunami that ravaged parts of southern Asia.

That aid would be in addition to the $350 million the United States already has pledged, according to a written statement from the White House.

[...]

Andrew Natsios, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, told reporters Wednesday that the $950 million humanitarian pledge would represent "the most generous and the most extensive in American history for the U.S. government."

Read the Full Article from CNN

Chennai: AID India's Tsunami Relief Report 4

AID India has come out with a detailed report of the Tsunami from day one and the relief efforts that have gone into it in Tamil Nadu. This report includes a lot of ideas for long-term relief as well, for those who are seeking such plans. The report can be accessed at: AID India Report

Courtesy: AID India Website

India: Groundwater polluted in Pondy after tsunami: study

PONDICHERRY, FEB .8. Seawater intrusion following the tsunami strike has increased the percentage of dissolved solid contents in groundwater at some places in the Union Territory.

A study conducted by the State Groundwater Unit and Soil Conservation Department in Pondicherry and Karaikal found that the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) went up to 1000 parts per million (ppm) and in certain areas it crossed1000 ppm.

TDS is a measurement of minerals or salts in water. Bicarbonate, chloride, sulphate, calcium, magnesium and sodium are the major components normally found in water. High levels of some of these elements are a potential concern.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

Child protection authorities continue to search for young tsunami victims

The Probation and Child Care Services Department says 995 children were orphaned after losing both parents in the tsunami, and another 3,409 children lost either a mother or a father. Several unaccompanied children have also been identified.

Adoption of these children is possible if the interested parties follow the standard legal procedure. But media reports have said that after the tsunami tragedy, some children who went missing were probably taken by parties not following legal procedure.

The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has said the authorities will not take legal action against persons (relative or non-relative) or organisations if they have so far kept custody of children without registration. However, it requested that individuals and organisations now come forward to register these young tsunami victims.

Read More

No relief: Sri Lanka getting winter gear & useless goods

The grateful people of Sri Lanka would like to make a humble request to all those who have offered succor to its devastated tsunami victims: Please, no more ski jackets, moisturizing gel or Viagra.

The recent outpouring of support, while helpful on the whole, has brought with it a mountain of unusable stuff from the Western world. That includes cozy winter hats, Arctic-weather tents, colognes and thong underwear.

Dubbed "frustrated cargo" by aid workers because it often has nowhere to go, these misfit items are gathering dust in warehouses and creating major headaches for relief workers in the field.
Making matters worse, many aid workers don't know where all the useless handouts are coming from or for whom they are intended. Although most aid that arrives is earmarked for specific relief agencies, such as the Red Cross, some shipments are addressed simply to "The People of Sri Lanka" and have no return address.

Unwanted medicines pose a more serious problem. Doctors and private citizens appear to have unloaded their sample bins and medicine cabinets and shipped the items. Shipments included useful antibiotics as well as drugs that aren't common in many villages and can easily be abused, such as antidepressants.


Read More

Sri Lanka: Chopper Service for Relief Organizations & Aid Workers

Those who need to travel to distant areas in Sri Lanka are requested to please get in touch with Suren Mirchandani on +94 777 717 300 to book helicopters which are now available on a first come first served basis.

Nine survivors rescued in the Andamans after 37 days

From a Reuters report:

Nine tribespeople have been rescued on Andaman and Nicobar islands more than a month after the tsunami struck, after getting lost in the jungles and surviving on wild boars and coconuts, officials said on Thursday.

[...]

The group, five men, one woman and three girls, fled onto a hilltop when the tsunami struck on Dec. 26, before getting lost in the jungles. They were finally found by a police search team near Campbell Bay on Great Nicobar island, after getting help from a more primitive tribe in the island's interior.

Animals finally feel tsunami

Animal health authorities have received reports from the east coast that close to a thousand animals have died recently after drinking water contaminated by tsunami tidal waves which hit the coast more than a month ago.

Sources said that the areas which came under sea water in the east continue to have blackish water in puddles here and there deep inland, and animals such as cattle had died after drinking water from such water sources.

The reports mainly came from Pottuvil, and close to a thousand animals had reportedly died up to yesterday. A team of veterinarians had already been dispatched to Pottuvil to verify the cause. Meanwhile, residents in Pottuvil are said to be in fear as the sea water off the Pottuvil coast had turned dark and blackish again, reminding them of the tsunami waves which were dark in colour.

Source: The Daily Mirror

UN takes first step in rebuilding Sri Lanka's fishing fleet

In the first small step in a large-scale initiative to help restore the livelihoods of thousands of Sri Lankan fishermen devastated by December's Indian Ocean tsunami, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today handed over an initial $380,000 consignment of boat repair kits.

"This is the first shot off the starting block of a programme that will develop over the next few months to rebuild the country's battered fishing industry," FAO country representative Pierre Gence said at the hand-over ceremony with Sri Lankan fisheries minister Chandrasena Wijesinghe.

The donation, funded jointly by FAO and the German technical cooperation agency GTZ, represents the start of FAO's $20 million initial response to the tsunami that ravaged more than three quarters of the country's fisheries industry.

Read the Full Article at UN News Centre

Sri Lanka: Information about tsunami orphans

The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) and the Department of Probation and Childcare Services has thanked the public who cared for children affected by the tsunami. The NCPA and the Department of Probation and Childcare Services together with the Centre for National Operations (CNO) and the Task Force for Rescue and Relief (TAFRER) are in the process of developing a national policy and request the public to support in gathering further information.

The CNO and TAFRER has requested all relatives caring for children including surviving parents to register with the authorities; all unrelated persons including institutions/orphanages who have been caring for children orphaned by the tsunami to register with the authorities; and the public to participate in providing information related to children orphaned by the tsunami. This information is necessary to identify missing children, provide future assistance, facilitate temporary foster care and adoptions and to provide educational needs and schooling.

The information should be provided to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), No. 330, Thalawathugoda Road, Madiwela, Sri Jayawardenapura.

Tel: (011) 2778911-4 or (011) 2779196 Fax: (011)-2778915;

Commissioner General - Department of Probation and Childcare Services, No. 150A, Nawala Road, Nugegoda. Tel: (011) 2852393 or (011) 2853596 Fax: (011) 2852393;

Provincial Commissioners - Department of Probation and Childcare Services, Galle 091-2234156 and Trincomalee 026-2223085;

All Divisional Secretaries in affected areas through the Grama Sevaka Niladari (forms can be collected at the Divisional Secretary's Office or at the Grama Sevaka Niladari's Office).

Source: The Daily News

UK: Warning over fake tsunami aid website

Net users are being told to avoid a scam website that claims to collect cash on behalf of tsunami victims. The site looks plausible because it uses an old version of the official Disasters Emergency Committee webpage. However, DEC has no connection with the fake site and says it has contacted the police about it.

The link to the website is contained in a spam e-mail that is currently circulating. The message's subject line reads "Urgent Tsunami Earthquake Appeal" and its text bears all the poor grammar and bad spelling that characterises many other phishing attempts.

The web address of the fake site is decuk.org which could be close enough to the official www.dec.org.uk address to confuse some people keen to donate.

Read the Full Article at BBC News

MTV Tsunami Relief

Universal Music Group and MTV are currently administering a special online auction to benefit UNICEF's Tsunami Relief efforts at www.mtvcharityauctions.com. You can bid on special music and movie memorabilia donated and signed by donzes of musicians and other artists, plus hard-to-come-by tickets to events like the MTV Video Music Awards, 2005 Movie Awards, and the Daily Show With Jon Stewart. 75% of the net proceeds go to UNICEF. Just check out www.mtvcharityauctions.com anytime during February and March 2005 and help a worthy cause.

MTV Networks Asia will reposition the annual MTV Asia Awards into a global benefit, in support of the recovery efforts taking place in Asia, a vital part of MTV Networks' wider global response to the aftermath of the tsunami. The event, now to be known as MTV Asia Aid, is to still take place at IMPACT Arena in Bangkok on 2 PM, 3 February 2005.

In addition to being broadcast on the MTV network, MTV Asia Aid will be available free of charge to all global broadcasters. The goal is to reach three quarters of the world’s TV households.

Because one third of tsunami deaths were children, UNICEF will be the main recipient of the money raised. A live webcast of the concert will be available on the MTV Asia site and through the UNICEF homepage.

Donate to UNICEF

i58 Projects' Tsunami Relief Effort

The i58 Project is helping to prepare for an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 additional orphans.

Currently the i58-India Project helps to support just over 8,000 orphans. An additional 2,000 to 5,000 orphans will create a significant burden on an already overburdened orphanage system. This horrible disaster has left hudreds of thousands of people without families. Many of these people are children and they have no place to go.

By simply making a donation to the i58-India Project you will be helping to prepare a future for one of these scared, tired and devastated children who has just lost their family and friends.

Your donation will go directly to HopeGivers International, who is currently preparing for these children. With the help of i58 they are busy purchasing beds, blankets and clothing. These children will be taken in, given an education and taught the skills they will need to one day rebuild their shattered lives, villages and families.

Read more on i58Projects Website
Donate to i58Projects

38 Days After Tsunami, 9 Survivors Found

Nine tribespeople who survived the December tsunami spent 38 days wandering through flattened villages on a remote Indian island, eating boars and coconuts, before police found them Wednesday.

Five men, two women and two young girls were discovered in a forest on Campbell Bay island by police searching for people still missing after the Dec. 26 disaster that killed at least 158,000 in 11 nations. At least 10,749 people were killed in India.

The nine belong to the Nicobarese tribe, Inspector Shaukat Hussain told The Associated Press by telephone from Campbell Bay, the only town in Great Nicobar, India's southernmost island. They range in age from 11 to 65.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

India: Filmdom & Entertainment industry musters help for Tsunami victims

The HELP! Telethon Concert website, is an initiative of the Film and Television Producers' Guild, multiple channel and leading event management companies, Wizcraft International Entertainment, G S Entertainment and Cineyug.

The website would enable net users to donate for this humanitarian cause online and an online auction of celebrity memorabilia will also be conducted through the website.

Earlier, The Film & Television Producers Guild of India and the Indian Film and Television Industry had announced the HELP! Telethon Concert, the biggest-ever fundraiser from India to aid victims of the Tsunami tragedy that struck large parts of Asia and India and wreaked havoc on people and property.

The HELP! Telethon Concert would be held at the MMRDA Grounds, Bandra-Kurla Complex on February 6, 2005. HELP! would bring together different facets of the Indian entertainment industry in an effort to create a movement which will bring together corporate houses and people across the footprint to donate to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund A/c HELP.

Read the article on Fibre2Fashion
Donate to HELP! Telethon

India: Post-tsunami changes in sea could affect environment

Indian scientists have observed a change in the sea-temperature post-tsunami disaster that could possibly lead to major environmetal changes such as rainfall and monsoon cycle in the years to come.

"A comprehensive multi-model at ISRO centre in Ahmedabad has observed one to 2.5 degree drop in the sea temperature caused due to displacement of heavy water mass. It could possibly lead to long-term effects on the environment," Head, Ocean Science Division at Ahmedabad, Dr V K Agarwal told PTI.

The satellites has observed drop in sea-temperature in an area as huge as about two thousand million square kilometers between the central Bay of Bengal and the Equator, he said.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

CSFTxt - Global Alert Retrieval Cache

We have launched CSFTxt, the Global Alert Retrieval Cache. If you have an SMS enabled cellphone chances are that you can send a short email through it. As you might know, emails can be directly routed onto a blog. This system can be used for tsunami affected areas to route information more effectively.

For instance, on my Hutch cellphone I have Orange Plus>My Services>Yahoo>YahooMail. Once you OK that it asks you for a login, and then a password. Once you are logged in from your cellphone you send emails by replying to SMSes from Yahoo. If you don't have a Yahoo Mail id
...
use this:

login: csftxt
password: world123

To send an email, reply to Yahoo's SMS by typing:

To fadereu.csftxt@blogger.com [your message] and your SMS should instantly appear on CSFTxt.

Also, we on CSF invite bloggers/friends, basically citizen reporters from Nepal to join us on CSF and CSFTxt. Suggestions and volunteers are welcome.

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India: Plan to restore mental health of tsunami-affected

The Academy for Disaster Management Education, Planning and Training (ADEPT) and its partners along with the district administration have developed a long-term plan to restore mental health in the tsunami-affected areas of Cuddalore district.

In the first stage, community volunteers and health workers will be sensitised to the importance of family and community networks both in reaction to disaster and recovery.

In the second stage, community self-help groups will be formed with the objective of mitigating post-disaster stress, providing psychosocial support and developing the community socially and economically.

In the third stage, coordination hubs will be formed to monitor the ongoing programme and develop it to conduct cooperative activities with other relief operations.

Read the Full Article at The Hindu

Travelers Urged to Return After Tsunami

Tsunami-lashed nations on Tuesday urged travelers to return to southern Asia's ravaged coasts and deserted resorts to revive the vital tourism industry, while the United Nations said it would proceed with an interim warning system to protect vulnerable shores from killer waves.

Dozens of countries at talks organized by the U.N. World Tourism Organization finalized a plan to lure back tourists to four nations hit by the giant waves — Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia. The talks took place on this badly hit resort island.

The tsunami was the biggest catastrophe ever to strike world tourism, with many travelers and tourism workers killed and facilities destroyed, said the organization's chief, Francesco Frangialli.

Read the Full Article at Yahoo News

Chennai: AID India's children's booklet on tsunamis

To help reduce children's fears of another tsunami, A.I.D. India has brought out a booklet on tsunamis in both English and Tamil. The Tamil edition is being distributed to the children in tsunami-affected areas (with somebody discussing it with them and explaining that they need not fear a Tsunami recurrence). The English version is being sold in Chennai and in other areas at Rs 3/- a copy. All money from sales will go towards AID Chennai's Tsunami Relief Work.

You can download a PDF of the English booklet here. (28.8Mb)