SE Asia Earthquake/Tsunami

[Platypus]

geez this is bad-68000. (Including about 10 Aussies).

My mum is organising to go over to Sumatra or Sri Lanka with a surgical team, leaving on new years eve :S.

I don't know if she'll be accepted, but I suspect she will, and we still don't know where they'll end up or how long they'll be there...

In Australia, many of us have family or friends affected. My cousin was on Phi Phi Island in thailand before the waves, he was going to stay there until Jan.5th, byut decided to come home early for christmas after having been in europe for 8 months. My boss at work attended a wedding a week before christmas, the husband saved his new wife's life and hasn't been seen since.

This is huge in America, massive down here, but imagine how bad it must be in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia, and please, please support the effoprts to prevent water-bourne disease, and also identification. I would ask you to donate to Red Cross Australia, or Red Cross/Cresent in the countries affected, as these are the groups most involved, or charities such as Oxfam, world vision, and CARE. The UN is also heavily mobilised, and all money donated to the disaster relief will go to relief; they are specifically focussing on the Maldives, India and Sri Lanka at this time.

[Platypus]

A UN spokesman just reported that in one Indonesian provience, he expects a death toll of 100,000.

It was also reported up 5,000 Australians working/vacationing in the region are missing.

I'm guessing that initial deaths will be in excess of 250,000.

1000 Australians are still in the 'concerned' catergory, although another couple of thousand are unheard from, but believed to be safe due to their location.

If people don't help out in any way they can, 250,000 would be easily possible. we all need to do anything we can-donate money, volunteer to answer phones, or if you are trained and can, head over thre, etc.

It's big, and at times like this the world needs to come together. It is often said that the only time the earth will unify is when we get attacked by aliens. This is the next closest thing; lets see how close we get at least for a few days.

[Platypus]

HuckFinn-U just read about a family of fourteen from Finland all being killed-how tragic. my sympathies are with the finnish people

[Platypus]

I'd say already dead is probably closer to 150,000 at this stage, but in a few hours, it could be 160,000, etc...

[Platypus]

sh**t.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. My mum is going into Sumatra or Srui Lanka within a few days, and I ask you all for support. Seeing just what has happenned to the area in such a stark way as Gabu just presented makes me horrified for the people and scared for my mother, but with the well wishes of everyone here for her and for the thousands of australian, german, Japanese and american volunteers, as well as those from all over the world.

[Platypus]

IIRC, Finland forced their citizens out, right? Even the couple who were looking for their 14 missing relatives. Practical, yes, but a bit mean

[Platypus]

Donating $35 million in aid, with multiple helicopters and cargo planes lent to provide aid, and scores of aid teams focussing on Sri Lanka, Phuket/Phi Phi, and Sumatra.

I read in the newspaper that the evacuation was forced. There was a finnish couple quoted in the paper as saying that even though they lost 14 members of their family, they werren't being allowed to stsy. I presume they were wrong rather then you of course, because they were there whilst you were in Finland with biased media reports. (Just like ours are biased).

Either way, this is nothing to fight about.