Tsunami Info, Relief Efforts + News

On December 26th, 2004 the fourth most powerful earthquake ever recorded occurred off the coast of Aceh in north-western Indonesia. The associated movement of the Eurasian and Australian continental plates caused a series of massive tsunami (waves) to hit coastal areas of Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka + Somalia over the next four hours.

Initial estimates of the fatalities + casualities caused by these waves were low, and tended to focus on the numbers of tourists affected. However, it is now apparent that over 150,000 people have been killed, 500,000 injured + 5,000,000 made homeless.

It is also clear that billions of dollars of emergency aid + debt relief will be needed in order to deal with the immediate consequences of this global catastrophe and to permit long-term reconstruction in the affected regions.

Below is a summary of some of the news organisations who are reporting on the tsunami and its consequences, and the relief organisations who are tackling different aspects of this unprecedented emergency and could benefit from any donation you might feel able to make...

News
Reuters Alertnet "NGO Latest"
Relief Web
BBC "Asia Quake Special"
Google News "Tsunami"
United Nations News Service
ABC (Australia) Tsunami Indepth
Guardian Unlimited Tsunami Special Report

Government Sites
Sri Lankan Centre for National Operations

Emergency Aid
Disasters Emergency Committee > Donate
InterAction > Disaster Response
U.S. AID > Donation : NGO list
International Committee for the Red Cross > Donate
British Red Cross > Donate
American Red Cross > Donate

Child Welfare + Education
UNICEF > News > Donate
Save the Children > Donate
FamilyLinks.ICRC.Org
SOS Children's Charity > Tsunami orphans > Sponsor a child

Health + Medicine
Medicins Sans Frontieres > News > Donate
Merlin > Donate
World Health Organisation > News > Donate

Clean Water + Sanitation
Oxfam (UK) > News > Donate
Oxfam America > News > Donate
Action Aid > Donate
Water Aid

Food + Shelter
World Food Programme > Donate

Refugees
UNHCR > News > Donate

Reconstruction
Intermediate Technology Development Group
Global Giving Local projects in need of support - listed by region

Environment
Conservation International > Donate
WWF > News Update 1, Update 2 > Donate
Friends of the Earth: Indonesia / WALHI > News > Donate

Briefing Material
UN USG Jan Egeland: Press Briefings: Dec 27th, Dec 29th, Jan 1st, Jan 2nd, Jan 3rd, Jan 4th, Jan 5th, Jan 6th, Jan 7th
Wikipedia: 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake
Wikipedia: Aceh, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar Malaysia, Singapore, Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Mauritius, Somalia, Tanzania
Indonesia: The War in Aceh (2001): Human Rights Watch
Solar Energy for Disaster Relief Alternative Energy Blog
Make Poverty History Campaign
The Big Project/Tsunami (useful links)
World Changing Blog
Tsunami-Info.Org Blog
Tsunami Help Blog
Tsunami Symposium (1999)

Recent news...

Jan 17th
Oxfam warns of tsunami cash delay
BBC News Online
Tsunami toll tops 175,000
Reuters
Tsunami-hit S.Lankans defy ban, rebuild on coast
Reuters Alertnet

Jan 15th
Tsunami families in 'legal limbo'
BBC News Online
Jakarta calls for Aceh truce
BBC News Online
US to expand tsunami warning system
The Boston Globe
US seeks tsunami withdrawal
BBC News Online
Aid worry for cut-off Aceh towns
BBC News Online
Tsunami disaster spurs video blogs
BBC News Online

Jan 14th
Tsnuami to plunge 2 million into poverty
Rediff.Com
Tsunami-hit nations look to save mangroves
Reuters Alertnet

Jan 13th
Aceh ceasefire talks edge closer
BBC News Online
DEC ends tsunami aid advertising
BBC News Online

Jan 12th
Tsunami early warning 'next year'
BBC News Online

Jan 11th
Indonesia restricts Aceh aid work
BBC News Online
"Green reconstruction" vital in the aftermath of the tsunami
WWF

Jan 10th
Asian tsunami lends urgency to new UNEP report
Jamaica Observer
Divisions surface over handling of Aceh security
The Financial Times
U.S. chopper crash, security warnings, aftershocks...
CBC News (Canada)
440 Britons feared dead as toll doubles
The Financial Times
UNICEF launch Tsunami Water and Sanitation Fund
UNICEF

Jan 8th
Scientists Weigh Damage to Coral Reefs (audio)
NPR : All Things Considered

Jan 7th
Maps + satellite images of areas affected by tsunami
BBC News Online
UK victims of Asian tsunami (list + brief biographies)
BBC News Online
Move to freeze debt for tsunami countries
The Financial Times
PM: they will never forget us
The Australian
Tsunami emergency: Indonesia, Somalia + Sri Lanka latest
ReliefWeb: UNHCR
Major earthquake in Indian Ocean was predicted in 1997
SciDev.Net
World Bank President addresses ASEAN leaders
The World Bank

Jan 6th:
Tsunami computer simulation
University of California Santa Cruz
Tsunami's salt water may leave islands uninhabitable
NewScientist.com
Tsunami's salt threat to islands
BBC News Online
Brown demands new deal for poorest countries
The Independent
Summit approves tsunami warning
BBC News Online
Poverty fight neglects technology
BBC News Online
'Beware tsunamis and climate': UN
BBC News Online
Key points: Blair news conference
BBC News Online

Jan 5th:
UN warns 150,000 could die without urgent care
UN News
Tsunami aid pledges top $3bn
BBC News Online
Andaman coral 'hit by tsunami'
BBC News Online
World press views "tsunami diplomacy"
BBC News Online

Jan 4th:
UK to seek debt relief for tsunami nations
Reuters
China premier to attend ASEAN tsunami summit
Reuters Alertnet
Special ASEAN meeting on Jan 6 to coordinate tsunami response
Channel News Asia
OPEC fund gives US$1.2m to Asian quake victims
Channel News Asia

Jan 3rd:
Indonesia plans wave alert system
BBC News Online

Jan 2nd:
Japan raises aid to $500 million
CNN.com

Jan 1st:
U.S. boosts tsunami aid to $350 million
San Francisco Chronicle
Deserted Aceh in ruins
BBC News Online

Dec 30th:
Sharp increase in Indonesian toll
BBC News Online

Dec 29th:
Indonesian coast 'devastated'
BBC News Online

Dec 28th:
Indonesia toll surpasses 27,000
BBC News Online

Dec 26th:
Indonesia braced as deaths mount
BBC News Online