Just in case you happened to have missed all the action in the midst of fending off requests for more brandy-laced eggnog from relatives who refuse to leave, a massive earthquake, scoring a whopping 8.9 on the Richter scale, centered off the coast of Sumatra struck in the early morning hours on Sunday. This underwater earthquake triggered more than a few tsunamis, or tidal waves, which have completely swamped parts of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, and the Maldives---just to name a few of the places in South East Asia that were affected.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has put out an appeal for aid. They're looking for upwards of $6M US to help with the immediate needs of these poor people.
Keep the Spirit of Christmas flowing. Go here and donate what you can, if you can. The estimates of the number of dead range from ten thousand to eleven thousand, three hundred. No one knows for sure and they're not likely to know until they can deal with the bare necessities of taking care of the living.
The butcher's bill is always the last to be presented in situations like these. Help out if you are able, so things can get back to a state that resembles normal and the people there will be able to bury their dead.
UPDATEThey're now saying over fourteen thousand dead. Let's face it, kids: that number is only going to keep rising. If you are able, help. They could really use it.
Posted by Kathy at December 26, 2004 04:37 PM