On Wednesday, the latest reports have indicated the death toll from the epic tsunami that rocked 11 countries has risen to more than 60,000 people. Governments, international aid agencies, religious bodies and charities have all been violently awoken from the pleasure of their Christmas holidays, and have been driven into arranging an urgent response to the desperate calls from the millions of survivors in South East Asia. Food, medicines and supplies have poured into the region, as part of what the U.N. said would be the biggest relief effort the world has ever seen.
In addition to Action by Churches Together (ACT) International and Church World Service (CWS), which have united local churches in providing emergency aid to victims immediately after the quake devastation, international aid agencies are arriving in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries in the region to strengthen the aid work.
The Salvation Army in southeast Asia and coastal India said they were tragically and unexpectedly called into service after the massive earthquake. However, the Salvation Army teams have been at the forefront of offering aid and relief to the people.
According to the Salvation Army, field assessments indicate that Andaman-Nicobar Islands and Tamil Nadu (a Christian fishing community with many families and children) seem to be among the most severely affected areas in India.
Salvation Army volunteers have been feeding over 1,200 people in the Kanyakumari and Muttom areas and many Army facilities are being used to provide feeding sites and emergency shelter throughout the region. Teams of local Salvation Army assessment personnel have been dispatched to assist the government to determine the most pressing needs of the affected communities.
In addition, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) is helping people locate loved ones missing in the region. When there are no other forms of communication, SATERN is a HAM radio team that can help families and emergency workers find each other.
National director of SATERN Major Pat McPherson reported that by listening to certain radio frequencies, some SATERN members have been successful in establishing contact with the missing members from the National Institute for Amateur Radio India (NAIR).
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched a preliminary appeal for 7.5 million Swiss francs to assist some 500,000 people and bring immediate support to relief operations of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries in the region.
One million Swiss francs were released earlier on Monday from the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund.
Red Cross will focus on Sri Lanka - the country hardest hit by the disaster. "The biggest health challenges we are facing is the spread of waterborne diseases, particularly malaria and diarrhea, as well as respiratory tract infections," explained Hakan Sandbladh, senior health officer at the Federation's Secretariat in Geneva. "We are particularly concerned about initial reports of destruction of hospitals and other health infrastructures in Sri Lanka."
In order to prevent the outbreak of health hazards, the International Federation will send medical supplies for 100,000 people from Copenhagen, Denmark; additionally medicines to treat up to 2,000 possible cases of diarrhea disease will also be part of the shipment.
Simon Missiri, head of the Federation's Asia Pacific Department in Geneva added, "Basic needs for victims of the disaster are shelter, tents, blankets, clean water, food and family utensils and mosquito nets. An important part of the operation will also be tracing lost relatives. This preliminary appeal will be revised as precise needs are evaluated."
International Aid, is another agency specialised in health care for survivors during disaster. "Our specialty is in healthcare and so we will be sending all kinds of healthcare-related products. The real danger here is not just the impact of the earthquake. With power systems out and with sanitary systems all broken down, the risk of secondary diseases is really high. We are going to be, just like we have in other disasters, sending all the health product that we can," Myles Fish says.
Fish insists that the distribution is the ministry, he says, "All of our work will be done through local Christian churches that will all be done in the name of Christ. It's our attempt to demonstrate the love that we have for people in an effort to gain the opportunity to articulate the hope that we have in Christ."