NYT,pg1: Relief Delivery Lags as Deaths Pass 140,000

[DeepModem Mom]

Relief Delivery Lags as Deaths Pass 140,000
By ROBERT D. McFADDEN

Published: January 1, 2005


The vanguard of a global relief effort converged on the tsunami-ravaged coasts of Indonesia and other stricken nations yesterday as millions of survivors grew increasingly desperate and the death toll soared past 140,000 from a disaster that cast a shroud over the world's New Year celebrations.

While a trickle of aid reached a handful of devastated communities in the worst-hit areas of northern Sumatra and an airlift began landing tons of food, medicine and other supplies at regional airfields where it was piling up, the relief operation confronted a lack of trucks and fuel, washed-out roads and bridges, power failures and other problems, and most of the aid was not getting through to those who needed it....

***

Five days after an undersea earthquake off Meulaboh spawned gargantuan waves that devastated the coasts of about a dozen countries on the rim of the Indian Ocean, the dimensions of the catastrophe were still coming into focus.

The number of dead may never be known with precision. While it was possible to count bodies in some places, chaos enveloped many stricken areas, and officials offered little more than guesses. For example, Indonesia raised its estimate yesterday from 80,000 to 100,000 dead.

Serious injuries were estimated at more than 500,000, and officials who warned of the threat of epidemics said the numbers could surge much higher. There were no reports of widespread starvation, and epidemics of cholera and other diseases have not yet materialized, but clean water vital to human survival and sanitation was scarce in many areas....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/01/international/worldspecial4/01quake.html

[nine23]

1. "Serious injuries were estimated at more than 500,000"

This is a stat we're not hearing much about. Yet. In this disaster, Médecins Sans Frontières estimates that for every one death, there are 4-5 serious injuries.

Such a tragedy.

[malaise]

2. Which is the greater disaster

this natural disaster (earthquake/tsunami) or the invasion of Iraq based on lies?

[tabasco]

3. Here's a way to help ...

Here is a way to contribute with the help going directly to the victims.

Local doctor, Sri Lanka native helping relief effort
By Jennifer Raley, Times-News Staff Writer
Friday, December 31, 2004 9:01 AM EST

CUMBERLAND - For one Cumberland doctor, providing relief for the earthquake and tsunami victims in Sri Lanka has a very personal meaning.

Dr. Nagaratnam Ranjithan, a native of Sri Lanka, has lost several of his friends and has been unable to contact his relatives since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunamis devastated the island country of Sri Lanka on Sunday.

As president of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, formed in 1995 to provide relief from the war, Ranjithan along with other members across the United States has been collecting medications and supplies to send to the victims.

Next week, several Tamil Rehabilitation Organization doctors from the East Coast will go to Sri Lanka to deliver the supplies and assist with relief efforts. Ranjithan said the victims are in desperate need of vaccinations and water purification tablets.

Local people can best help the effort by making financial contributions; Ranjithan explained that supplies can be purchased in Southern India at a much lower price than in the United States, so making a financial contribution is the most effective way of helping victims.

<snip>

"It will still be a continuing effort, but we will do whatever it takes."
Donations can be sent to

Nagaratnam Ranjithan
Tamil Relief Organization
517 Oldtown Road
Cumberland, MD 21501.

Full story at:

http://www.times-news.com/articles/2004/12/31/sections/top_stories/top05.txt (requires free registration).