official tsuami toll tops 155,000

[Clarkie1]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/01/02/asia.quake/index.html

[Strelnikov_]

1. I Am Afraid The Toll In Aceh May Top 500,000

The province has a population of 4 M, of which 1 M live in the affected areas. From all the reports coming out, most of the towns appear to have less than 1/10 surviving.

From the following site:

http://www.mentawai.com/aceh.html

"Dear readers,

We live in Padang West Sumatra. This is an urgent appeal for help save the lives of survivors of the boxing day quake.

The epicentre of the first and largest quake was between the island of Simeulue and the west coast of Aceh. (see the map above) This is a heavily populated coast with 17 larger towns some as large as 35,000. The total population of this SW coastal area may be as many as as 1 million but statistics are very hard to find. (total population of Aceh is 4 million). The off shore islands are thought to have a combined population of over 10,000 and some have been swept clean. Recent flights over the Banyaks show no sign of life but on other islands there are survivors who are in a bad way. "

[rainbow4321]

2. Some sicko in the UK is hoaxing family members...

http://7am.com/cgi-bin/wires02.cgi?1000_2005010202.htm



Tsunami Victim Hoax In UK


A hoaxer pretending to be a British government official has emailed relatives and friends of people missing since the tsunami, saying their loved ones have been confirmed dead.


Police in London say the hoaxer, claiming to be from the Foreign Office Bureau in Thailand, targeted people who had placed appeals for information on the website of the TV station Sky News.

All the messages came from one bogus email address. The police say they are taking the hoax very seriously. They add that the British government would not use email to convey news of a death.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. So people steel themselves for this

It will reach a quarter of a million from the primary event. They have not found literally thousands, who are under the ruble. We will also never quite know the actual number, since some people truly disapeared (thousands who were pulled to sea where they drowned, and some will not wash back to the coast)

It may very well reach a million from exposure, disease, et al over the next year or so.

I hate to post these numbers, but my training as a disaster manager tells me this.

And yes if you want to do anything, give money to your choice of charity, nothing else, money.

[lebkuchen]

4. UNICEF has been advertising heavily on CNNI

Don't they have to pay money for those commercials? I'm still deciding who to donate to. I thought, maybe Susi Air, the very small airline owned by the husband/wife team who entered areas that everyone said were impossible to land on.

Also, who is paying for Jeb Bush's trip to Asia?

It didn't take long for the US to turn this disaster into a harvest of political advantage, ie, Jebbie in 2008. I was repulsed to see that happen.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. CNNI may be giving them the spots for free

I don't know

I was repulsed by them turnuing Jebbies little trip to a political spot

I am saving my money to give to the International Red Cross (after 911's fiasco with the American Red Cross no way), in a month or so...and all organizations doing any work will need money in a month or so, but will not get people to open their wallets then... becuase they already gave.

Right now I am tapped and I wish I cuold do more.

[lebkuchen]

6. I've also been looking at OXFAM and Save the Children

Since the US is donating so little, it should save the expense of sending Jebbie out there and donate his travel money to the cause. Both Chimpy and Kofi Anan believe one can be on vacation and still attend to disasters (both man-made, as w/the impending 9-11, and natural).

There is no need for Jebbie to "assess damage." He's done plenty of damage to the State of Fl w/o having to look for it elsewhere.