NewsDecember 28, 2004
Huge relief effort begins in Asian disaster
A Red Cross spokeswoman said money is the best donation because clothing and food are too costly to ship. By Scott Moyers ~ The Southeast Missourian Americans wanting to help the mind-numbing number of Asians whose lives were shattered by Sunday's massive earthquake and subsequent tsunamis may only have one question...
A Red Cross spokeswoman said money is the best donation because clothing and food are too costly to ship.
By Scott Moyers
~ The Southeast Missourian
Americans wanting to help the mind-numbing number of Asians whose lives were shattered by Sunday's massive earthquake and subsequent tsunamis may only have one question.
Where do they send their check?
That list is long as aid organizations worldwide are preparing to launch what some have called "the biggest relief effort ever" to provide shelter, food, clothing, medicine and other supplies to the thousands of victims in 10 countries along southern Asian coastlines.
"We do have a national effort, and we will be sending people," said Mary Burton, executive director of the local chapter of the American Red Cross. "It was such an awful, awful tragedy."
Burton said, however, that there are no local people who have adequate training to be sent outside the United States. That training requires cultural and language training as well as some on-the-job training within the United States before volunteers are sent abroad.
"But here's an opportunity to get the word out so that some people may want to go through the training and background checks so that we can have someone from here ready for when something like this happens," Burton said.
She said monetary donations could be made to the relief effort by dropping them off or mailing them to the local office at 2430 Myra Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63703. Note on the check that it is for the Asian Earthquake Relief Effort. Donations can also be made by calling (800) HELP NOW.
Jessica Willingham, a Red Cross spokeswoman in St. Louis, said money is the best donation. Other items, like clothing and food, are too costly to ship.
"We just can't do it," Willingham said. "It's too expensive to get it there. The beautiful thing about cash in our electronic age is it's instantaneous. It gets there real quick. And they need it real quick."
The death toll from the tsunamis that slammed into coasts from India to Indonesia has topped 22,000, according to reports.
The earthquake was magnitude 9, the strongest quake to hit anywhere since March 1964, when a magnitude-9.2 quake struck near Alaska's Prince William Sound.
Other agencies are gearing up to help, too.
Doctors Without Borders, or Medecins Sans Frontieres, is preparing to provide emergency assistance to people affected by the disaster. Doctors Without Borders, which sends volunteer physicians and other medical personnel to disaster sites, is readying a full charter of relief supplies for the area of Indonesia closest to the epicenter of the earthquake.
"We already have teams on the ground," said spokeswoman Kris Torgeson. "We have an active pool of volunteers that were already there on other assignments, and now they're readjusting their focus to this situation."
Torgeson did not know of any doctors in this area who would be going. But she said it's too early to tell how many doctors would be sent or where they would come from.
"But medical help is certainly going to be needed," she said. "There will be disease and injuries. We also deal with issues like water and sanitation. But we rely on donations from donors in your region to be able to send the help that these people need."
In addition, Doctors Without Borders medical teams are on the ground in Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Myanmar assessing emergency needs and offering assistance. Field teams in all countries where Doctors Without Borders is present, including Somalia and Kenya, are also investigating damage from the disaster.
People wanting to donate to Doctors Without Borders can do so at the organization's Web site at www.doctorswithoutborders.org or by calling (888) 392-0392.
"It's needed," Torgeson said. "If it happened here, we'd need a lot of help. These people need help from us."
smoyers@semissourian.com
335-6611, extension 137
WANT TO HELP?
The following are among the aid agencies accepting contributions for those affected by the earthquake and tsunamis in Asia. Contact the individual group for information on how to send donations.
American Jewish World Service
45 West 36th St.
New York, N.Y. 10018-7904
(800) 889-7146
American Red Cross
International Response Fund
P.O. Box 37243
Washington, D.C. 20013
Or the local Red Cross chapter
2430 Myra
Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63703
(800) 435-7669
CARE USA
151 Ellis Street NE
Atlanta, Ga. 30303
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(800) 422-7385
Catholic Relief Services
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, Md. 21203-7090
(800) 736-3467
Direct Relief International
27 South La Patera Lane
Santa Barbara, Calif. 93117
(805) 964-4767
Doctors Without Borders
P.O. Box 2247
New York, N.Y. 10116-2247
(888) 392-0392
International Orthodox Christian Charities
P.O. Box 630225
Baltimore, Md. 21263-0225
(877) 803-4622
International Medical Corps
11500 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 506
Los Angeles, Calif. 90064
(800) 481-4462
Oxfam America
26 West St.
Boston, Mass. 02111-1206
(800) 776-9326
Mercy Corps
P.O. Box 2669
Portland, Ore. 97208
(888) 256-1900
Operation USA
8320 Melrose Ave., Suite 200
Los Angles, Calif. 90069
(800) 678-7255
SOURCE: Associated Press
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