Tsunami Relief Groups

I served in the Peace Corps in Thailand during 1975-77, the last year was spent in the south, and my job took me to Phuket (prounced "poo-ket" with an accent on the final syllable) one week every month. My first week was spent on Batong beach, which was hit very hard by the tidal wave. Back in '77 there were no big resort hotels, and the wave would have wiped out a few bamboo bungalows.

Times have changed. Apparently people drowned in their hotel rooms. Tourism is the main industry on the island, and employs thousands of Thai workers.

A tsunami alert system would probably not have helped - there was only about an hour between the time the earthquake hit and the tsunami reaching Batong Beach. Phuket just does not have the resources to shift that many people that quickly. Neither does San Francisco, come to think of it.

And I'm sure it's even worse in Sri Lanka and India, which do not have the kind of infrastructure a wel--established tourist place like Phuket has.

Nobody expects a tidal wave.

Update: Phuket.com's Hotel Status Page lists which hotels are open, closed, partially functioning.

I'm posting this list of aid agencies, for those who wish to help.


From: Carolyn Nickels <carolynnickels@earthlink.net>
To: Friends of Thailand


Dear Friend of Thailand,


There is not a lot to say. Though many of you may already have this
information, following is a partial list of organizations involved with
relief efforts resulting from Sunday's catastrophe in South and Southeast
Asia. Toll-free numbers and/or web sites where donations can be made are
included.



Action Against Hunger
www.aah-usa.org


America Jewish World Service
NY, NY
800.889.7146
www.ajws.org


American Friends Service Committee
Philadelphia, PA
www.afsc,org


Catholic Relief Services
Baltimore, MD
800.736.3467
www.catholicrelief.org


Direct Relief International
Santa Barbara, CA
www.directrelief.org


Doctors Without Borders
NY, NY
888.392.0392
www.doctorswithoutborders.org


International Medical Corps
Santa Monica, CA
800.481.4462
www.imcworldwide.org


International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Geneva, Switzerland
www.ifrc.org


International Orthodox Christian Charities
Baltimore, MD
www.iocc.org


Lutheran World Relief
Baltimore, MD
800.597.5972
www.lwr.org


MAP International
Brunswick, GA
800.225.8550
www.map.org


Mercy Corps
Portland, OR
800.852.2100
www.mercycorps.org


Northwest Medical Teams
Portland, OR
www.nwmedicalteams.org


Operation USA
Los Angeles, CA
800.678.7255
www.opusa.org


Relief International
Los Angeles, CA
800.572.3332
www.ri.org


Save the Children Asia Earthquake/Tidal Wave Relief Fund
Westport, CT
800.728.3843
www.savethechildren.org


Tamil Rehabilitation Organization
Cumberland, MD
www.trousa.org


US Fund for UNICEF
NY, NY
800.367.5437
www.unicefusa.org


World Concern
Seattle, WA
800.755.5022
www.worldconcern.org


World Relief
Baltimore, MD
www.wr.org


World Vision
Tacoma, WA
888.562.4453
www.worldvision.org

Futile Gestures Dept.

Received this from a cousin in Florida. A futile gesture, to be sure, but so was the anti-Vietnam War movement at first.

Not One Damn Dime Day - Jan 20, 2005

Since our religious leaders will not speak out against the war in Iraq, since our political leaders don't have the moral courage to oppose it, Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 is "Not One Damn Dime Day” in America.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all forms of consumer spending.

During "Not One Damn Dime Day" please don't spend money. Not one damn dime for gasoline. Not one damn dime for necessities or for impulse purchases. Not one damn dime for nothing for 24 hours.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day," please boycott Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target.

Please don't go to the mall or the local convenience store. Please don't buy any fast food (or any groceries at all for that matter).

For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut the retail economy down.

The object is simple. Remind the people in power that the war in Iraq is immoral and illegal; that they are responsible for starting it and that it is their responsibility to stop it.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is to remind them, too, that they work for the people of the United States of America, not for the international corporations and K Street lobbyists who represent the corporations and funnel cash into American politics.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is about supporting the troops. The politicians put the troops in harm's way.

Now 1,200 brave young Americans and (some estimate) 100,000 Iraqis have died. The politicians owe our troops a plan - a way to come home.

There's no rally to attend. No marching to do. No left or right wing agenda to rant about. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" you take action by doing nothing.

You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed.

For 24 hours, nothing gets spent, not one damn dime, to remind our religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq and give America back to the people.

Deja Wave

How's this for zero degrees of separation:

In his first book, Dr. Arthur C. Clarke wrote about a tidal wave sweeping through Sri Lanka's Galle harbour. That's where this last wave hit. Sir Arthur has been living in Sri Lanka for a long time now, and was even their minister of communications for a time. He survived the tsunami, but some of his staff may not have:

http://www.clarkefoundation.org/