And half a world away, almost 10,000 are dead this morning

It’s been a wonderful Christmas for me and for my family. Half a world away, however, tsunamis have claimed the lives 9,500 or more of my fellow human beings.

The BBC News coverage seems to be the most elucidating, since it’s got a map for those of us who don’t know our southeast Asian geography. I’m not posting this so you can go rubberneck, though.

It’s possible that your local church, Red Cross, or Salvation Army chapter will be collecting donations for the half million newly homeless. These people were poor to begin with (at least by our materialistic Western standards), and many of the survivors have seen everything they own swept out to sea. If you have the opportunity to donate to them, please be generous.

–Howard

(EDIT: yes, yes, I know. The death-toll continues to climb. It’ll climb further, too, once Famine and Pestilence get down off their horses and into the mix.)

6 thoughts on “And half a world away, almost 10,000 are dead this morning”

    1. Same here, Coffee, LJ…now trying to chase down some friends that are holidaying in Thailand.

      My father is a civil engineer in North Sumatra, I know that he will be part of the eventual reconstruction. Though I’m uncertain how the Achenese rebels will take the influx of Indonesia military|aid workers…I hope they dismiss their differences for the short term…

      1. I have a friend who works in Kulua Lumpur and sometimes has to travel to Phuket. However, his LJ says he’s on vacation with his girlfriend, visiting his parents in Borneo. At least I know he’s safe.

        Still horrible for those who were there…

        1. Yaa. Caught up with my friends, they flew out of Phuket just as it hit. They were oblivious to it all till they landed and received a barrage of phone calls.

  1. And the toll climbs…

    The headlines this morning show the death toll at 23,000. This is heartbreaking. I’m afraid to ask how many people are newly homeless. It’s got to be in the millions, though.

    –Howard

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