Dear Rotarians

The devastation in the region due to the massive earthquake is real bad, certainly not an understatement by any measure. I think the District should not remain idle and not do anything.

If we cannot count on the District Disaster Relief fund to offer any help, at least willing Rotarians who could offer any help in their personal capacity should be encouraged to lead in any relief efforts in any manner.

We have a rookie Rotarian Edmund, of Rotary Eclub 3310, offering his warehouse facilities as a collection centre to jump start any relief effort in the District.

 His address:Astrans Singapore Pte Ltd, 14-A Benoi Sector, Singapore 629486  (Tel: 62622577, Mobile: 02 96317749)
C/o Rtn Edmund Chew - edmund@astrans.com.sg

As a Rotarian, I willing to assist Rotarian Edmund to initiate the work straight away and start the collection. We can get help as we go along as to how we will channel these collection of food, old clothing, medicine, etc to the victims later.

We had the experience of the Philippines Relief work recently; we should be able to do this task likewise in this tragedy.

As to the fund collection, I am inviting Rotarian Perlita to help and coordinate, if she is willing and could get the approval from her club.

This is a meaningful and worthwhile project. Let us not wait. What are your comments, please. Thank you.

Regards

PP Dr Ho

Rotary Volunteers

Hi there

I believe that it is appropriate for DG Dr Ivor Thevathasan to give us some directions on the latest Disaster Relief Effort from the devastating effects of the tidal waves that strucked on 26 December 2004. 

Unlike Philippines, Rotary eClub of 3310 has a working partner in Rotary Club of Loyola Heights, District 3780. In this case, we do not.  

Perhaps, another Rotary Club in Singapore with a working relationship with a Rotary Club in Sri Lanka can act as the main co-ordinator for District 3310.  

Our eClub New Generations Director, Rtn Edmund Chew, shall continue to make his warehouse available as the collection centre for this Disaster Relief Effort for District 3310.

CP Chew Ban Seng
Rotary eClub of 3310

Press release

UNICEF calls for aid to tsunami-struck countries

Sri Lanka and Indonesia have greatest needs – water, medicine, shelter urgent

© UNICEFKerala/India/Jeemon Jacob

Seven year old Kasturi and her brother Jithu in the rehabilitation camp opened by the governement authorities in Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district of Kerala

With millions of people affected in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Maldives, and other countries, UNICEF and other UN agencies have been working with governments to assess pressing priorities and provide immediate assistance.  Sri Lanka and Indonesia are likely to have the greatest need for humanitarian support, UNICEF said.

“Hundreds of thousands of people fought to survive the tsunamis on Sunday.  Now we need to help them survive the aftermath,” said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy.  “We’re concerned about providing safe water, which is urgent in all these countries, and about preventing the spread of disease.  For children, the next few days will be the most critical.”

In Sri Lanka, UNICEF has already responded to government request for shelter supplies, providing more than 30,000 blankets and sleeping mats as well as t-shirts and other articles of clothing from local emergency stocks.  A relief flight from Copenhagen will take off to Colombo on Tuesday carrying 45 tonnes of supplies.  It will be carrying oral rehydration salts for sick children, medical supplies sufficient to serve 150,000 people for three months, shelter equipment such as tents and blankets, and other urgent relief items.  UNICEF Sri Lanka expects to issue an appeal for some $6 million to help meet urgent needs for Sri Lanka’s children.  Half of  Sri Lanka’s 25 districts were directly affected by the tsunamis.

UNICEF’s Ted Chaiban in Sri Lanka also said landmines are posing a new risk to Sri Lankans, and to relief efforts.  “Mines were floated by the floods and washed out of known mine fields, so now we don’t know where they are and the warning signs on mined areas have been swept away or destroyed,” he said, speaking from the UNICEF office in Colombo.  “The greatest danger to civilians will come when they begin to return to their homes, not knowing where the mines are,” Chaiban added.

In India, UNICEF is supporting relief efforts led by the state and local authorities as well as the national government.  In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, UNICEF is providing hundreds of thousands of water purification tablets, 1600 community water tanks (500 litres each), 200,000 sachets of oral rehydration salts, medical supplies sufficient to serve 30 health centers, and 30,000 blankets. 

Other Indian states affected by the tsunamis report no need for additional assistance at this time, although there are serious concerns for the Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar.  These two island chains lie close to the epicentre of the quake, and communication has not been reliably established.

“Safe drinking water is crucial at this juncture,” Bellamy said.  “Where the flooding was the worst local water supplies are contaminated and damaged.  Without safe water, people will start drinking from unclean sources, and that will lead to disease.  This is our number one concern at the moment.”

In Indonesia, UNICEF staff are part of a larger UN assessment team that has headed into Aceh province to identify urgent needs.  A UNICEF relief flight from the supply hub in Copenhagen is being loaded with medical supplies, nutritional supplies for children, water purification tablets and shelter equipment.  Communication with more remote parts of Aceh remains incomplete and a fuller picture of humanitarian needs is expected to emerge in the next 48 hours.

In the Maldives, which were hard hit by the tsunamis, UNICEF and UN sister agencies are working with the government to coordinate an international relief effort that will include the immediate provision of water purification supplies, food, clothing for children, shelter supplies, and other basics.  Communication with many of the outlying islands is still sketchy, and additional needs are expected once more is known.

In Thailand, Bangladesh, and Myanmar UNICEF is supporting government-led efforts to meet localized needs.  The impact of the disaster was not as widespread in these countries, although a more complete picture is still emerging. 

Swept from Their Parents’ Grasp

UNICEF has had reports from the hardest-hit countries of hundreds of children separated from their families amidst the chaos of the sudden floods.  UNICEF is still trying to assess the extent of this problem and will be working with governments and other relief organizations to ensure a system for identifying separated children and relocating their families and communities.

UNICEF has long-established offices in every affected country staffed by experts who live and work there throughout the year.  A UNICEF appeal to help meet the needs of children affected by the region-wide disaster is expect within 48 hours. 

“Time is of the essence right now,” Bellamy said.  “There are a lot of people along thousands of miles of coastline that had their homes, livelihoods, and lives laid to ruin.  They need our help now.”

*  *  *  *
An video interview with Carol Bellamy is now available at http://www.thenewsmarket.com/

For interviews and other details from the ground, contact UNICEF press officers:

In Sri Lanka: Martin Dawes + 977 985 10 40961, GMT +6 hours
In the Maldives: Binita Shah + 977 985 107 4260, GMT +5 hours
In India: Corrine Woods + 91 981 86 49088, GMT +5:30 hours
In Indonesia: John Budd + 62 811 936 437, GMT + 7 hours
In Bangkok: Shantha Bloemen + 66 1 906 0813, GMT +7 hours
In Geneva: Damien Personnaz + 41 22 909 5716, GMT +1 hour
At NY Headquarters: Simon Ingram + 1 212 326 -7426, GMT - 5 hours

For nearly 60 years UNICEF has been the world’s leader for children, working on the ground in 158 countries to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.  The world’s largest provider of vaccines for poor countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, quality basic education for all boys and girls, access to clean water and sanitation, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.  UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of governments, businesses, foundations and individuals, and through our National Committees for UNICEF we sell greeting cards and other products that help advance humanity.

WHO Press Release http://www.who.int/hac/en/

Health Action in Crises

South Asia Earthquake and Tsunami
A series of earthquakes with epicentres off the Northern Sumatra (Aceh) and resultant tsunamis have hit Southeast Asia caused serious damage and loss of life. The first strongest quake, at 0058 hours GMT had the magnitude of 8.9 on the Richter Scale, followed by a second severe quake (0421 GMT). Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, India and Thailand have been affected, and also Malaysia, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The tsunamis seem also to have caused large scale damage to infrastructures destroying health facilities, etc. Besides the need for mass management of casualties in hospitals, WHO foresees the urgent need for reactivation and boosting the capacities of local systems for health care delivery. At short term, in a few days, additional threats to human life can be expected to arise from contaminated water sources. Strong coordination will be needed to make the most of local and national efforts and international good will.
Full text

Emergency alert: 27 December 2004 [pdf 139kb]

Flooding and communicable diseases - Fact sheet [pdf 174kb]

Natural disaster profile: Tsunamis

Natural disasters profile: Earthquake

In Natural Disasters, Cadavers Pose No Threat of Disease

More information on South Asia earthquake and tsunamis

Hello,

I have been trying to form a contact overseas to get my district in New Jersey in USA to help in relief effort. I have a contact for a cargo crate to be shipped to which ever country I can make a contact in.

I would personally love to come over and help but feel this is probably not realistic right now. Please let me know what is most needed and then put me in contact with someone so we can make arrangements to get
whatever we can over to help. Please. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

Ileane Frank, PHF
Assistant District Governor
District 7470
West Orange New Jersey Rotary Club
USA