<p>What I noticed, R, was that a Mr. Griffiths--an Australian (?) 20 year forestry conservationsist in Aceh Park Reserves(?)--took his tiny fixed wing plane up and down the devastated coast of Aceh and filmed the devastation. Then he passed the footage on to the media and voila--the gates to Aceh burst open.</p>
<p>AS for the PC of the 'foreign' coverage, Thai hospitality and custom increases that emphasis. </p>
<p>It's a minor point in the face of all of this.</p>
<p>I have also found it disheartening that the media seems to focus more on the blonde baby boy, the supermodel, and the US tourists than the hundreds of thousands of children who are struggling to survive - and will continue that struggle for many months (and probably years) to come.</p>
<p>I just got an email from David (mini) and they have made to south India. They are safe and so are our friends/family there. I hope to hear more soon but they are writing a blog, it is at shantinik.blogspot.com if you are interested.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting. I just came back from vacation. Will check on friends who have family in Madras. Is Mailapur affected?</p>
<p>Achat:
I don't think Mylapore was affected. I spoke to my mother yesterday in Madras - she said the water got just a couple of hundred meters inland. If you are familiar with Madras, it got past Marina Beach and the beach road, and as far as Queen Mary's College.</p>
<p>Thanks, optimizerdad. I have a friend with family there. I've been trying to reach his cell or his wife's but can't. I also know friends in Kerala. I wonder if Kerala was affected? </p>
<p>Glad to know your mother is ok, optimizerdad.</p>
<p>What did I miss here? Did Mini mention his website where one can donate? I see it has been edited out by the moderators. Help!! (I was on vacation with no access until now).</p>
<p>Achat, Click on mini's name and then go to his personal information. There is a link to his web site there where you can find the phone number.</p>
<p>Thanks, Carolyn.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone, we are fine. We were enroute to Bali at the time of the earthquake and werent directly affected; however, the indirect affects are profoundly unsettling. Everyone knows someone with a friend or family member who is dead or lost. On Bali there was an overwhelming sense of there but for the grace of God The blue skies, sandy beaches we didnt view the sea in the same way as we had before.</p>
<p>The phrase that keeps running through my mind is what Rudy Giuliani said just after 9/11: </p>
<p>``We don't have a count yet (on fatalities) and we really don't want to hazard a guess until some time later. When we get the final number, it will be more than we can bear."</p>
<p>My son is now on his way back to Williamstown, a 30 hour+ journey through time and space from tropical devastation to secure mountain village, a bewildering transition. He takes with him another episode in the heartache of Indonesia.</p>
<p>Momrath, glad your family is all right.</p>
<p>Jumping into this conversation a bit late...but grateful for all the news you all are posting. My brother and his family live in Jakarta. They were in Thailand when the earthquake/tsunami hit. They had been to the beaches a couple of days prior, but were in Bangkok visiting his wife's family there at the time of the tragedy. My brother will return to Jakarta Monday. The development project he manages immediately changes course. The project is now supplying $1 million worth of food, plastic sheeting for shelter, and generators for power to the Aceh province. He suspects he will travel there himself within the week. I'm sure our news from him will be spotty as he will be swallowed up in the work there, but I will let you know if I hear anything of substance.</p>
<p>God bless all who are helping with this terrible tragedy. My thoughts and prayers were with all of the victims and those who are now helping this New Year's. It has become my first choice charity this year. It hurts terribly to see so many who had so little now hit with this travesty.</p>
<p>Interesting read on minis website on how the deforestation of mangrove trees contributed to increased destruction.
Very uplifting to read of the care the Muslim community is taking to support what is left of the Hindu and Christian residents of their region including doing things against Muslim religion in order to bury the dead and feed the living.</p>
<p>The Achenese, relatively speaking, are more fundamentalist in their participation in Islam than other parts of Indonesia. Someone in the know told me yesterday that part of the problem with getting the situation in Aceh moving at this point is that the Achenese will not allow men to be buried with women, per Islamic belief. This is, sadly, only one of the significant issues at this point. Unfortunately, the cease fire has not held in entirety, though the problems are isolated. The major issues are lack of effective coordination and destroyed infrastructure- human and physical. Evidently the members of the governing body of Benda Aceh were all at the shore the morning of the Tsunami for some sort of a prayer vigil for another reason- and were swept away. </p>
<p>We have heard of several families affiliated with International schools in the region (it is a real network since people often move within the area, etc) affected by the tragedy. Missing children or children who have died. One thing about the resort communities affected is that it would have been the families with the young children already out at the beach in the early morning hours...IT will be one week since the Tsunami in 6 hours.</p>
<p>For those who haven't yet contributed because they are not sure what charity to contribute to, I found a note in the paper this morning about guidestar.org, which provides information on the many organizations involved in the tsunami relief effort. Hope everyone contributes to the best of his or her ability. It is heartbreaking to think about the emotional and physical agony that is being experienced.</p>
<p>Direct Relief (see earlier post from mom60) is one of the very best charities going. It was ranked in (I think) Forbes or Fortune Magazine's top 100 for efficiency.</p>
<p>They have strategic partners like shipping companies & airlines that donate space on flights, pharmaceutical companies that donate product that is nearing date limits. etc. Perhaps most importantly, they are very connected throughout the third world and know the local organizations that can best disseminate the donations, organizations that provide great care and are not corrupt. Their US staff is bare bones and does not make huge salaries. To donate call (805) 964-4767 and they can do over the phone or go to their website.</p>
<p>I have read that Direct Relief can do for $1 what would cost $31 if you attempted it individually or through a less well-run group.</p>
<p>I'm not trying to start a debate, but I have heard most so far in the news reports about oxfam and Save the Children providing aid.</p>
<p>This is the text of an e-mail we have sent to friends regarding donations- specific to Indonesia. </p>
<p>If you would like to make a donation the American-Indonesian Chamber of</p>
<p>Commerce has identified these three rescue agencies as worthy of your</p>
<p>donations.</p>
<p>Save The Children (<a href="http://www.savethechildren.org%5B/url%5D">www.savethechildren.org</a>)</p>
<p>Mercy Corps (<a href="http://www.mercycorps.org%5B/url%5D">www.mercycorps.org</a>)</p>
<p>Up Lift International (<a href="http://www.upliftinternational.org%5B/url%5D">www.upliftinternational.org</a>)</p>
<p>Tsunami Relief Fund just set up by the World Bank to channel contributions</p>
<p>to the International Red Cross</p>
<p>and Red Crescent, by clicking here <a href="http://egive.worldbank.org%5B/url%5D">http://egive.worldbank.org</a>.</p>
<p>Patient, one of the reasons you may not have heard about Direct Relief is because they partner with other agencies on the ground to get medical supplies to where they are needed most. I like that approach. </p>
<p>I was also impressed by a message from their director assuring that every dime donated for Tsunami relief will be spent on just that - they are keeping all Tsunami relief money separate from their general fund. They have also promised that they will not put any left over money into their general fund once immediate needs are satisfied. That is the only organization I have been able to find that expressly promises that. </p>
<p>For instance, the Red Cross does not guarantee that all donations sent for a specific crisis will be used for that crisis - I learned this during the Calif. Wild Fires when many donations earmarked for fire victims were put in the Red Cross's general fund and never used for fire relief.
<a href="http://www.directrelief.org%5B/url%5D">www.directrelief.org</a></p>