The death toll for the 26 December earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia stands at 22,000 in up to 10 countries already (as of 27 December), and is likely to double before this disaster, one of the worst in recent history, runs its course. Floods struck as far away as Somalia, on Africa's eastern coast. America has dispatched relief teams, and is preparing a $15 million aid package to start with; Australia has offered $10 million and the European Union has pledged $4 million. For the latest information on the current situation or information on how to help if you can, check the following sites:
Donate to the American Red Cross at Amazon.com!
USAID fact sheet
USAID: How to Help
CIDI situation reports
CIDI: How to Help
American Red Cross: How to Help
Mercy Corps report
Mercy Corps: How to Help
Save the Children: How to Help
Reuters' AlertNet: South Asia Quake and Tsunamis
For more, see the Christian Science Monitor's list of relief agencies working in the disaster area.
And of course (you must have known this was coming):
The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog
News and information about resources, aid, donations and volunteer efforts
UPDATE (28 Dec 04): The death toll now stands at 40,000, bypassing the tsunami caused by the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. An estimated 36,000 people were killed in that disaster.
UPDATE (29 Dec 04): The toll now stands at 77,000 human deaths. Athough this isn't the worst natural disaster in my lifetime -- I believe that "honor" goes to a 1976 earthquake in Tangshan, China in which 242,000 people died -- it's certainly the worst I want to see.
