Tsunami-stricken Indonesia has escaped major disease outbreaks so far but hundreds of thousands of people are at high risk due to poor conditions in refugee camps, the World Health Organization said Monday.
Health officials have feared epidemics since the Dec. 26 disaster that may have killed 230,000 people in Aceh province and left hundreds of thousands homeless, forcing them to live in makeshift outdoor camps with poor sanitation.
"It's too soon to declare any sort of victory, there's still plenty of threat and we have to be careful because the situation is still precarious," said Bob Dietz, the WHO spokesman in Aceh.
United Nations officials credited a swift response to the tsunami disaster with preventing epidemics that some feared could cause a second wave of death after the tsunami, in which nearly 300,000 people died or disappeared around the Indian Ocean region.
Read the Full Article at Yahoo News
Read the WHO's latest Situation Report
From our comments:
A group of us have been organizing relief work for Sri Lanka, providing scientific information (including cited in Wiki) at http://www.recoverlanka.net & http://www.geolanka.net
I have just returned from affected areas in Sri Lanka and you shall find details of this at
http://lareef.blogspot.com. Having seen, the importance of direct assistance to those who were affected and neglected, I can recommend several grass roots groups to receive funds for specific projects - see http://lareef.blogspot.com for details of the groups - we shall arrange to have all funds disbursed directly for relief or to support relief.
A group of us have been organizing relief work for Sri Lanka, providing scientific information (including cited in Wiki) at http://www.recoverlanka.net & http://www.geolanka.net
I have just returned from affected areas in Sri Lanka and you shall find details of this at
http://lareef.blogspot.com. Having seen, the importance of direct assistance to those who were affected and neglected, I can recommend several grass roots groups to receive funds for specific projects - see http://lareef.blogspot.com for details of the groups - we shall arrange to have all funds disbursed directly for relief or to support relief.
APA Artists 4 Tsunami Relief
APA Artists unite to raise funds for tsunami relief. Come out for a night of music and words and join our efforts to raise funds for tsunami relief.
THURS, FEB 3, 7PM
Locus Arts @ Galeria de la Raza
2857 24th St. @ Bryant
San Francisco
Suggested Donation:
$10 and up (as much as you want!)
All proceeds benefit tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Co-presented by Locus, EKTA, Galeria De La Raza, Dhamaal, Kearny Street Workshop, Bindlestiff Studio, Asian American Theater Company, manja.org, Asian Improv aRts, Asia Society Northern California, and NAATA.
More info at
http://ektaonline.org/tsunami
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Featuring
RIFFAT SULTANA & PARTY
pakistani folk music
SHAILJA PATEL
spokenword performance
PARAG CHORDIA &
FERHAN QURESHI
hindustani classical music-
sarod and tabla
SCRABBEL
orchestral pop ensemble
GOLDA SUPANOVA and the COMIC BOOK HEROES
urban rock soul
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALL GROSS PROCEEDS BENEFIT RELIEF EFFORTS IN
INDONESIA AND SRI LANKA
We are working with the Global Greengrants' Funds to disburse all funds collected directly to the following community-based groups in the two hardest hit areas:
WALHI – Indonesian Forum for Environment (Indonesia)
KSKBA - Solidarity Coalition for Humane Disaster Relief (Indonesia)
Saviya Development Foundation (Sri Lanka)
Global Greengrants' Fund is a U.S. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and will match the first $25,000 donated to this special relief effort. 100 percent of Tsunami Fund donations will be sent to these relief efforts. http://www.greengrants.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please consider making a contribution even if you cannot attend!
Click below for more info:
http://ektaonline.org/tsunami/ngos
Note: Charitable donations made by January 31, 2005 to charities providing aid to tsunami victims can be taken as tax deductions on your 2004 tax return.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For further info, please visit
http://ektaonline.org/tsunami
APA Artists unite to raise funds for tsunami relief. Come out for a night of music and words and join our efforts to raise funds for tsunami relief.
THURS, FEB 3, 7PM
Locus Arts @ Galeria de la Raza
2857 24th St. @ Bryant
San Francisco
Suggested Donation:
$10 and up (as much as you want!)
All proceeds benefit tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Co-presented by Locus, EKTA, Galeria De La Raza, Dhamaal, Kearny Street Workshop, Bindlestiff Studio, Asian American Theater Company, manja.org, Asian Improv aRts, Asia Society Northern California, and NAATA.
More info at
http://ektaonline.org/tsunami
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Featuring
RIFFAT SULTANA & PARTY
pakistani folk music
SHAILJA PATEL
spokenword performance
PARAG CHORDIA &
FERHAN QURESHI
hindustani classical music-
sarod and tabla
SCRABBEL
orchestral pop ensemble
GOLDA SUPANOVA and the COMIC BOOK HEROES
urban rock soul
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALL GROSS PROCEEDS BENEFIT RELIEF EFFORTS IN
INDONESIA AND SRI LANKA
We are working with the Global Greengrants' Funds to disburse all funds collected directly to the following community-based groups in the two hardest hit areas:
WALHI – Indonesian Forum for Environment (Indonesia)
KSKBA - Solidarity Coalition for Humane Disaster Relief (Indonesia)
Saviya Development Foundation (Sri Lanka)
Global Greengrants' Fund is a U.S. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and will match the first $25,000 donated to this special relief effort. 100 percent of Tsunami Fund donations will be sent to these relief efforts. http://www.greengrants.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please consider making a contribution even if you cannot attend!
Click below for more info:
http://ektaonline.org/tsunami/ngos
Note: Charitable donations made by January 31, 2005 to charities providing aid to tsunami victims can be taken as tax deductions on your 2004 tax return.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For further info, please visit
http://ektaonline.org/tsunami
A New Team of Young Postgraduate Student Volunteers Moves to TN
A team of 11 students from Pune and a young lady doctor from Bangalore have reached Kovalam via Madras on 28th January for rehabilitation work. They are to work with AID India in the relief camp upto 5th February. The team comprises of ten postgraduate students from Karve Institute of Social Service, Pune and one from Indira School of Communication, Pune. This is one effort that can be truly called an'individuals'initiative as these enthusiasts are not enlisted by any organisation but for their sheer keenness have been linked up by a relief coordinator with NGO's in Pune and Madras to facilitate their orientation,travel and much required mission. The doctor in question has also been linked up with this team through e-mail and is now with them to provide her voluntary services. Feedback on the team's work would be put up here for the benefit of readers.
A team of 11 students from Pune and a young lady doctor from Bangalore have reached Kovalam via Madras on 28th January for rehabilitation work. They are to work with AID India in the relief camp upto 5th February. The team comprises of ten postgraduate students from Karve Institute of Social Service, Pune and one from Indira School of Communication, Pune. This is one effort that can be truly called an'individuals'initiative as these enthusiasts are not enlisted by any organisation but for their sheer keenness have been linked up by a relief coordinator with NGO's in Pune and Madras to facilitate their orientation,travel and much required mission. The doctor in question has also been linked up with this team through e-mail and is now with them to provide her voluntary services. Feedback on the team's work would be put up here for the benefit of readers.
Maitri's Report on Rehabilitation Work Undertaken
Taking people back to sea: The team based in Chennai has realised that the critical need for Tsunami victims is to rehabilitate them by consolidating their livelihoods systems. The priority therefore is to repair boats and engines, provide basic food support to some of the needy communities. MAITRI therefore calls this as the campaign of "Taking People Back to Sea".
Yesterday (as reported by Shirish Joshi) MAITRI finished repairing 18 engines and 25 boats in the village Vairakuppum. MAITRI volunteers will continue doing this work in two other villages in next couple of days, with the help of local mechanics who have long experience in this type of work. These boats are now ready to sail. One social worker having the experience of working after Latur Earthquake and is now a volunteer, is organising community meetings in Vairakuppum and Koraikuppum.
MAITRI's medical team is continuing its visits to three / four villages every day. These villages are mainly from Kanchipurum District.
Around 10th February, MAITRI will officially hand over the repaired boats to fisherworkers. Those volunteers who are inclined to visit them and talk to them around this time, should contact MAITRI immediately at jayuanil@vsnl.net
MAITRI's programme of a photo-exhibition and sharing of volunteers' experiences was organized in Pune on 26th January. It turned out to be very interactive and educating. One theme that emerged was the need to build the aspect of 'preparedness' within the MAITRI volunteers and develop further capacity of MAITRI volunteers to respond to any such emergency.
For any information on the above, you can also contact vmoorthy@rediffmail.com
Taking people back to sea: The team based in Chennai has realised that the critical need for Tsunami victims is to rehabilitate them by consolidating their livelihoods systems. The priority therefore is to repair boats and engines, provide basic food support to some of the needy communities. MAITRI therefore calls this as the campaign of "Taking People Back to Sea".
Yesterday (as reported by Shirish Joshi) MAITRI finished repairing 18 engines and 25 boats in the village Vairakuppum. MAITRI volunteers will continue doing this work in two other villages in next couple of days, with the help of local mechanics who have long experience in this type of work. These boats are now ready to sail. One social worker having the experience of working after Latur Earthquake and is now a volunteer, is organising community meetings in Vairakuppum and Koraikuppum.
MAITRI's medical team is continuing its visits to three / four villages every day. These villages are mainly from Kanchipurum District.
Around 10th February, MAITRI will officially hand over the repaired boats to fisherworkers. Those volunteers who are inclined to visit them and talk to them around this time, should contact MAITRI immediately at jayuanil@vsnl.net
MAITRI's programme of a photo-exhibition and sharing of volunteers' experiences was organized in Pune on 26th January. It turned out to be very interactive and educating. One theme that emerged was the need to build the aspect of 'preparedness' within the MAITRI volunteers and develop further capacity of MAITRI volunteers to respond to any such emergency.
For any information on the above, you can also contact vmoorthy@rediffmail.com
From Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com):
UK-based magazine What Digital Camera has joined forces with some of the top digital camera and equipment manufactures to run an online auction in support of the tsunami appeal. Simply visit www.whatdigitalcamera.com/auction before midnight on February 11th to place your bid for some great kit, at some great prices. Bid items include the award-winning Nikon D70, which has a starting bid of just £450 (approx $700) and the Pentax *ist D which has a starting bid of £500 (approx $778). Other items include a selection of software, printers and scanners all with a starting bid of half the RRP. *NB: Non-UK bidders may be subject to local taxes.
UK-based magazine What Digital Camera has joined forces with some of the top digital camera and equipment manufactures to run an online auction in support of the tsunami appeal. Simply visit www.whatdigitalcamera.com/auction before midnight on February 11th to place your bid for some great kit, at some great prices. Bid items include the award-winning Nikon D70, which has a starting bid of just £450 (approx $700) and the Pentax *ist D which has a starting bid of £500 (approx $778). Other items include a selection of software, printers and scanners all with a starting bid of half the RRP. *NB: Non-UK bidders may be subject to local taxes.
Delegates at a conference in Thailand decided Saturday to create several regional tsunami warning centers around southern Asia that would protect the area from killer waves, a U.N. official said.
The two-day meeting at tsunami-battered Phuket island had considered a Thai proposal to make a Bangkok-based disaster prevention center the hub of the Indian Ocean region but chose to have several centers after other nations objected.
"There will not be one regional center," said Margareta Wahlstrom, special envoy of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. She added that there are "a number of institutions" around the Indian Ocean that could serve as smaller regional centers.
Read the Full Article at Yahoo News
The two-day meeting at tsunami-battered Phuket island had considered a Thai proposal to make a Bangkok-based disaster prevention center the hub of the Indian Ocean region but chose to have several centers after other nations objected.
"There will not be one regional center," said Margareta Wahlstrom, special envoy of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. She added that there are "a number of institutions" around the Indian Ocean that could serve as smaller regional centers.
Read the Full Article at Yahoo News
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