Brunei's Response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster

[Tsu]

That is an excellent site, Sis. Did you see the animation link at the bottom of the page??!? FASCINATING! Here it is if you missed it:
(it takes a while to load, even with DSL, but well worth it)

http://staff.aist.go.jp/kenji.satake/animation.gif

Looks like Moni may have taken a little hit, too!

 

[kaos]

Thanx for the links.Im confused about the magnitudes.There seems to be many types of magnitudes.So this quake is 9.0 on what reasoning or calculation?

 

[Evo]

That is an excellent site, Sis. Did you see the animation link at the bottom of the page??!? FASCINATING! Here it is if you missed it:
(it takes a while to load, even with DSL, but well worth it)

http://staff.aist.go.jp/kenji.satake/animation.gif

Looks like Moni may have taken a little hit, too!

Thank Marcus for the link!

kaos, earthquake severity ratings are based on the Richter Scale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_scale

 

[omicron]

Wonder why didn't I feel a tremor (always feel a few every year)?
Ps Does anyone know if saint got hit? From the animation, Penang looked like it got hit.

 

[Astronuc]

Areas in Thailand got hit by tsunami as well, and I suspect that Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as India and Sri Lanka got hit as well.

Got a friend with some family on vacation off coast of Thailand - one family member is missing - but then lots of others are missing or dead, too.

There has been a lot of volcanic and seismic activity on the Pacific Ring of Fire (remember St. Helens?) since earlier this year. The just a few days ago an earthquake ~1500 km (930 mi *) southeast of Tasmania, Australia, and now this earthquake at 8.9-9.0 on Richter scale.

All of a sudden there is a lot going on - the question is if this is a trend or surge above normal levels.

* I find many different estimates of the distance in the media

 

[Astronuc]

Adding to what Evo posted from USGS -

A previous earthquake was in the same area 2 years ago - in this area called the Sumatran subduction zone - http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/poster/2002/20021102.html

"The earthquake (November 2, 2002) occurred as a result of thrust-faulting on the boundary between the subducting Australian plate and the overriding Sunda block of the Eurasian plate. In the region of the epicenter, the Australian plate is moving about 6 cm/year in a northerly direction against the Eurasian plate. The direction of relative plate motion is oblique to the northwest trend of the plate boundary. Earthquakes such as that of November 2 accommodate the component of plate-motion that is perpendicular to the trend of the plate boundary. The component of plate-motion that is parallel to the trend of the plate boundary is mostly accommodated by strike-slip faulting in the interior of the island of Sumatra. The largest thrust-fault earthquakes in the Sumatran subduction zone in the last two centuries were that of 1833, which had a magnitude of 8.8-9.2, and that of 1861, which had a magnitude of 8.3-8.5."

==================================================

From Knight-Ridder News (Dec 26, 2004)

For decades, scientists say, tiny islands off the west coast of Sumatra have been sinking - an ominous sign that strain was building toward Sunday's great earthquake, which set off tidal waves that killed thousands of people.

Researchers don't yet know exactly what happened. But if previous giant quakes in the region are any guide, the one Sunday would have suddenly pushed up the ocean bottom by a yard or two, raising a bulge of water on the surface that rippled out in all directions.

The resulting waves, or tsunamis, would have been only a foot or so tall as they raced across the ocean at 500 to 600 mph.

==================================================

Dec. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The death toll rose to at least 12,300 after the world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years, off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, unleashed waves that flooded coastal towns from Thailand to India.

Yesterday's magnitude 9.0 quake, the fourth-largest in the world since 1900, caused waves as high as 10 meters (33 feet) to strike tourist resorts in Thailand, Malaysia and the Maldives. At least 4,448 people were killed in Indonesia, Agence France-Presse said, citing officials. Sri Lanka declared a state of disaster as about 4,300 were killed on the island.

"All round the numbers are going to rise for a couple of days,'' said Megan Chisholm, senior emergencies officer at CARE Australia, an aid organization with staff in most of the affected countries. "I don't think we'll really know the full extent of the damage for a couple of days yet, until access to all places is achieved.''

Freak waves may flood coastal cities in India for the next two days, said A.K. Shukla, head of the Indian Meteorological Department. As many as 200,000 may have lost their homes in Sri Lanka, President Chandrika Kumaratunga said.

"The power of this earthquake, and its huge geographical reach, are just staggering,'' said Carol Bellamy, executive director for the UN Children's Fund, in a statement. "Hundreds of thousands of children in coastal communities in six countries may be in serious jeopardy.''

In India at least 3,223 people are dead following the freak waves that hit the country's south coast, according to updated death tolls reported by the Press Trust of India. Unicef and other United Nations agencies are working with countries and are ready to respond where help is needed.

 

[Moonbear]

This is really sad news. The most recent news I read, the death toll was up to 16,000. Recon and Kluesner, I'm glad you're both okay and were able to check in and let us know that. That is so sad seeing all those children dead. This is also the peak vacation season, so according to the story I read on it, the beaches were also pretty packed with European travelers in addition to the local residents.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

There are now reports that as many as 30,000 people may be dead. What a terrible, terrible tragedy.

 

[footprints]

I wonder how may PFers live in Asia besides Kluesner, omicron, Recon & Saint.

 

[tumor]

SAINT lives in Bruneii, I guess waves did not get him.But who knows what might happen next over there.
P.S.
Bruneii is on the other side of Indonesian islands by the way.

 

[klusener]

Klusener, where are you located? How strong was the quake at your location?

Right at the brunt of the tsunami, in chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.. right near Marina beach, when i went to the beach, there were bodies right along the shore..

 

[Monique]

Chennai? I hope Karthik is Ok..

 

[klusener]

I don't want to beg for donations or anything.. but please help the following relief organizations, they are the ones who will be the most effective in helping the 14,500 people dead in both sri lanka and india..

Indian Red Cross society

address:
Indian Red Cross Society, TNB,
No.50, Montieth Road, Egmore, Chennai-8, Chennai, Tamil nadu - 600 008
Ph: 8554425

or the..

Prime Minister of India Relief Fund -

The cheque or draft should be addressed to the Prime Minister's national relief fund and should be sent to the Prime Minister's office, South block, New Delhi.

 

[klusener]

what would be great is if the whole PF joins together and creates a trust or organization of some sort, i am sure Greg is capable of doing this and PF helps all the countries affected by this and the families of the 21,000 and climbing death toll..

 

[klusener]

I don't want to beg for donations or anything.. but please help the following relief organizations, they are the ones who will be the most effective in helping the 14,500 people dead in both sri lanka and india..

Indian Red Cross society

address:
Indian Red Cross Society, TNB,
No.50, Montieth Road, Egmore, Chennai-8, Chennai, Tamil nadu - 600 008
Ph: 8554425

or the..

Prime Minister of India Relief Fund -

The cheque or draft should be addressed to the Prime Minister's national relief fund and should be sent to the Prime Minister's office, South block, New Delhi.

Update: our local red cross is accepting clothes and food, since they need to provide immediate access to the victims, even this would be better than money...

 

[Monique]

Chennai? I hope Karthik is Ok..

He's ok :shy: he says the earthquake hit at 6.45 and the tsunami hit at 8.30.. traveling at 800 km/h :

 

[klusener]

who is karthik and does he still come here?

 

[Monique]

karthik3k is his username here at PF, he's studying bioinformatics

 

[Kerrie]

Update: our local red cross is accepting clothes and food, since they need to provide immediate access to the victims, even this would be better than money...

I can put a package together for clothing for children...seeing the pictures of the children breaks my heart.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

klusener, I don't know how much news you are getting but help is rushing in from all over the world. This promises to be one of the largest disaster relief efforts in history. Tell your friends and families that we all know what has happened and help is coming.

PF has no financial resources to pull from but we do have over 15,000 members. Hopefully many will be able to help.

 

[klusener]

thanks guys, when i visited the red cross in chennai this evening, they were looking for many volunteers and clothes, it seems they specifically they wanted sheets and things like that.. i will try to get more info...

 

[matthyaouw]

Could anyone answer this for me- I live in the UK, so any cheque i write to the indian red cross would be in Pounds, rather than Rupees. If I were to send a cheque, would there be some stupid amount to pay to the bank for converting it into the appropriate currency, and if yes, is there any way for me to avoid this charge? I would hate to see any percentage of any donation I send fall into the hands of a money making corporation, rather than those in need.

 

[Moonbear]

I would expect you could write the check to your local red cross and specify it is for disaster relief for the tsunami. I have no doubt Red Cross organizations from many countries are mobilizing to help out there. The money will help not just for them to purchase the supplies, but to get them transported to the countries that need them.

I don't know how Saint would be doing, but I don't think Malaysia had very many casualties compared to other countries in the area. It seemed more like Sumatra took the brunt of it on that side of the quake from the maps I've seen with casualty reports.

This is one of those things where there will be plenty of international help.

 

[Astronuc]

Currency conversion is unavoidable (donor or recipient would have to pay) unless the recipient can establish an overseas account in the country of teh donor. One might want to find some Singhalese or Indians who send money back to their respective contries and find out how they do that. Otherwise it is best to find a bank that charges a minimal fee (usually a few %).

To avoid currency conversion, one could send relief supplies, but then one must pay transportation fees.

 

[tumor]

I would think twice before sending any money to Indian or Sri lankan government relief agencies , one cent out of your 100$ might get to the victims, rest will get sucked into the famous Indian bureaucracy.

 

[Monique]

First I would look whether the government of your own country has opened accounts to which money is donated, they have done so here.

And don't forget that 1 USD = 44 and 1 EUR = 60 Rupees, little money will go far.

 

[Monique]

all the suffering, so sad

 

[klusener]

Could anyone answer this for me- I live in the UK, so any cheque i write to the indian red cross would be in Pounds, rather than Rupees. If I were to send a cheque, would there be some stupid amount to pay to the bank for converting it into the appropriate currency, and if yes, is there any way for me to avoid this charge? I would hate to see any percentage of any donation I send fall into the hands of a money making corporation, rather than those in need.

Sorry, but i don't know about people living in the UK, but for the people living in the US, there is an organization in the US called Aid India which was primarily made for NRIs, that sends money that they collect to India..

Who We are...

Association for India's Development, Inc. (AID) is a voluntary non-profit organization committed to promoting sustainable, equitable and just development in India, by working with grassroots organizations and movements in India. AID supports and initiates efforts in various interconnected spheres such as education, livelihoods, natural resources, health, women's empowerment and social justice.

AID, Inc. is registered with the US Federal Government as a non-profit charitable corporation under the category 501(C)(3). Its federal Tax-ID is 04-3652609. Since September 2003, AID has started operating as an incorporated organization, whereas AID was earlier registered as an unincorporated association with a different Tax ID. AID accounts are audited by an independent Certified Public Accountant, as per IRS regulations. Documents and information pertaining to AID will be provided on request, or can be obtained from the Secretary of State for the cost of copies and postage.

www.aidindia.org

 

[klusener]

I would think twice before sending any money to Indian or Sri lankan government relief agencies , one cent out of your 100$ might get to the victims, rest will get sucked into the famous Indian bureaucracy.

When the Gujarat earthquake struck, millions of people, especially Indians all over the world, wanted to help. The only way they could do so was by sending money; only, they did not know whom to send the money to.

Would the money be spent in the right manner? Would it help the victims? Or would it be siphoned away?

These were among the many questions that tortured would-be donors. Some e-mailed their friends in India asking for advice. Others asked Indian web sites what they should do. Many called their contacts in India for names of NGOs that they could trust.

Unfortunately, not too many people in India knew the answers.

Vishwa Bandhu Gupta, additional income tax, Delhi, found many friends asking him which organisation could be relied upon to handle contributions for quake relief.

As an income tax officer, he knew of many trusts that came up overnight after a calamity, collected huge sums of money, did precious little to help the victims, then simply disappeared. Finally, after much thought, he told his friends their best bet was the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

Says former prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral: "The management of the PM's National Relief Fund is above board. The fund is regularly audited and its credibility cannot be doubted. Till today, I have not heard of anyone complaining about the way it is run."

Soon after Partition, scores of Indians sent money to then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. It was their way to help the nation tide over the difficult time. Nehru opened an account at the Janpath branch of the Central Bank of India and called it the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

Since this was not a government fund -- it is funded entirely by donations -- a private auditor was appointed. The fund, it was decided, would provide immediate relief to people in distress, particularly those affected by natural calamity. Senior officers at the Prime Minister's Office look after the operations of the fund on a day-to-day basis.

After the super-cyclone that devastated coastal Orissa in October 1999, more than Rs 1,000 million flowed into the Prime Minister's Relief Fund. Post the killer quake that struck Gujarat on January 26, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee appealed to the nation: "We cannot leave the people of Gujarat to the mercy of fate or the cruelty of the vagaries of nature. They all need our help to tide over the calamity that has fallen upon them, to survive, to rebuild their lives."

In the days that followed, Rs 2,300 million flowed into the fund in the form of cheques, drafts and cash. Within 24 hours of the quake, the PMO dispatched Rs 100 million to the Gujarat government as immediate relief. They also sent Rs 50 million to the army, which would be used to help survivors and their families.

In the days that followed, Rs 650 million was dispatched to the state government. More money will be allocated, depending on the state government's requests and the assessment of various projects that NGOs are preparing for the quake-affected areas.

The well-known Self-Employed Women's Association has been short listed for a grant from the fund to help its artisan members. The Voluntary Health Association's projects in Gujarat are also being considered by the PMO; the VHA did excellent work rehabilitating fishermen in Orissa.

A major project that will be funded by the fund is a hospital with over 400 beds in Bhuj, exactly where the district hospital once stood. It will cost around Rs 700 million.

Remembers a PMO official: "An aged man walked in and gave us one month's pension. He was from the lower middle class and did not want his name advertised. There have been scores of anonymous callers since the quake. Some school children gave contributions from their pocket money. It feels great to see such faith and spirit."

Faith is the word.

Two individuals, who sent in cheques after the quake, wrote in, demanding that it be returned. They were doubtful if the money would be properly utilised and reach the victims. The PMO promptly returned the money.

There are many who send in their wills to the PM's fund, gifting their entire wealth and property. Often, their relatives contest these wills. The PMO does not contest this; officials say they do not want to get into controversy.

During the Kargil war, an 84-year-old man gifted his deceased wife's jewellery, all his property and wealth to the PM's fund. Vajpayee was so touched that he met the donor personally.

Numerous children then parceled their piggy banks to the fund.

After the Gujarat quake, banks like the Central Bank of India, State Bank of India, Syndicate Bank and other nationalised banks were authorised to collect money on behalf of the fund.

Every week, the banks send in a bunch of cheques, to be processed at the PMO. Receipts are then sent to individual donors.

An official at the PMO admitted it has taken time to send donor receipts after the quake as the response has been overwhelming, the paperwork enormous. Postmen were drafted to open the envelopes as the PMO staff found it impossible to handle the mail that poured in by the hour.

Soon after the quake, the PMO got an average of around 5,000 cheques daily, with amounts ranging from a hundred rupees to millions. In the last two months, the PMO has got over 50,000 cheques and drafts.

All contributions to the fund are exempt from income tax. Other funds only offer 50 per cent tax exemption.

Kargil brought in Rs 5,000 million to the fund. It was the highest-ever collection since Independence. But the war was a special reason.

Television pictures of wounded soldiers, Bofors guns booming on India's borders, coffins coming home and other horrific images brought the war into the living rooms of India. The cheques came in hordes. The entire collection was given to the National Defence Fund.

The contributions were used to treat the wounded, pay compensation to the families of those killed and rehabilitate maimed soldiers. Some funds were used to help jawans injured in other operations and relocate residents of border villages affected by the conflict.

How does the PMO ensure that the funds given to a state are properly utilised?

The PMO relies on an utilisation certificate of the funds from the state government. In the case of NGOs, it asks for periodic reports of how the funds have been used and whether the goals have been achieved.

The fund is at the sole discretion of the prime minister who can also give money to deserving individuals. It could be an aged artist who lives in penury and cannot pay his hospital bills; it could be a villager who needs life saving drugs or an operation. This is decided on basis of an application asking for financial help.

The applications are processed by the PMO; then amounts ranging between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 are granted. The PM can, of course, grant more than these amounts in special cases. This is usually granted to very poor people who have to furnish their income certificate with the application.

For the first time, the government allowed 100 per cent tax relief to all contributions made to any organisation working for the quake victims. The only condition: that the money be spent by September 2001 and the expense accounts submitted by 2002.

This was fine in spirit.

"But it has created all kinds of audit problems for the income tax authorities," says Gupta. "Anybody," he said, "can create a fund or trust claiming to work for the Gujarat victims. Thousands of such funds and organisations are now around. It will be impossible for the income tax authorities to monitor what happened to the money, and if it was spent for the purpose it was collected."

Adds Gupta: "Scores of individuals, television channels, newspapers, NGOs and unknown organisations collected money for the quake victims. All of them may have glorious intentions, but it is difficult for any donor to figure out who the good ones are, who are sincere. Even if a minor abuse takes place, the whole spirit will be lost."

The income tax authorities have found cases of individuals who set up various trusts under different names and addresses. Points out Gupta: "When such a calamity strikes and thousands of trusts and individuals handle relief money, it becomes impossible to check every detail. There are enough cases of abuse in the income tax records."

As such doubts persist, the Gujarat high court recently passed orders that any district judge can now act as an ombudsman to receive complaints about misuse of relief supplies or money. The court was acting on a public interest litigation filed by former Gujarat high court chief justice B J Dewan and activist Kartikeya Sarabhai.

In many ways, it was a landmark judgment, making the government accountable. The court said the state government should submit all accounts relating to quake relief.

With his ringside view as an income tax officer, Gupta says states often divert relief funds to other projects.

Points out Mihir Bhatt, director, Disaster Mitigation Institute in Ahmedabad: "Most state governments use relief money to pay salaries. That is why they cannot quickly respond to a calamity. Later, CAG reports detail the misuse, but since the report comes long after the disaster, it is too late."

Vasu Malepati, a doctor from Pittsburgh, was in Bhuj recently to help the injured. He came with four suitcases of medicines. One of his patients had given him a box of sweaters and $ 5,000. But he decided he would not give this to any organisation, but would personally ensure that each dollar worth of material reached the needy.

His wife Durga, a pediatrician, wanted to come to Bhuj with him, but could not. So she asked him to spend the money that would be spent on her ticket on the relief operations. Said Dr Malepati: "I want to carefully choose where to spend the money. I will set up something with it and not give any contributions in cash." There is good reason for Dr Malepati not to do so. He recently gave money to start a library for a school in Andhra Pradesh. The library never came up.

Nobody knows how much money has come to Gujarat.

There is a need for transparency.

The people's trust need to be restored, and the only way to do this is to be completely transparent, says Gupta.

Even after reading this, if you choose to believe tumor's post, please go ahead, it is not my job to convert you, i just want to give you the information to help you decide...

 

[klusener]

As the last few paragraphs suggest, tumor is not entirely incorrect, when calamities such as this happen, lots of agencies and organizations open up and if you donate to those without information about them, it is highly likely that the money won't reach them..

the Prime Minister Relief Fund is not a gov. fund, it is run by the Prime Minister's Office which is entirely trustable, after you donate, if you want your money back, they will send it right back to you..

 

[klusener]

http://pmindia.nic.in/fundreliefbody.htm

this is the link to their site...

With what i have researched, i would say this is the best bet for people from UK, because if you send to the fund in pounds, they will do the conversions themselves..

for the people living in the US..



Checks/Money Orders should be drawn in favor of "Prime Minister's National Relief Fund" can be sent to anyone of the following addresses:

Prime Minister's National Relief Fund
Embassy of India
Attn: Head of Chancery
2107 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008

Donors can also wire transfer to "Prime Minister's National Relief Fund" account that has been set up by the Embassy.

Prime Minister's National Relief Fund
Riggs Bank
1913 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036
Account Number - 08115910
Route Number - 054000030

(OR)

State Bank of India
460, Park Avenue, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10022
Tel: 212-521 3200
Fax: 212-521 3364

State Bank of India
2001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: 202-223-5579

(OR)

Prime Minister's National Relief Fund
Prime Minister's Office
South Block, New Delhi 110011
India

 

[klusener]

For Anyone wanting to donate, I would personally favor the Prime Minister's Relief Fund over the Aid India org, because again i will refer to the article, i have not seen their work in action in my state, but i have seen the work of the PM's Fund and the PM's Fund also sends their money to other countries. they have already sent some of their donations to Sri Lanka and the Maldives..

 

[tribdog]

and you probably can't go wrong with the Red Cross. Plus an organization as big as the Red Cross has offices in lots of countries and deals with tons of different currencies. I'd bet they can probably exchange currencies at a better rate than you could yourself. I'd say donate in your country's currency at a Red Cross in your country and they will take care of the rest.

 

[Astronuc]

CARE is another major relief organization with a good reputation.

http://www.careusa.org/newsroom/pressreleases/2004/dec/20041227_asiaquake.asp

Also, CARE has chapters in many countries, some of which are found on the main homepage - http://www.care.org/

 

[klusener]

it doesn't matter about money, i am sure many are donating all over the world, but just remember to pay for the 23000 dead.. I know this is getting attention in the media, yet the media seems to predominantly concentrate on the tourists rather than the natives who are the ones who are affected majorly, in most of the articles that i have read, they usually start out with "Huge casualties including 3 Canadians, etc..." and things like that...