"We had heard about tidal waves in the sea. The coastal area has turned into a graveyard. The landscape has changed in many areas forever." - Mr. Nathaniya in Andamans ||||| "I saw it, with my eyes. The land separated in two parts. People just died. It is still horrible to remember. I had never seen it before. Now I see it everyday, in fact at Car Nicobar no one has seen this behaviour of sea before. We are living with sea since ages here." - Johnson in Andamans. ||||| "Nobody knew what was coming. We just saw a wall of water coming towards us. We had no option. We ran towards forest. Those who managed survived, those who failed, went away with the seawater. Fortunately I survived with my family. The Indian Air Force rescued me after two days. I spent these two days in forest with my elder son. Now I received the news about my younger son who is only nine months and safe with my mother in law." -Estervelina in Andamans ||||| "We, here inside Chennai, are not much affected but our friends in the other rural parts are severely affected. We have collected more than 4000 pairs of clothes and have distributed 400 in three relief camps. Our neighbours received them with thanks. But NGOs came and there was flood of clothes. Neighbours do not want our clothes. We would be thankful if the remaining clothes can be distributed to the affected communities in the far off Nagapattinum or Cuddlore. May be they also have too many clothes." - Sundervardhani and Laxmi in Chennai |||||  
   
Key International Relief Efforts
 (December 27, 2004, 16.00 IST)
 
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Federation of International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in south Asia have begun to mobilize staff and volunteers to affected areas to assist with the immediate needs. Emergency assessment and first-aid teams have already reached some of the affected areas. Federation has launched a preliminary appeal for 7.5 million Swiss Francs to assist some 500,000 people and bring immediate support to relief operations of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries in the region. It will also send medical supplies for 100,000 people into Sri Lanka, the country hardest hit by the disaster, from Copenhagen, Denmark. Additionally medicines to treat up to 2,000 possible cases of diarrheal disease will also be part of the shipment. NGOs must contact local Red Cross to access this relief supply urgently.

European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO)
ECHO is mobilizing rapidly in response to the crisis triggered by the tidal waves in the Indian Ocean. EURO ($4 million) to cover vital initial needs has already been earmarked under the Commission's special primary emergency procedure to support the efforts of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Federation. Further substantial assistance is likely to be mobilized rapidly, once the scale of needs is more fully known.

United States Agency for International Development (US AID)
The White House said in a statement that The United States stands ready to offer all appropriate assistance to those nations most affected including Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Thailand, and Indonesia, as well as the other countries impacted.

UN Agencies
The U.N Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in Geneva it was making an emergency cash grant of $50,000 to Sri Lanka for relief work and sending an evaluation team to the island. UNICEF country offices circling the Indian Ocean are working with national and local governments and other UN agencies to assess the damage and mobilize immediate relief.

UK Department for International Development (DFID)
Britain sent two experts to join a UN crisis assessment teams and pledged $100,000 to fund a World Health Organisation crisis response team.

   
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