Just off Sumatra apparently - causing massive tsunami waves devestating Burma, India, Thailand.  The biggest earthquake in the world in 40 years :(
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4125481.stm

How awful - it doesnt bear thinking about it. Those poor people. I was reading your link and it just didnt seem true - although unfortunately it is.
Gina

Oh no! I've just seen. 2500 dead so far in just two countries!

Had read the link earlier, but just seen on TV news. Horrific.

They are now saying 7000 dead but it's too early yet for it to be anything but guesses although the details when they become known are going to be terrible!

John

I was out there on holiday at this time of year 25 years ago - many of those areas are lowlying and will have been devastated. And it's hot, which is good for the survivors, but it means the dead are going to decompose very quickly. There'll be no fresh drinking water, so in a few days disease will strike. It's a terrible disaster. :(

I am unable to stop watching this, The devastation is beyond belief. Death toll over 8,000 including 10 in the Maldives, over 1500miles away.

Don't know whether this will post or not - my computer has gone sick for Christmas!

We are so worried - we have friends from Hong Kong (8 of them) who have gone to Phuket for Christmas - so far, our daughter has heard from 2 of them - apparently the other 6 were going diving - it may well be that they are safe, but there are reports of diving and swimming parties that are missing.   Communication is dire, but hopefully there will be good news by tomorrow.

Our daughter has a property in Sri Lanka, neare Unawanta - which is 10 mins away from Galle - we don't know what state that is in, but as she says, property can be rebuilt, people can't be replaced.   She knows that friends in Galle are safe, but the builders can't get to the property to see what condition it is in until they have dealt with the more important tasks of helping the living to repair their homes, and buried the dead - in Galle, apparently, this morning they were reporting 50 known, and heavens only knows how many missing.   This is such a poor area as well.

Remember these poor people in your prayers tonight.

Margot

I stayed in a hotel in Galle, and I remember the area well. These poor people will certainly be in my prayers, as well as those in Hambantota (the most beautiful village I've ever seen in my life) and all the others in the area.

Dreadful news i have 6 good friends in Phuket also on holiday,

We had a pretty worrying day yesterday as my uncle is in Thailand.
My dad couldn't remember if it was Phuket that he was staying.
Finally yesterday afternoon we got news that he was safe and well.
He was staying 10 miles from Phuket, his hotel has sustained earthquake damage
But he was definately one of the lucky ones.

My son's friend is working on the coast in India - he was talking to my son yesterday on MSN as it was happening - he is fine fortunately, but he reckoned that there were 100 dead in the town/village where he lives :( :(

Daisy

One of the people in Spanish her daughter was diving off Thailand, luckily she's phoned the early hours of this morning thank God.  What an awful tragedy!

I feel so sorry for the people there, because they must be dreading that there will be a repeat, if there are aftershocks :(

My sister-in-laws mother is on holiday there at the moment, nobody can contact her and we just don't know if she is ok or not. My sister-inlaw is in a right mess, keep fingers crossed that she is ok eh.

My sister is in Thailand :( we just recieved an email from her thank god !! She is fine but only because her boyfriend turned up to suprise her so they didnt go to the beach with friends!! ( they stayed in bed all day :) ) Her friends parents were hurt but cuts and bruises.
She had someone watching over her. She said that everyone one is trying to keep good spirits but she is so grateful for staying safe.
My hearts go out to the families that have lost friends and family xxx

I am going out to Sri Lanka in the next few days with a team to do an assessment and organise aid - our member society there has been devastated with one good friend killed by the Tsumani and others still missing - the building where their headquarters was is totally demolished. As well as the horrific death toll (as many as 50000 they estimate) there are thousands of animals whose deaths will add to the spread of desease if rescue is not organised SOON for them. We are working with all the big Charities to make the most effective use of available personnel and resources.

Is there a relief fund people can donate to?

I think you can donate via Save the children-http://www.savethechildren.org/news

Times online have a page for making donations too.

The Times today have a photograph of  tourists bodies washed up on a beach,  a horrific reminder that this tragedy effects every one, even isolated tribes that have no contact wit civilisation have been devastated.

A good excuse to miss the sales this year and donate to people who really need our help :(

You can donate via the Disasters Emergency Committee which is the umbrella organisation for all the aid agencies in the UK-the members are listed on their homepage but include The Red Cross, Oxfam, Save The Children etc.  Please give generously-the latest reports indicate at least 80000 have died and this is sure to rise further still.

The above is the main fund. You can make payments at all high street banks and the Post Office.

The Royal Mail has set up a special PO Box number which will make sure that donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee arrive speedily:

DEC Tsunami Earthquake Appeal
PO Box 999
London
EC3A 3AA

Make cheques payable to: DEC tsunami earthquake appeal

Also, Oxfam will be collecting donations in its shops, and is appealing for unwanted Christmas presents to be given to the shops which can in turn be sold to raise more money for the aid effort.

Please give generously.

Just tried to give a donation online but they are having problems, so called them on 0870 60 60 900 and i got through
made my donation.

Heidi

Hello all, and Trevor take care.

A lad I work with James his Mom and Dad were in Thailand for a celebatory holiday.
His Mom is flying home today Thursday with only her clothes she stands up in. James and his older brother are going to fetch her  his Dad who has just been given the all clear following his chemotheraphy for cancer (hence the holiday) is still missing. There is no information on him at all he was last seen by his wife when he went to get her a cup of ice tea, moments before the wave struck. He has not been seen since.

Also a lady we work with Shiromani is from Sri-lanka her
parents-in- law are okay but shaken, although they live in the south of the island they were pulled clear by their son in law, and 2 grandsons But lost their three granddaughters and two daughters, and many other relatives. Their other two sons have not been seen since though.

Shiromani's lost her mother 6 months ago and sadly her father has not been seen since the wave hit. He is 82 years old and walks with a stick he was last seen walking hand in hand with his three year old great granddaughter neither have been seen since.

This disaster has come close to home to me.

Hello

I am Trevors wife Yvonne - he is in Sumatra with others from WSPA's s disaster relief team. He tells me that the situation is appalling simply because of the sheer scale. Most of the animals caught up in this have been livestock who could  not escape because of being confined - many of the dogs and cats fled the coast  BEFORE the earthquake struck - (could we not use this sense to predict other earthquakes ?) Of course they are now coming back into the towns and trying to scavange through hunger - thus adding to the spread of disease. the loss of life is horrendous over 120,000 and still growing daily - many families have been wiped out. WSPA is working with the other main animal charities ( IFAW, WWF, Brook Hospital, Animals International) to try and rescue what livestock they can so those who rely on their livestock for their livelihood will have some means to carry on afterwards - they will also be trying to capture and contain the many  dogs who have also lost their families and are scavanging on the bodies in order to try and survive.

Those of us who live in this 'safe' part of the world must surely do all we can to help.

May 2005 bring comfort and hope to all.

Yvonne
.

HI YVONNE
just a quck post do you or husband know joy lenney that work and use to work for wspa,she was a very good friend to one of mine ,which i lost contact when she move,it a guessing name and it a different subject to the post above,i just wander if  joy still works for them.

terri

Hi Teri

We have just been out for dinner with Joy over the Christmas break - she has taken early retirement from WSPA and now lives in Huntingdon - she is a very good friend of ours and in fact was responsible for persuading Trevor to come to WSPA in the first place :D - (  at the time he was the Chief Exec of Pro dogs after Leslie Scott-Ordish died).

She told us that she was thinking of accepting a few Judging appointment again so you may see her round the Gordon Setter rings in the future ( do you have Gordons ?)

I will send on your best wishes to Joy when I next speak to her

she will know me as terri durrant with copper my gorden setter breeded by lorriane granger/brown,lorriane move to aussie but i lost her telephone and address,just wandering if joy got lorriane contact number or has she move back to the uk.
no i only got 5 flatcoated retrievers and a spainish water dog, my wispa was name aftre  wspa beacuse joy got me and lorriane a judging appiontment out in turkey,
i give you my email address glenturret@btopenworld.com or 01252310267,

say hello to joy for me and tell her i was up at wood green on monday at a dog show.
regards

terri

It's a small world :)

Yvonne, glad to hear Trevor managed to get out there, i know he was waiting around in London for a while. It's so hard to watch some of the terrible pictures on the news of what happened and the results of the tsunami...we had friends on holiday in the region as we thought, and were worried, but it turns out they were quite safe after all as they were not near to where the tsunami hit.

Re the animals leaving the area, i had heard that the wildlife areas near to the tsunami were free of dead animals and that they did all seem to have made tracks as fast as they could away from the area as you say... some sixth sense...

Hope Trevor manages to keep well and to keep strong with all the devastation around him. It affects me badly just watching it on the TV. I hope 2005 brings better times for everybody in the areas the tsunami struck.

Lindsay
X

I'm astounded by how many people I know who had family and friends over there.

The hospital that I work at is wanting blankets, tents etc. so i will be running around next week seeing what I can get, don't know when people will be going out with it though.  It's brilliant how so many people can come together and help in a way that most of the world has done.  What a terrible disaster though.

Well Tesco have been collecting since the disaster struck and ive been sitting at work watching people putting £10 notes in. At least the rest of the world is pulling together to help re-build the lives as best we can by offering financial support.

I donated again today in Sainsbury's, as well as online.

Even my daughter put in what was left of her Christmas money. She told me that these people needed her money more than she did :)

My sister is fine, her and her boyfriend have hired 2 cars so that they can drive people to and from the hospitals, to find reletives and to visit the injured. She said she had only seen the local news until 2 days ago, then she watched cnn and it really hit home the scale of it. She is sooo very grateful to be alive and would like to ask you all to prayer for those that have missing family or friends, and also for those that have lost their lives.

Just found out a dear friend of mine has not managed to contact her son who is backpacking there :(

Oh no Mattie :( I hope your friends son gets in contact with his Mum soon. I can't imagine what she's going through :(

Me neither :(

The whole situation is terrible my heart goes out to whom have lost memebers of their families,friends and loved ones
the bbc do have a webbie for this the address is http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4137317.stm
they also have another one of people who sadly have passed on and have not been identified that addie is www.tsunamithailand.com
i really hope your friends son is alive and well
best wishes
Mandy