Tsunami Relief Efforts

Tuesday, 4 January 2005

Here's an email from Christy's organization (MUP) that is supporting her while she is living and teaching here with me in Thailand:

"Just a quick update on how things are over here:

Wednesday: We have been to all the major areas that was affected by the tsunamis on Phuket as well as off the island as far as Khao Lak in Phang Nga province. What we have seen is difficult to describe in words other than incredible, devastating, total disaster!! The Khao Lak area has been hit the hardest in my opinion. Bodies wrapped in sheets and blankets was lying waiting to be taken to the local temple area for cremation. As we were driving to Takua Pa to deliver some supplies the air was filled with the smell of decomposing flesh. Many tourists will be buried in the sea or cremated without their families even being aware of it. They are unrecognizably scarred and for health reasons these bodies need to be done away with.

The further we went the more I had a feeling of total helplessness, of immense compassion with all the people we would never even know but who has lost in some cases entire families. I can not even try to imagine how they are feeling inside.....

Back in Phuket we are trying to use our vehicles to bring food, water an clothes to those who has lost their houses and are stranded with nothing. This happens daily and slowly I come to realize that the future is going to be so very different from the past here in Phuket. Many families has lost their source of income, family members and their homes. How does one deal with such a loss? These people already had so little to go through life with.

We help family members who came to Phuket searching for their loved ones with arranging transport for them, translating questions and just try to encourage them to keep looking. I work specifically with two Swedish people who lost 9 people from their family. Today they went to Krabi and think they found one of the children of their group: a 2 year old girl, but she passed away already. They're also not exactly sure that is her and now need to do some testing of which I will get the detail tomorrow.

The local community really came forward and everybody is involved. My, and I am sure many others' only frustration lies in the fact that the volunteers are not organized better. We are ready to help in other ways too but we don't always know where to start or where to go. I don't s say this in a criticizing way but I do believe our efforts should be more coordinated and hope that soon we will be able to do just that.

Please pray for all the volunteers that are out there everyday risking their own lives to find and rescue others who are trapped or buried in the rubble."

Best regards,
Roelien

Roelien Muller
Director Asia Center Foundation (Patong Child Care Center)
http://by101fd.bay101.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=79F16540-1320-4EA4-8B2B-23716F7EC766&start=0&len=21411&src=&type=x&to=roelien@asiacenter.ac&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=3e12617215ef88a802df76a986653d63 tel: (076)321235 fax: (076)321235 mobile: 01-895 7016 ----------------