Quake toll at 120,000 as $500m is pledged

Financial Times ^ | 12/31/04 | Financial Times Reporters

[Pikamax]

Quake toll at 120,000 as $500m is pledged By Financial Times Reporters Published: December 31 2004 02:00 | Last updated: December 31 2004 02:00

Aid pledges for victims of the Asian tsunami disaster topped more than $500m (£261m) yesterday as the official death toll passed 120,000.

Aid groups reported receiving donations on an unprecedented scale, with large sums pledged over the internet. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies created a website to handle the volume of donations for its €53m (£38m) initial appeal. The Disasters Emergency Committee, an umbrella for UK charities, said it received more than £22m yesterday from over 500,000 people.

This was coupled with government pledges of aid and possible future debt relief. Kofi Annan, United Nations secretary-general, said more than $500m had been pledged by governments and public agencies; the World Bank said it would make $250m available.

Jacques Chirac, French president, supported a German call for debt relief for some of the affected countries. Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian premier, said the Group of Eight nations should discuss debt relief.

Mr Annan said the crisis was "so huge that no one agency or one country can deal with it alone". During a conference call with Colin Powell, US secretary of state, and Jim Wolfensohn, head of the World Bank, Mr Annan said officials agreed that "we need to co-ordinate our efforts and pool our efforts to have maximum impact on the crisis".

But though he said he was satisfied with the response so far, Mr Annan warned that the disaster would demand attention over the long term.

He also responded to criticism - from, among others, Clare Short, former international development secretary - of President George W. Bush's announcement that the US, Japan, India and Australia would co-ordinate international relief efforts.

"I think it is important that an initiative has been taken," Mr Annan said, adding that "the group will be in support of the efforts that the UN is leading".

Aid agencies said the priorities were to deliver water, sanitation and shelter to the 3m-5m people who had lost their homes. A prime concern was the risk of water-borne diseases such as dysentery as people crowded into makeshift accommodation.

The World Health Organisation said another concern would be the injured, whose numbers may be four times as high as the death toll. However, aid agencies highlighted the difficulties of delivering the aid and co-ordinating it. They said governments were making efforts at co-ordination, in part through the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Agencies were particularly concerned about Banda Aceh, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, near the epicentre of the earthquake, where an assessment of the damage had yet to be completed. Bottlenecks at the local level appeared to be stifling the flow of aid to Sumatra. Aid workers complained that the Indonesian military was slow in dispersing aid, while security prevented foreign workers from deploying outside the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, according to Michael Elmquist, a senior UN official.

[Darkwolf377]

I see that jerk from the UN has set the tone for all the reporting on this--How much MONEY is being promised, who's ahead in the money race at this moment? Forget the human tragedy, they're also ignoring the fact that assessments have to be made before any of the money issues even mean anything.

[GoBucks2002]

Juat out of curiousity, does anyone know how much John sKerry, Te-RAY-za, and the Leftwards' are giving? What about Bill and Shrillary?

[MisterRepublican]

The left has pledged 10 million units of rhetoric and equal amounts of sensitivity.

[shubi]

The money means everything to Annan. Get the picture?

[Jaded]

I wonder is Jacques including "debt relief" in his donation amount?

[expatguy]

That works out to just over US4000 per dead person. Too bad that the aid agencies will spend the money they collect elsewhere.

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

[monkeywrench]

"Mr Annan said the crisis was "so huge that no one agency or one country can deal with it alone". During a conference call with Colin Powell, US secretary of state, and Jim Wolfensohn, head of the World Bank, Mr Annan said officials agreed that "we need to co-ordinate our efforts and pool our efforts to have maximum impact on the crisis".

But though he said he was satisfied with the response so far, Mr Annan warned that the disaster would demand attention over the long term."

So, kofi got state dept. and the thieves at world bank to agree to "pool" our rescources? I don't think so. In the Book of Proverbs it says not to. He's also doing his long term planning, here. Oil for food redux?

"Agencies were particularly concerned about Banda Aceh,"

Ah,yes, jihad country.

[Cobra64]

Mr Annan said officials agreed that "we need to co-ordinate our efforts and pool our efforts to have maximum impact on the crisis".

I stopped reading at this point. Would someone take this guy out? Where's Clark and Chavez when ya need 'em?

[rwfromkansas]

now 150,000 dead

And Aceh has stopped counting the dead because there are too many.

No doubt another 10-15,000 are dead there.

The final total, even if it does not reach it in "official numbers", likely is over 200,000 dead.

[BIGLOOK]

Kofi's mining for money. US assets are on site as we speak.

Survivors need food, shelter and meds right now or most will be dead in a week.