Folks,
The great news is that Marcus and his family are ok, if some of you read the post in the "General" section, I was temporarily concerned. Please see below, his latest correspondence:
Hello all,
As you are well aware by now, the extent of the disaster caused by the
tsunami in Sri Lanka is simply overwhelming. The counted death toll from
what is now being called “9.0/2004” is officially 23,211 as of this morning,
and rising every day. Additionally, anyone who has seen news clips of this
disaster can well imagine the possibility of the large number of uncounted
and missing who have been washed away…
Unfortunately, of equal and possibly greater importance is the 1 million who
are now homeless and without shelter. The human toll and grief is
unfathomable, with parts of most villages on the southern and eastern
coastlines wiped out completely. So many have lost everything but for the
clothes they were wearing at the time of the disaster. Roads, railroads and
the communication infrastructure are severely damaged and this obviously
impedes relief efforts. Many of the survivors and the displaced are in
numerous relief shelters dispersed throughout the affected areas. The living
conditions in the shelters are barely adequate.
Chandrika, Marcus, and I are trying our best to help out in every way we
can. Chandrika and I along with few local physicians treated over 400
patients at two shelters. Unfortunately we did not have basic equipment and
routine medications to do an adequate job. We are organizing more trips
over the next few days to deliver essential supplies, such as footwear,
soap, and sleeping mats. The first thing we noticed when visiting the
affected areas is that almost none of the homeless had shoes to wear. Also,
soap and disinfectant is vitally important to ward off the dangers of
dysentery and other possible infections. Finally, we would like to provide
something other than the hard ground on which the homeless and affected may sleep. Many of our family and friends have asked us to help deliver relief
supplies on their behalf and have sent or pledged funds.
To make this process easier, we are taking a number of steps to make sure
the efforts will be continued after we leave Sri Lanka, by a responsible
group so that all continuing and future donations will reach the needy.
Marcus has set up a Paypal account to be used specifically for receiving
pledges and purchasing supplies for donation. A future website will also
include pictures and videos to give potential donors an intimate look at the
aftermath of destruction and the understanding of the amount of relief aid
needed, both in Sri Lanka and other surrounding nations.
If you are interested in contributing to this effort, please respond to
[email protected], or make a Paypal donation to the same e-mail
address with your instructions. You may also visit the future website at
www.srilanka-relief.org for more information.
Thank you
Gamini, Chandrika and Marcus Soori
The great news is that Marcus and his family are ok, if some of you read the post in the "General" section, I was temporarily concerned. Please see below, his latest correspondence:
Hello all,
As you are well aware by now, the extent of the disaster caused by the
tsunami in Sri Lanka is simply overwhelming. The counted death toll from
what is now being called “9.0/2004” is officially 23,211 as of this morning,
and rising every day. Additionally, anyone who has seen news clips of this
disaster can well imagine the possibility of the large number of uncounted
and missing who have been washed away…
Unfortunately, of equal and possibly greater importance is the 1 million who
are now homeless and without shelter. The human toll and grief is
unfathomable, with parts of most villages on the southern and eastern
coastlines wiped out completely. So many have lost everything but for the
clothes they were wearing at the time of the disaster. Roads, railroads and
the communication infrastructure are severely damaged and this obviously
impedes relief efforts. Many of the survivors and the displaced are in
numerous relief shelters dispersed throughout the affected areas. The living
conditions in the shelters are barely adequate.
Chandrika, Marcus, and I are trying our best to help out in every way we
can. Chandrika and I along with few local physicians treated over 400
patients at two shelters. Unfortunately we did not have basic equipment and
routine medications to do an adequate job. We are organizing more trips
over the next few days to deliver essential supplies, such as footwear,
soap, and sleeping mats. The first thing we noticed when visiting the
affected areas is that almost none of the homeless had shoes to wear. Also,
soap and disinfectant is vitally important to ward off the dangers of
dysentery and other possible infections. Finally, we would like to provide
something other than the hard ground on which the homeless and affected may sleep. Many of our family and friends have asked us to help deliver relief
supplies on their behalf and have sent or pledged funds.
To make this process easier, we are taking a number of steps to make sure
the efforts will be continued after we leave Sri Lanka, by a responsible
group so that all continuing and future donations will reach the needy.
Marcus has set up a Paypal account to be used specifically for receiving
pledges and purchasing supplies for donation. A future website will also
include pictures and videos to give potential donors an intimate look at the
aftermath of destruction and the understanding of the amount of relief aid
needed, both in Sri Lanka and other surrounding nations.
If you are interested in contributing to this effort, please respond to
[email protected], or make a Paypal donation to the same e-mail
address with your instructions. You may also visit the future website at
www.srilanka-relief.org for more information.
Thank you
Gamini, Chandrika and Marcus Soori
