The death toll has risen to more than 100,000 in the dozen or more countries hit by the devastating tsunami that swept ashore from the Indian Ocean on 26 December. Rotarians around the world have responded to this tragedy with an outpouring of condolences and offers of support to the victims of the disaster.  Visit site

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said it had started distributing food to Somali survivors of the deadly tsunami wave that struck the country's Indian Ocean coast at the weekend, as the death toll climbed to 132.  Visit site

The Indonesian forestry ministry is ready to send volunteers to Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam to help the victims of a natural disaster which had killed over 30,000 people.  Visit site

The Red Cross disaster call centre in Wellington has opened for the first time in five years to field calls from thousands of people in New Zealand with friends and family caught up in the tsunami tragedy. Volunteers manning 14 emergency lines have already received 2000 calls.  Visit site

Along with emergency supplies and logistics experts, Australia has sent volunteers to areas devastated by the Asian tsunami. Australian Red Cross acting secretary-general Dale Cleaver says it will send additional volunteers over the next few days.  Visit site

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in South Asia mobilized staff and volunteers to affected areas immediately to assist with the recovery needs. Emergency assessment and first-aid teams reached some of the affected areas the day of the tragedy.  Visit site

The health coordinator of Doctors Without Frontiers of Brazil, Mauro Nunes, said that the NGO is sending volunteer teams from various countries to the affected regions. He said the Brazilian volunteers from the organization are prepared to assist the victims.   Visit site

Where the government and aid agencies are slow to get off the mark, others are stepping in. Baseer, Jehan and Priyam are among a group of young Colombo residents who have driven to Galle with truckloads of supplies. They are members of the Road Track club, a junior wing of the Rotary Club. "We've seen the images on television and heard that people here needed help. So we came down," says Jehan, a brand manager with Nestlé.  Visit site

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, in coordination with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Offices and the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), is deploying volunteers in several South Asian countries to help governments, NGOs and other UN agencies provide relief to thousands of people who have lost their homes and family members in the tsunamis of 26 December.  Read article

Volunteers with the Salvation Army Damariscotta Region Human Services Unit have initiated a fund-raising drive to deliver desperately needed chlorine tablets to victims of the tsunami affecting southeast Asia and eastern Africa, where the death toll is estimated at over 60,000.  Visit site