Field assessments indicate that Andaman-Nicobar Islands and Tamil Nadu (a Christian fishing community with many families and children) seem to be among the most severely affected areas in India, with estimates of over 3,000 people killed. In the city of Chennai 200 people are reported dead with hundreds more missing. Many other fishing villages and low-lying coastal communities were submerged by the waves. Initial reports of damage and deaths are certain to rise as more information continues to come in.

Salvation Army personnel are based in many of the devastated areas and from the outset Salvation Army teams have been in the forefront of offering aid and relief to the people caught up in this unexpected tragedy. Salvation Army volunteers have been feeding over 1,200 people in the Kanyakumari and Muttom areas and many Army facilities are being used to provide feeding sites and emergency shelter throughout the region. Teams of local Salvation Army assessment personnel have been dispatched to assist the government and other agencies in their efforts to determine what the most pressing needs of the affected communities are. Some staff made difficult and dangerous seven-hour journeys to reach the most badly affected areas.

The coverage of this disaster is widespread and at least ten countries have been impacted. The Emergency Services section at The Salvation Army's International Headquarters (IHQ) is coordinating the release of resources. A Salvation Army response team from the UK - headed by IHQ's Mike McKee and Cedric Hills - is flying out to assist our international colleagues later today (28th Dec).

In the midst of this almost unprecedented level of suffering, The Salvation Army is well placed to make a significant difference in the lives of many hurting people. Throughout the region, Salvation Army corps (community churches) and institutions are strategically located in many of the communities that have been hardest hit by the devastating waves.

India
The Salvation Army has set up mass feeding centres at its facilities in several locations. Salvation Army corps (community churches) and institutions are operating around the clock to provide shelter, food and clothing to families who consider themselves fortunate to be alive. But from the assessment teams still in the field it is becoming quite clear that much more remains to be done.

Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan government has put out an urgent plea for assistance. Clean drinking water, tents, food, clothing and medicines are all in short supply following the tragedy. Hospitals are being overrun by severely injured survivors and communities are struggling with the grim task of disposing of thousands of decaying, dead bodies. Senior government officials are publicly saying that they fear widespread disease if aid is not made available quickly.

Colonel Edward Daniel reports from Colombo, "We are concerned about people on the east coast and in the south especially. Our assessment team has already left Colombo to visit the southern coastal areas taking initial relief supplies of food items and water. Our emergency coordinator has requested that all Salvation Army centres in the coastal areas accommodate displaced people, provide them with cooked food and clothing, and offer counselling as necessary".