A man driving his car as a makeshift ambulance to bring people to a hospital, miles away even while suffering from the shock of losing his own family members.

A shop keeper offering anything remaining on the shelves of his shop of the survivors of the tragedy.

Both unsung heroes of the tsunami tragedy doing what they can to help their country and its people out of the deep hole that that the killer wave created. People like them need the help and support of all of us. Even as they watch their families and livelihoods being washed away by the tons of water the tsunami brought, they selflessly donated THEMSELVES to the cause. Not just throwing money around and thinking that money will solve ALL the problems. Wake up. It won't.

What is needed in the countries devastated by the tsunami? Clothes, food, medicine, transport vehicles like trucks and helicopters and they also need people like medical professionals to help care for the sick and dying in the jam-packed hospitals. The money will only help once everything is cleared up and the recovery process is underway. Right now, in the clear up process, the money will do no help.

Large countries like Germany and the US are contemplating cutting the debts that some of the affected countries owe in the hope that the money will be used for helping the victims. But this is merely a token gesture. The debts that countries like Indonesia owe amounts up to 81 billion dollars and reliving some of that debt will not really help the country except maybe in the long term. But they need help NOW!! Now "later", not "in a while" and definitely not "another time".

"NOW!"

CONFIRMED DEATH TOLL
Thursday, 30 December, 2004, 07:31 GMT

Indonesia: 45,268
Sri Lanka: 22,493
India: 6,974
Thailand: 1,829
Somalia: 100
Burma: 90
Maldives: 67
Malaysia: 65
Tanzania: 10
Seychelles: 3
Bangladesh: 2
Kenya: 1

The scale of the tsunami that the earthquake caused can be seen on the toll. Countries in Africa have suffered casualties along with the South East Asian nations. Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya just three of the affected African nations.

And the death toll continues to rise. The tsunami itself has claimed so many lives but the aftereffects of the tsunami are just as deadly. Water-borne diseases threaten the survivors and the corpses of the dead being washed up even now are decayed and can spread other diseases.

"The dead ones are the lucky ones", said an ex-policeman from Sri Lanka. Some may be inclined to agree. The tremendous task of rebuilding the nation falls to the survivors of the tragedy.

Had it not been Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, the casualties may have amounted to even more. The beaches were relatively empty as compared to a normal day at most of the seaside resorts that line the coastlines of the affected regions.

76,902. That is the currently the total number of people the tsunami has claimed.
God rest their souls.