By Sara Israelsen
For Retna Lingam, the only things to do now are pray and wait.
Lingam, vice president and chief financial officer for UCCU bank in Provo, is from the central province of Sri Lanka. He follows the news for information about his country. But phone calls are better ? he?s waiting to hear about the condition of friends and relatives who are still unaccounted for after giant waves slammed into the southeast side of the island nation.
?Some of our friends, close friends, lost their relatives and still they are waiting to hear from some of their relatives,? said Lingam, husband and father of five. ?They are really saddened. A terrible thing happened to them and the country. It?s a beautiful country everything has been destroyed.?
Shock waves from the 8.9-magnitude earthquake centered off the coast of the Indonesian island Sumatra sent walls of water pounding onto shore, Dec. 26. Spreading like giant ripples, the waves became a tsunami that rolled through the open waters, hitting the coasts of India and Africa, as well as the Maldives islands in the Indian Ocean. The wall of water smashed into coastal cities, leaving behind a wake of destruction and a constantly climbing death toll ? close to 155,000 from almost a dozen countries.
Sumatra?s coastal province of Aceh, closet to the quake?s epicenter, was hit the hardest, leaving homes decimated with a reported loss of 80,000 lives. Sri Lanka was the second-hardest hit with reportedly more than 47,000 killed.
Although Lingam?s older sister, nephews and brothers-in-law are safe in the central part of the country, he said they are not immune from the crisis. The waiting and wondering keeps them busy, and they help where they can.
?For the time being,? he said, ?the people internally are taking care of each other.?
For those suffering on the coasts, Lingam said the most important provisions are clean drinking water, food and clothing. However, as conditions improve, other supplies will soon be needed.
Michelle Hudgins, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C., said when a crisis occurs, the first step is to contact that country?s federation or Red Cross society, to determine the needs and what headquarters can provide.
So far, by working with the Red Cross Societies of India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, as well as others, the Red Cross has contributed blankets, plastic tarps, hygiene kits and family kitchen sets, helping the people achieve some type of normalcy in their lives. However, logistics often make it impossible for packages to be delivered, making financial donations more helpful.
?To be honest, the needs and estimates are just beginning? Hudgins said. ?The damage and need estimates are just getting in, because was too unstable before. Right now, they?re just asking for money ? that?s the greatest need.?
Katrina Pope, Disaster Services Coordinator for the Mountain Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross said the best way people in Provo can help is through monetary contributions.
?Right now we?re just collecting financial donations,? she said. ?Our chapter is collecting them and sending them on to the Red Cross International Response Fund.?
She said the Red Cross isn?t anticipating any formal fundraising yet, because of the high level of spontaneous donors.
?People all over the world are just doing a fabulous job of donating,? she said.
To date, the United States government has promised $350 million in relief funds, with the possibility of more as the needs arise.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is also contributing to the relief effort, through medical supplies, food, hygiene kits, body bags, money and volunteers. However, church leaders said even those continents away from the destruction can still be part of the relief effort.
?In the present circumstances, we urge our people to remember in their prayers those in the devastated areas and to contribute most generously in fast offerings, which will make it possible for the Church to increase its aid to those whose suffering is so great,? the First Presidency said in a statement.
Even during clean-up efforts, preventative measures are being considered to help avoid a potential disaster in the future. Because for Lingam?s family and friends, their homes and their jobs have been destroyed because the majority of Sri Lanka?s southern coast is dedicated to tourism-type industries.
?Everybody?s talking about the warning system,? Lingam said. ?Some kind of tsunami warning system. I think this is a wake-up call for all the nations to do something about this.?
Donations can be made through the Red Cross by calling 1-800-HELP NOW or visiting www.redcross.org to make a secure online contribution.