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Why Canadian assistance was needed—and how it is helping

On December 26, 2004 a powerful earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean.

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The earthquake caused huge waves to

form in all directions. These waves, called TSUNAMI, crashed into 13 countries around the world.

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Over 200,000 people died and many more were injured.

Millions of people lost their homes, jobs and entire villages.

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The world began to sendhelp immediately – and Canadians were among the most generous

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Over ONE MILLION kilograms of

relief supplies were shipped to help tsunami survivors.

That’s enough to fill 92 military planes or 44 tractor-trailer trucks!

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This help was possible because of Canadian donors!

Individuals, schools, businesses and governments generously gave

$360 millionto the Canadian Red Cross!

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School fundraising by students was a

big part of the effort—thousands of schools raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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WHAT IS THE RED CROSS ABOUT?

The Red Cross is worldwide.

There are international Red Cross organizations, and 183 countries

have either a Red Cross or Red Crescent Society.

Each one of them are dedicated to helping people when disaster or conflict causes suffering.

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PROGRESS MADE THROUGH CANADIAN DONATIONS:

People now have access to clean water.

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PROGRESS MADE THROUGH CANADIAN DONATIONS:

Some hospitals have been repaired and are able to provide medical care

Most survivors have moved from

temporary camps into strong, durable shelters.

They are safe, but they need houses, schools, businesses.

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Rebuilding will take up to 10 years.

WHY

SO

LONG?

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First, millions of tonnes of

debris covering large areas must be cleaned up.

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Materials are in short supply in some areas.

Roads, airports and harbours were destroyed. These had to be repaired before supplies could be trucked in.

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To build anywhere, you first have to know who owns the land?

The tsunamis washed many legal records out to sea.

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A lot of PLANNING is needed to rebuild villages the right way.

Planning must be done with the people who will live in the houses, go to the schools, and use the hospitals.

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Psychological support to deal with grief

Training and opportunities to help people make a living—maybe in a new way

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Other projects to help rebuild lives

• Volunteer locally

• Organize fundraisers

• Learn more about disaster relief and recovery

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How YOU can keep helping

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You can make a world of difference!