The clock strikes twelve and the world embarks on another year, a year that has already been tainted for many. There is no celebration, no countdown, no singing of Auld Lang Syne for the victims of Southeast Asia, just the hope of survival for those who remain. Many of us Westerners watch the situation unfold from afar, listen to the radio to hear any new news or flick through the television stations, that feature the event, but I saw the experience in a different light.

Last week, the world sat back and watched one of the largest Tsunamis ever seen pour over the villages and towns of over six different countries killing more than 150,000 people, a number which seems to grow with magnitude every day. The countries worst hit are India, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Bangladesh, with smaller affects in Myanmar. The earths tectonic plates located in the Indian Ocean collided together causing an earthquake, which triggered into a Tsunami that washed away the islands and costal cites surrounding the countries. There still remains a fear of more earthquakes taking place due to the disruption of the subterranean activity.

The international community has yet to see such a large relief mission undertaking. Approximately 14 billion dollars is required for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the damaged areas. Many countries such as the US, Japan, China, Australia and the United Kingdom have donated substantial funds, but these contributions are only a stepping-stone towards a much larger undertaking. The UN’s Secretary General Koffi Annan reported yesterday that they met the two billion mark and the UN will most definitely play a leading role in the relief efforts. Unfortunately we are only one seventh of the way there financially. A core group led by the United States will cater to the needs of the countries affected. Yesterday Mr. Colin Powell ( U.S Secretary of State) visited Sumatra by helicopter to see what needed to be done in order to start the reconstruction of the area.
The world of sports has also made significant contributions. Recently racecar driver Michel Schumacher personally donated 10 million dollars to the relief fund, which is more then some donations by nation states alone. The Munich soccer team will donate all of its proceeds of a charity match to build an orphanage in India that they plan to fund and support for the next 20 years.
Many corporate firms have also stepped up to the plate and donated large sums such as Wal-Mart, Coca Cola, UBS of Switzerland… just to name a few. Some have criticized the corporate world for making these contributions to in order to boost public relations and deteriorate past images of some rather socially unconscious practices. Regardless good or bad, at the end of the day, intentions the money is needed.

Although we think that worst has already hit, we will be faced with a much larger situation within the up coming days and weeks. Indistinguishable bodies continue to float back on to shore everyday, making the death rise at an incomprehensible rate. Rescue teams and locals have returned to some of the destructed areas only to discover more casualties that lie under the rumble of the fallen buildings. No one really knows how many people have died because there are just so many unaccounted for number of people. Thousands of people have been displaced after their homes were destroyed by the power of the wave. Families were separated in the chaos of the initial flooding. The missing tolls continuously mount everyday and hospitals are flooded with unknown patients.

There is a huge concern for the children affected due to the large number of deceased and injured in devastated areas. The death count for children alone is approximately 50,000 stated by the UN. A large portion of the countries affected show that children make up one 1/3 of their population putting them at a greater risk then others. Approximately 600,000 children in Southern Thailand alone have been affected by the Tsunami. Many of those who did survive have been left without parents or a home to return to. “There are many children who have lost their parents. We need to make sure they receive shelter and care and support and try to get them reunited with their families as soon as possible,” said UNICEF Representative in Thailand Inese Zalitis as quoted by UNICEF representative. “Nearly 600,000 thousand children have been affected, both Thai children and children who are tourists.”
What makes the situation worse is that children are the most vulnerable in event such as this one. When the Tsunami hit, most of the children did not have the strength to hold to anything for the duration of the on coming currents.
“Kids can run but they were least able to withstand the flooding or hold on. So that is one of the reasons children have been particularly affected,” Carol Bellamy said.

Not only were they vulnerable in the initial impact but also with the threat of standing water and high risk of infectious diseases, children stand a minimal chance of survival.

Water contamination is one of the main threats to the current situation. Standing water allows for an easy flow of disease and infection, especially when the water still contains bodies of deceased victims. There is also worry about the contaminated water affecting the drinking water and water tables of many of these areas. Relief efforts are trying to provide these areas with water tablets to purify the water and to stop any further spread of contamination.

Unlike other average teenager, my New Years as well as my fellow classmates, was filled with toasts in memory of those lost, hope of finding those missing and giving thanks for our health. We were scheduled to visit the area of Krabi Beach in Thailand only a week after the Tsunami hit. If the Tsunami had hit a week later during the same time period, the NJC group would have been out in the water on a snorkeling boat, investigating the deepwater world. To think that we were one week short of losing our lives made us realize how fragile life really is.
Since the Tsunami has hit, our vacation has turned into a bittersweet adventure. Unable to physically help and reach the areas of devastation, we collected clothes and met with officials in Chaing Mai at the Red Cross. We also arranged for a blood drive to take place in search of the deeply needed blood type OH negative, unfortunately none of us were carriers. We feel so helpless and detached from the situation and worst of all we see the reality of the situation but the truth of the matter remains in the need of financial aid and donations. Many of us have sent emails home asking for family members and friends to make contributions to the relief effort.

We at Euphoric Youth ask you to take a step back from your everyday life and think about where your help is needed. As Westerners we have been blessed to not see any kind of natural disasters of such a magnitude, we are also fortunate enough to have the technological advances to for warn us of most dangers.

We have also been fortunate enough to be sheltered away from any incidents that result in mass casualty such as this one. On the grand scale of things and in comparison to an event that personally affect our area of the world, the events that took place on 9/11 killing over 5,000 people would have to be multiplied by 30 to equal to the amount of casualties accounted for in Southeast Asia. Now multiply your fear and anger by that same number, and ask your self if you can just sit back and do nothing?

This is one disaster that mankind did not create nor could prevent; it was out of our hands, but it’s future of recovery is.

By; Kyla Zanardi for EY 2005