REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

The enormity of this disaster is becoming so great that it is starting to seem abstract. When one hundred people are killed in a train derailing or a landslide it seems like an awful tragedy. But what can be said of an event that kills 1000 times as many?

I am reminded of the cynical quote by Stalin:
"One death is a tragedy; a million is a statistic."

Death toll reaches 100,000

And this death toll continues to rise. There is nothing to be done now for the dead except collect their bodies and hopefully return them to their loved ones. Each of them has left behind mourning family and friends.

Most importantly right now there are perhaps 3 million people in need of immediate assistance. Some need water and food, some need shelter, some need medical care, some are in need of all of these things. The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami blog is the place for the most current information on what we can do to help.
  ¶ 12/30/2004 01:23:00 AM