The Red Cross said relief for the devastating tsunami in South Asia, viewed as one of the worst natural disasters in a generation, was proportionate to the scope of the disaster. While this summer's hurricanes brought in $19 million to the organization over ten days, the response to the South Asia tragedy has brought in $18 million in just three days.
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The Internet is once again playing an integral role in
disaster relief as Web users from around the world
offer online donations to aid the victims of the
recent South Asia earthquake and tsunami.
Relief agencies have reported high traffic and
heavy support from their Internet sites, and companies
such as AOL and Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) , are offering users a chance to
help disaster victims through links on their Web
pages.
While there were reports of some site outages
because of the large number of users seeking ways to
help victims, it appears the support efforts online
are successfully responding to the
devastating events.
Red Cross
Red Cross spokesperson Carrie Martin told
TechNewsWorld that a spike in the group's Web site traffic
corresponded to a significant boost in support.
"We've had an amazing response," she said. "We've seen an
incredible influx [of Internet traffic]."
As of today, the Red Cross
had taken in US$18 million in pledged support.
"A lot of that is online giving, we know, because
it is instantaneous," Martin said. "We know what
people have given. The magnitude is really apparent as
people are reacting."
Support from the Web
For years, the Internet has served as a rallying point
for relief efforts, with agencies and organizations
increasingly utilizing the good will of those
fortunate enough to have access to technology.
After the September 11 terrorist attacks, numerous
groups and companies used the Internet to organize and
collect donations for victims and relief efforts.
More recently, according to Martin, the Red Cross saw
online support emerge for victims of the summer's
series of hurricanes, with Internet traffic and
donations spiking just after each storm hit.
Martin said relief for the devastating tsunami in
South Asia, viewed as one of the worst natural
disasters in a generation, was proportionate to the
scope of the disaster.
While this summer's hurricanes brought in $19
million over ten days, the response to the South Asia
tragedy has brought in $18 million in just three days,
Martin said.
Doing What's Right
While the public is responding to the sorrowful images
of the Tsunami and its aftermath, companies are also
doing their part to both offer and generate support.
Amazon's call for Red Cross relief aid was answered
by nearly 75,000 users, who donated almost $4.5
million as of today.
UK users donated 20 million pounds (US$39 million) to the Disasters
Emergency Committee (DEC), sending support through a
toll-free phone number and via the Web.
There have also been reports of Web site assistance
in helping victims find lost loved ones and
communicate with one another.
Donate Safely
As much of a benefit as the Internet can be in quickly
gathering support for those who need it, disasters such
as the recent Tsunami are also often the basis of
donation scams.
In addition, the number of attempts at identity
theft and other online crime has risen dramatically
over the last year, according to security experts.
Officials advised those making donations online to
be suspicious of e-mail solicitations and seek out
reputable organizations that they are interested in
supporting.
, are offering users a chance to
help disaster victims through links on their Web
pages.
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