Money, Not Volunteers, Needed For Tsunami Relief
UA Awaits Word From Students Who Might Be In Region
Last updated Tuesday, December 28, 2004 9:21 PM CST in News
By Jeff Smith
The Morning News
Volunteers from Northwest Arkansas are willing but not needed in relief efforts for the deadly earthquake and tsunami that hit eastern Asia on Sunday, local officials said.
The American Red Cross has not requested additional personnel nor food or other goods, said Sharon Ledbetter, director of emergency services in Northwest Arkansas.
But that hasn't stopped hundreds of people calling the local chapter office offering to help those in need.
"Our phone has rung off the wall (Monday) and (Tuesday). We've had an overwhelming number of people wanting to volunteer," Ledbetter said.
Instead, the American Red Cross has asked for people to make financial donations through local chapters rather than volunteer or donate food or other goods. Sending items from the region to the affected areas logistically wouldn't work, she said.
The Rev. Leo Michael of St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in Springdale has established a fund to help victims.
Michael talked Monday night with his mentor in Chennai, a coastal city in India hit hard by the tsunami. More than 500 children are homeless and without food and clothes in the city, with the number rising along the coastal state of Tamil Nadu, he said.
Michael worked in Chennai, India's fourth largest city, for 22 years, spending much of his time at Father Michael Vyakulam's orphanage on the Bay of Bengal.
The priest of 12 years said India has promised each family $100 to aid them in recovering from the disaster.
"That's not going to help them much," he said.
Michael's church established a fund to aid the orphanage and homeless children in the area. Michael also plans to host a luncheon featuring Indian cuisine to raise money for the victims. In India, $10 can feed a child for a month, he said.
Michael plans to visit Chennai by the second week of January to ensure the "money is given to all those in need without going to other places."
Others in Northwest Arkansas are awaiting word from people who might have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami.
University of Arkansas officials have e-mailed all international students but have heard from only one of them, said Sue Borrego, dean of students. The student was in Fayetteville.
The Office of International Students and Scholars also has posted items on a message board at www.iss.uark.edu for students to use to contact UA officials.
The UA will have a town-hall meeting for international students next week, when the campus reopens from the holidays.
"We're really worried about people being isolated with campus shut down and communication not working in those areas hit hard," said Borrego, who was in California.
No UA students in the study abroad program are believed to be affected by the tsunami, said DeDe Long, director of the study abroad program.
"Because we're in between breaks, we're going to have very few students over there," she said Tuesday. The spring semester starts Jan. 18.
Long said she doesn't expect the disaster to affect the study abroad program. She said Thailand would be the only study abroad place affected by the tsunami, although she wasn't sure if any student would be there next semester.
KUAF, the National Public Radio affiliate based on the UA campus, has a 14-day tour of Thailand planned in February.
Chaddie Platt, KUAF membership director, said from Florida she didn't expect the tour would be canceled, although some may choose not to go.
"Some people who were scared of going to an exotic locale might not go now," she said.
Platt said others might not want to see the devastation or grief associated with the deadly tsunami. The death toll in Thailand was approaching 2,000 people -- 900 foreigners -- by Tuesday evening.
Frances Mayo, owner of Around the World Travel in Springdale, said they rarely have customers in the area and didn't this weekend.
"The bulk of the business that goes that way is business-oriented, not tourism," she said.
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