Editorial: Asia’s crisis one for the whole world

Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004 | 8:54 a.m.

It was nearly impossible to comprehend the extent of the devastation Sunday, when the news began unfolding about the underwater earthquake that shook the Indian Ocean and began sending waves the size of three-story homes in all directions, for hundreds and thousands of miles.

In the past our minds could pinpoint earthquake disaster areas and we could understand immediately where aid should be directed. A year ago it was Bam, in Iran, where more than 26,000 people were killed. In 1985 it was Mexico City, where nearly 10,000 people were killed. In 1972 it was Managua, Nicaragua, where three separate earthquakes struck on Dec. 23, killing 20,000 people.

On Sunday it was Sri Lanka. And Indonesia. And India. And Thailand, Malasia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Somalia, Bangladesh, Seychelles ... The early reports said hundreds were killed. The later reports said thousands and then tens of thousands. It will be weeks before the final, staggering toll is known.

How do you even begin thinking about where to start aid efforts when the devastation and loss of life are so widespread? And the stories so tragic. An orphanage in Sri Lanka, and its approximately 170 children, lost in an instant. Whole fishing villages destroyed. Parents searching desperately for their children, and after finding their bodies, forced to watch as they were buried in mass graves in desperate relief measures to forestall disease. Tourists, hundreds of them, swept away as they were sunbathing, snorkeling or riding jet skis. Millions of people left with nothing -- no homes, no jobs, no food or drinking water, and, in many cases, no families.

It's the job of the rest of the world now to work together on how best to respond to the stricken countries. We were impressed with Secretary of State Colin Powell, who spoke for the United States in offering both temporary and long-term aid. We hope the aid grows to include not just money and supplies, but also thousands of civilians and troops who can assist in building shelters and health centers and in repairing roads, utilities and other infrastructure. In the meantime, we can all help by sending whatever we can to the Red Cross and other organizations responding to what Powell accurately described as an "international tragedy."