This morning it struck me suddenly just how massive the losses are from this Tsunami. It was strange but it took the sudden realisation that it was strange not to have heard from a friend of mine (a girl called Kate) who I knew to be in the viccinity. I was fortunate in that I was able to confirm she is safe in just a few minutes by contacting a mutual friend who in turn rung her family. Not everyone has been so fortunate. The communication system is not working for many and still thousands of Western tourists are listed as missing.

The international red cross has put together a website to trace lost relatives and friends but this morning it is unreachable- presumably due to the sheer volume of traffic heading over there. For the sake of those who are genuinely concerned about their loved ones please do not follow the link unless you absolutely have to- we must try and reduce the traffic to a minimum.

If you are missing a friend or relative, first make contact with others who may have heard from them. If they are confirmed safe please send out an email or call anyone who might suddenly become concerned as I did this morning. If they are not safe, elect one person to try and contact the website or call the helplines. These helplines are a lifeline for people worried about their loved ones and have been unable to cope with the call volume, please do NOT call them for travel advice or any other reason.

In the UK these are
-Reporting Missing persons - 020 7008 0000
-To cancel a missing persons report - 020 8358 0110

In the US this is
1-888-407-4747

Update
I think that the worlds email services are struggling under the weight of traffic also- certain emails are taking a lot longer to get through than normal. Perhaps we should all minimise our non-tsunami related emails for a few hours.