Posted: January 4, 2005
December 26, 2004. Plano retailers and shoppers were enjoying the
post-holiday bargain frenzy. Left-overs from holiday dinners were being
warmed up and gifts were being relished. A new batch of movies kept many
Plano families at local theaters and it still wasn’t too late to plan on
loading up the family for a final look at holiday decorations that night.
Thousands of miles across the globe sunbathers gathered their belongings and
headed for another vacation day at the beach. A family of farmers tended to
their livestock before heading out into the fields. Children ran off to play
with the kids down the road and city streets hummed with the sounds of
scooters and vehicles as workers headed for their jobs.
Soon, life in South Asia would be changed forever. A massive 9.0 earthquake,
centered in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Aceh, Indonesia rumbled across
the ocean floor. Above, a massive tsunami formed, a watery wave of death
that devastated eleven South Asian countries.
Returning from shopping, movies, or just settling in to watch television,
the Plano community joined the world in looking on in disbelief as reports
began to trickle in about the unprecedented devastation and death that
escalated virtually by the minute.
At latest count, the death toll is preparing to top the 150,000 mark.
Millions are homeless, hungry and threatened by deadly disease. National
relief efforts are pouring in trying to fill a bottomless bucket of
desolation.
For many in Plano, family and friends have been affected by the earthquake
and resulting tsunami. Local agencies are being asked “what can we do?”
The City of Plano expresses sympathy and concern to the families and victims
of this terrible event.
This past week a list of agencies that provide relief and accept donations
was posted on the City’s website (see link below). Money is the most
effective donation as it can be used to meet critical needs as they arise
over the next several months.
This weekend, former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton joined current
President George W. Bush in appealing to Americans to contribute to the
massive aid effort. Former Presidents Bush and Clinton will be leading a
nationwide charitable fundraising effort asking Americans to donate to
charitable agencies already providing help to tsunami victims.
For relief agency listings,
click here. |