There is some more news, including Sandra Bullock donating a million dollars to the Red Cross for disaster relief (just as she did after 9/11). The Dell Foundation (as in Dell Computers) has matched Bill Gates' $3 million dollar donation. No doubt there are several more such donations out there, but not all of them make the news. Meanwhile, ordinary people have donated over $13.2 million via Amazon.com. Countless fundraising efforts, both large and small, are underway to raise money.

Many nations around the world are stepping up to help. Japan has reportedly donated some $500 million, the US's donation is up to $350 million with more to follow, Australia has donated $65 million (I think that's in Australian dollars, not US), Saudi Arabia has donated $10 million, and many more than I care to list here. I've heard that the immedate pledges are over $2 billion.

In the meantime, military forces from the US and Australia are in the damaged areas delivering direct relief using aircraft and medical facilities. It isn't enough simply to donate money or to deliver aid to the local airports - it's vital to get the supplies out to the countryside where many are suffering. In this, there's no substitute for helicopters and transport planes. That isn't all - it was announced today that the Navy is sending the USS Mercy hospital ship to the area. The Mercy is a converted tanker that is a 1,000 bed hospital with over a dozen operating rooms and some very impressive medical capabilities. (My son used to be assigned to that ship - it's huge!) This ship will join the others already in the area or on the way. Those ships carry much needed airlift capabilities, medical personnel, water and power generation capabilities, and personnel ready to help in any way possible.

While there is desperate need for immediate humanitarian assistance, rebuilding will take from months to years. We have to be in it for the long haul.