A couple of notes about disasters:
1) The initial death estimates are generally twice what the final toll will be. In large disasters the initial estimates are inflated even more. This does not mean this is not a terrible disaster, but don't consider the early estimates accurate.
2) This is particurarly true here in the US, but is likely true in other places: Within the next few weeks every church, radio station, and any other group will be trying to raise goods and materials to send to the relief effort. While well intentioned, the vast majority of the goods never get there and what does is rarely useful. The best thing you can do is donate money to a legitimate organization that has an established track record for relief (the Red Cross is the biggest one with the longest and strongest history, but there are also a few others.) Legitimate organizations DO NOT WANT your old cloths, cans of food, sheets, towels, blankets, etc., etc. to have to organize, inventory, transport and distribute (generally this costs more than the goods are worth, rarely is logistically practical, and almost never provides the resources needed for a proper relief effort). (Groups like Good Will are exceptions, but that is only for local use and is a completely different focus.) Sending money lets the organization get proper goods and materials (and in proper quantities) and more efficiently run the relief effort. Also, don't donate to a small group, someone standing on the street corner, or someone coming to your door that simply says they're "raising money for the relief effort". There are lots of shams after every disaster, and even some that may not technically be shams will keep and "administrative fee" for their unsolicited fund raising efforts. (It is legitimate for a charity to hire an organization to raise money, it is not legitimate for an organization to to raise money "on behalf of" or "to go to" a charity without approval, then keep a portion of the funds raised.) I suggest donations be made DIRECTLY to the organization that will be coordinating or providing the relief.
