UK: £1m given every hour (by Brits for quake/tsunami victims)

[rainbow4321]

http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/15666215?source=Evening%20Standard&ct=5


Britons moved by the plight of a million children left orphaned or homeless by the Asian tsunami have donated £23 million in 24 hours.

The money is still pouring into the main appeal for disaster relief after the first televised appeal, and the amount is expected to keep growing. The figure has already set a new record for donations and was described as "humbling" by the head of the appeal committee.

The sum raised by the British public has rocketed past the £15 million in aid announced by the Government. The United Nations has estimated £1billion is needed immediately to prevent further loss of life through disease or starvation. The biggest relief operation in history has swung into operation, with flights arriving from across the world with water and water purification equipment, blankets and medicine.

Scenes of children clinging to life in the aftermath of the tidal wave have prompted the massive scale of donations, with charities reporting British children sending their Christmas money to the fund. An Oxfam spokesman said: "People have been phoning in tears

[justinsb]

1. Awesome!

Glad the Brits are pulling so much together. I don't know what to totals are here yet. I know that the Federal Govt. is giving 40 million, the Province of B.C. is giving 8 million, the province of Ontario is giving 5 million plus sending some forensic experts, and I know , from news interviews this morning, both the phone lines and web sites of the Red Cross, Oxfam, and Care are constantly busy - people can't get through because too many are calling / clicking at once.

[Caledonia]

2. Same here..

It is really difficult to get a line through to donate. Our satellite news channels are covering this 24/7. Hopefully people will keep trying. No-one even knows the full scale of this tragedy yet. It's heartbreaking.