"We are fortunate to already have an established working relationship with the countries affected by this terrible disaster," says David Jack, Chief Executive Officer for ADRA Australia. "This has helped our teams on the ground to assess the needs quickly and respond immediately. We have also been working closely with the Adventist hospitals in most of the affected countries to provide medical assistance for the injured."

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Australia is using its already-established network of aid and relief teams to bring immediate assistance to all affected areas of the tsunami disaster.

ADRA staff and Thai volunteers in Phuket Thailand distributed 1,000 personal care packages including food, water, toiletries and clothing. They continue to support the medical staff at the Phuket Adventist Hospital and the local relief effort.

ADRA teams In Kao Lak in Phangna Thailand, are currently equipping hundreds of rescue workers with protective gear, such as, surgical and heavy duty gloves, special surgical masks, boots and protective gowns. "The corpses are in a bad state and disease will be epidemic if the rescue workers are not protected. Food and water in this part of Thailand are in good supply, so the Provisional health department asked our teams to focus primarily on the rescue workers," says Greg Young, an Australian who is the country director for ADRA Thailand.

ADRA Australia’s effort is part of a coordinated response by ADRA International. ADRA network is providing shelter, blankets, drinking water, water containers, chlorine tablets and mosquito nets to the people of Indonesia and Andaman Island.

In Sri Lanka, ADRA is already distributing World Health Organisation (WHO) emergency kits that will provide a one-month supply of medicine for 90,000 people in Colombo. ADRA has also provided 200,000 bottles of drinking water and 50,000 water purification tablets, infant formula for 1,000 affected children under one year of age. Specialist medical teams have been brought to Sri Lanka to provide needed care.

Teams are currently conducting in-depth needs assessments to develop proposals to seek additional funding for further rehabilitation efforts.

One of ADRA Australia’s international program managers is on his way to India to work with the assessment team there.

"ADRA Australia has already committed $500,000 dollars to assist the people of Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India." reports David Jack. "When people have been so generous already, it is difficult to ask for more. And yet, we need more funds not only to respond to this immediate relief effort, but also to ensure the long-term rehabilitation of people’s lives. Thank you for your continued support."

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA International) was established in November 1956 by the protestant Seventh-day Adventist Church to provide humanitarian relief and welfare. Originally called Seventh-day Adventist Welfare Service (SAWS), the name was changed to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in 1983. It is one of Australia’s fully accredited major non-government organisations. ADRA provides development and relief aid to all people no matter their race, creed, status or religion.