The wave sparked by a powerful earthquake on December 26 has destroyed beaches, damaged coral reefs, polluted ground water, put animal species in danger of extinction, changed the contours of land and rivers and rendered much farm land useless.
The environmental damage has been huge, from the obvious and visible destruction along the coastal areas to the possibility of extinction of certain species.
For the entire world governments, large NGOs, private charities and individuals moved to contribute to the massive relief efforts under way getting "to the villages" is now the order of the day. By the end of last week, governments around the globe had pledged $1.2 billion in assistance to the devastated region--though no one, in reality, knew what the total cost of relief would end up being and everyone from aid workers to the U.S. Marines were scrambling to reach the hardest-hit towns and villages. But as the spreading illnesses in the village, in the wake of such a catastrophe, providing relief to the people who most desperately need it can be a vexing, complicated task. And the huge geographic swath affected by the tsunami, encompassing 12 separate countries, only makes things that much more difficult.
Beaches have been washed away or littered with debris, rivers are filled with trash and silt while coastal forests are splintered or have simply disappeared. Initial reports indicate that natural ecological systems such as coral reefs, mangroves and wetlands have suffered extensive impacts.
Just how difficult may soon become lethally apparent. The United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO) warned that unless aid is delivered effectively and disease is contained, "millions" more could die. Given the myriad ways sickness can spread under the dire circumstances, which seemed less hyperbolic than grimly possible. Critical infrastructures--everything from pipes carrying clean running water......
