A woman mourning the dead in her family at a relief camp in Varichikudi near Chennai in Tamil Nadu. (Photo, as it appears on www.cbsnews.com)

At least seven countries in South and Southeast Asia are reeling under unprecedented death and destruction because of waves of tsunamis caused by the world’s worst earthquake in the last 40 years. The tsunamis that rose off the cost of Sumatra, Indonesia, traveled thousands of miles and barreled through coastlines of India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia, causing death and destruction.

As the death toll sharply rose towards the 125,000 mark by Dec. 28, a third of them children, the world community is scrambling to battle what has been called the costliest disaster ever. Like with any disaster the one in South and Southeast Asia desperately needs immediate help in terms of money, clean drinking water, clothing, shelter, food, moving equipment and medicine.

The devastation has been unnerving to the extreme and is expected to cause a serious financial drain among the affected countries. We at the Indian American Foundation have decided to do our part for the people of India, especially in the state of Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar where over 12,000 people have died, hundreds of thousands rendered homeless and thousands still missing.

According to the United Nations estimates, the disaster is likely to be among the most expensive ever costing tens of billions of dollars. The Red Cross is already planning to triple its initial call for $6.5 million.

We appeal to the Indian American community to generously contribute towards rehabilitation of the survivors. Most of those affected came from the poorer sections of society, many of them depending on the ocean for their livelihood. With the disaster a large number of survivors have no other immediate avenues of income left.

You can help by sending tax-deductible contribution to the Foundation’s Tsunami Relief Fund.

–– Gopal Raju

In Tamil Nadu

Grieving parents with the body of their child at Silver Beach in Cuddalore on Dec. 27.

Volunteers with bodies at a mass burial site at Silver Beach in Cuddalore on Dec. 27.	Officials take a count of bodies of the victims at a mortuary in Chennai on Dec. 26

Grieving parents with the body of their child at Silver Beach in Cuddalore on Dec. 27.