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In December 2004, a massive tsunami created by an earthquake hit Asia and
Africa, devastating many coastal areas. Nearly 200,000 people in eight countries
perished, while many more are still missing. Nearly a million people were displaced,
as their homes and livelihoods were swept away. Committed to assisting the victims
of the tragedy, the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI), quickly
responded to the public’s desire to help and educated Americans on how to provide
the most effective relief by contributing cash donations.
To educate the public about the importance of cash donations, CIDI distributed
comprehensive situation reports outlining specific information about how to
participate in tsunami relief efforts. CIDI partnered with GlobalGiving to
launch a joint-Web page with cash donation information and coordinated with
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to design a private sector partnership link to
cidi.org. With InterAction, CIDI collaborated to evaluate the most useful
commodity donations to aid victims of the tsunami.
Providing disaster relief guidance to the State Department, USAID and other
government offices, CIDI coordinated with the Global Development Alliance,
USAFreedomCorps and Volunteers for Prosperity. Five organizations were recognized
with honors by CIDI for undertaking innovative and meaningful initiatives to
express principals of humanitarianism by action.
To further promote the "cash is best" message, CIDI reached out to media with the
"Guidelines for Appropriate International Disaster Donations" which resulted in
coverage by CNN, National Public Radio, People Magazine, USA Today, Washington Post,
MTV.com and ABC Radio. A radio news release garnered an estimated 9.3 million
impressions and a video news release reached more than 2.3 million viewers. Media
were encouraged to visit cidi.org and call the CIDI hotline for more information
about tsunami relief efforts.
As a result of increased media exposure and strategic alignment with reputable
relief organizations, CIDI received more than 150,000 hits to its Web site in January
2005 – a nearly 3000 percent increase over the average 5,000 hit per month – and
responded to more than 6,200 inquiries from the CIDI hotline. As a result of tsunami
relief efforts, more than 4,500 individuals registered to offer technical assistance
through the CIDI database.
A generous outpouring of donations will help rebuild the devastated region. To date,
President Bush has pledged $950 million in long-term U.S. support to help the
tsunami victims rebuild their lives. Overall, the total amount pledged, committed
or contributed to tsunami relief is $6.7 billion, with $883 million generated from
private individuals and institutions.
Center for International Disaster Information
Since 1988, CIDI has responded to hundreds of thousands of public inquiries
related to international emergencies. The Center, operated under a grant from the
United States Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster
Assistance, has become a valuable resource to the public, as well as U.S.
government agencies, foreign embassies and international corporations. For more
information, visit www.cidi.org.
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