ALTONIANS at home and abroad are pulling out the stops to "do their bit" for the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster. Shops such as Somerfield, Sainsbury's and Quickfit have been inviting customers to donate to the South East Asia Disaster Fund, local organisations have been rallying their members to fundraise, and individuals have taken it upon themselves to take part in sponsored events and carried out collections - some of them illegally but in good faith. Members of Alton Rotary have decided to keep their Christmas crib up and running as a collection box for donations to help purchase "Aqua boxes" - a vital piece of purifying equipment which is used on site to provide a clean and safe water supply. Each Aqua box is capable of purifying 33,000 litres of water. Rotary Club president Eddie Keogh pointed out: "Victims can survive without food and shelter for many days, but for only one or two without drinking water." On hearing of the disaster the club immediately sent £250, pending further arrangements for fund raising. Alton Lions have also swung into action by sending vital money (over US$170,000 within the first 72 hours) from the Lions Club International Fund to provide food, blankets, water and other relief items. There are said to be 73,000 Lions living in the hardest-hit regions of south east Asia, who are out in the field, taking aid to those in need. They are reported to be working in the affected communities and co-ordinating with governments at national level. In Sri Lanka, the Lions are said to have formed a joint commission with the government to expand the country's response in dealing with the critical issues of shelter, water supplies and sanitation. In India, the hardest hit districts in and around Chennai have also come together to co- ordinate the expenditure of US$50,000 in LCIF funding awarded for districts that cover the coastline from Tamil Nadu north to Orissa. LCIF has created a special fund to receive donations that will be forwarded on to the affected areas and will be used to support both the immediate and long-term needs of the victims. Locally, as well as raising money for the LCIF, Alton Lions have agreed to work with the British Red Cross and Tesco to provide manpower for a collection this weekend in aid of the South East Asia Disaster Fund. Alton Lions will be collection outside Tesco Express in Anstey Lane between 9 am and 6 pm on Saturday and from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday. The Alton branch of the Salvation Army is also doing its bit by supporting Salvation Army personnel in India and Sri Lanka who have set up mass feeding centres and are working round the clock to provide shelter, food and clothing to families who consider themselves fortunate to be alive. Salvation Army airport chaplains in the UK have also been providing practical and pastoral support for holidaymakers returning home from the area. The Salvation Army has launched an urgent appeal for funds to support its work in south east Asia. Meanwhile, out in southern India, former Alton man Paul Deverill is playing a prominent part in co-ordinating relief activities. Paul works for UNICEF in Delhi where his job centres around water purification. According to his parents, John and Herta Deverill, Paul and his family were spending Christmas in the Himalayan foothills when they learnt of the tsunami from the BBC World Service and immediately returned to Delhi. The same day Paul took the first available flight to Madras and then travelled by road 80 miles down the coast where most Indian casualties had occurred. On the BBC 1 Breakfast programme on December 30 Paul told the interviewer that there were some 150,000 refugees in the immediate area. and that the prime task was to address urgent problems of drinking water and sewage before epidemics could arise.
