UC Davis is working to respond to the need for humanitarian assistance in the wake of the massive earthquake and tsunamis that struck South Asia on Dec. 26.

Over the weekend Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef appointed a UC Davis Tsunami Relief Task Force to explore the issue. The group is gathering information about campus community members with ties to the affected region and is discussing how the campus might best respond in the short and long terms.

"The magnitude of this tragedy is simply incomprehensible," wrote Vanderhoef in an e-mail letter sent Monday to students, faculty members and staff. "And its impact is global yet so very personal. My heart goes out to all those who have lost loved ones and who now live with uncertain futures."

UC Davis anthropologist Smriti Srinivas was in Sri Lanka during the tsunami. She suggests that the university be "conscious of how different governments in the region might have different capabilities" in responding to the devastation.

"Be in touch with the home ministries in these countries," advised Srinivas, who was in the seaside town of Colombo, Sri Lanka, with her husband, James Heitzman, an administrator with the Summer Sessions program, when the waves struck. Fortuitously, they had canceled a drive along the coastal highway that morning.

"I think this tragedy will make people around the world even more aware of how deeply interconnected we are," added Srinivas.

Vanderhoef said the campus has preliminary confirmation that its education-abroad students are all accounted for and safe. "We also have identified approximately 300 alumni, 200 alumni-scholars and 250 currently enrolled students and scholars from the countries suffering from this natural disaster," he added.

UC Davis has 24 students enrolled from Indonesia, three from Sri Lanka, 114 from India and 33 from Thailand, according to Wesley Young, director of the Services for International Students and Scholars.

The campus is exploring opportunities to partner with city and regional relief efforts and to apply its academic expertise to assist in combating disease and restoring the infrastructure of the countries affected. Information on these efforts will be available at http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/tsunami.

In honor of those who perished, the campus will fly its U.S., California and UC flags at half-staff this week. The death toll has risen above 150,000, according to the latest published reports.

"Millions more are homeless or without food and shelter and vulnerable to life-threatening diseases," Vanderhoef added.

Reaching out

Those with suggestions for relief efforts should contact task force co-chairs William Lacy, vice provost for university outreach and international programs, at wblacy@ucdavis.edu or Maril Stratton, assistant chancellor for communications, at mrstratton@ucdavis.edu.

For counseling support, students should contact Counseling and Psychological Services at (530) 752-0871. Faculty and staff should contact the Academic and Staff Assistance Program at (530) 752-ASAP.