The Profnet Wire: Tsunami Aftermath

Following are experts who can comment on various aspects of the devastating tsunamis in Asia:

**1. SREENATH SREENIVASAN, co-founder of the SOUTH ASIAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION, a New York-based group representing 1,000+ South Asian journalists in the U.S. and Canada: "The SAJA is an excellent source of information for media coverage of the crisis, as well as a way of connecting with journalists and others on the ground in the affected areas. SAJA can also help you find contacts in the U.S. who have relatives in the region and/or U.S. groups involved in relief efforts." Sreenivasan is also a professor of journalism at Columbia University and technology expert for WABC-TV's "Tech Guru" segment in New York:

**2. CHRISTOPHER FAULKNER, CEO of C I HOST, a global Web hosting and data center operation, says natural disasters, such as the earthquake, could create devastating tidal waves on the Internet -- were it not for geographic diversity in Web hosting data centers: "The disaster caused immeasurable, horrific suffering for the population in and around Indonesia. But looking beyond that tragedy, there could be ripple effects throughout the hosting industry and e-commerce in general if major companies' servers were hit. C I Host recently launched a 2005 initiative to strategically place more data centers around North America and in Europe to provide backups in the event of catastrophes. Therefore, if there is a problem at one location, there are multiple data centers ready to transfer the traffic and shift the work load."

**3. ROBERT R BUTTERWORTH, psychologist at INTERNATIONAL TRAUMA ASSOCIATES: "After a natural disaster, we naturally focus on the physical effects; however, it is also important to discuss the psychological effects of disasters on children. Traumatic symptoms children exhibit include the memories and fear of the disaster. Their innocence about nature is lost and many suffer long-term emotional distress. Depression is partly due to the reality of the loss or injury starting to 'sink in' the psyche. The disillusionment is based on the fact that the trauma forces us to deal with the unpredictability of life and our vulnerability and loss of perceived control of our lives."

**4. DR. WALTER B. KOPPEL, M.D., MPH, public health expert and medical director of MEDEX ASSISTANCE CORPORATION, one of the world's leading providers of 24/7 emergency assistance to travelers in medical, security, legal and other emergency travel situations: "Despite damage to infrastructure, we are doing our best to communicate with MEDEX Assistance members and our human and medical resources on the ground. Our immediate concerns are to assist those who are calling in for help in locating loved ones or in evacuating people from the devastated areas. Clearly, we are facing a second wave of casualties from communicable diseases, lack of potable water, safe food supplies and sanitary conditions." Koppel is board certified in internal medicine, holds master's degrees in public health, toxicology, immunology and zoology, and is a medical director at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

**5. WHEATLEIGH DUNHAM, president of ATTORNEY TRANSLATION SERVICES, LLC, which translates legal documents into all major languages using experienced attorneys and subject matter experts: "Aid in this disaster is going to be complicated due to the multiple languages, cultures and legal systems in the countries affected. We deal with attorney translators from many of these countries, and each has their own style and way of doing things. As a result, relief organizations will need to modify their efforts to meet the legal and cultural issues in each country -- for example, labeling of emergency food supplies going to countries with different dietary restrictions, such as prohibitions against Hindus eating beef and Muslims eating pork."

**6. DOUGLAS RAYBECK, anthropologist at HAMILTON COLLEGE and Southeast Asia expert: "The recent tsunami requires a timely, energetic response. The U.S. has an opportunity to refurbish its tarnished image by providing prompt, generous aid. Too often our past 'gifts' have been accompanied by political and economic conditions, making our generosity appear disingenuous. Muslims subscribe to Ummah, a concept of community or a people. We, too, can treat the world as a community. Muslims believe in Zakaat, generosity to the poor, and so should we." Raybeck has lived in and researched communities in Southeast Asia for many years.

**7. DOUGLAS MULHALL, science journalist, former science institute manager and author of "Our Molecular Future," which explains how new technologies can help prevent havoc from tsunamis and other natural disasters: "It is high time to set up a tsunami warning system, not just for the Indian Ocean but also where the risk is high and preparedness is low on America's and Europe's Atlantic shorelines. New cheap technologies can save lives and billions in property loss." Mulhall, who supervised flood prevention in the tropics and was interviewed by CNN about the Asia tsunami catastrophe, can describe discoveries about how tsunamis occur, new defensive technologies against them, and other items not yet covered in news stories.

**8. ALAN STEINBERG, Ph.D., associate director at the Terrorism and Disaster Branch of the NATIONAL CHILD TRAUMATIC STRESS NETWORK: "Children and adults who were exposed to the worst of the tsunami will have the most severe post- traumatic reactions. It is terrifying to be in life-threatening situations and to witness destruction and death. The areas hardest hit will continue to have significant post-disaster adversities, such as poor access to shelter, food, clean water and medicine. Meeting those basic needs is the first step in disaster response. If they are not destroyed, schools often provide the best location for basic psychological first aid for children following a disaster. Many will have traumatic grief reactions after losing a loved one."

**9. BROOK NOEL, co-author of "I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping and Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One" and founder of GRIEF STEPS, a grief support site, is noted for her expert advice in times of tragedy: "The recent tsunami that hit southern Asia has reached epic proportions of loss. The economic disaster is staggering and the tragic loss of over 50,000 people is an immense tragedy that has affected the world. The reality of unexpected death is a uniting factor of all religions, ethnic backgrounds, political views and economic levels. Our ways of grieving may be different, but the feelings and steps to healing are not." Noel has also shared her expertise in many print and media venues, including "ABC World News Now," "Fox and Friends," "Good Morning LA" and others.

**10. SUZANNE BROOKS, director of the CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL DISASTER INFORMATION: "As people see footage and hear eyewitness accounts of the devastating tsunamis, many will have one question on their minds: How can I help? The answer is clear. In the wake of disasters, monetary donations to established relief agencies are always the most useful response. These groups use cash contributions to purchase exactly what disaster victims most urgently need. Unlike donations of clothing or other materials, cash contributions cost nothing to transport and allow relief supplies to be purchased as close to the disaster site as possible, which also stimulates and aids in the reconstruction of the local economy."

**11. ERIC THURMAN, CEO of GENEVA GLOBAL, INC., which manages international grants for private donors and foundations and has extensive experience working with humanitarian organizations in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and 90 other Third World countries: "When a disaster strikes, Americans are eager to help, but they usually don't realize that the best way to help is by supporting local organizations already in the affected countries. When a gigantic emergency breaks out, it is normal to expect governments or famous international organizations to rush in with an adequate response. The reality, however, is that little-known local groups are often there first with the most meaningful help. When you want to make a wise donation that produces real benefit, you cannot do better than connecting with service organizations that are permanently in the disaster communities."

**12. RANDY ADAMS, CEO of AUCTIONDROP, leader in the online auction drop-off service concept: "The U.S. public is opening its hearts and wallets to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami disaster. One way of raising money to donate to the relief effort is by selling used cameras, computers and consumer electronics through online auctions. Interested parties bring donated items to various locations across the United States, and all net proceeds of items sold are donated to international humanitarian organizations."

**13. JONATHAN BERNSTEIN, president of BERNSTEIN CRISIS MANAGEMENT, LLC, and editor of "Crisis Manager," an internationally distributed e-mail newsletter read in 75 countries: "Despite the suffering caused by massive natural disasters, most American residents and businesses remain horribly under- prepared. I'm based in California, and I know that most residents of this state play ostrich with regard to the prospect of 'The Big One' earthquake." Bernstein can talk about what should be done to prepare for natural disasters and why it hasn't been done.

**14. JAYANTH VINCENT, relief worker for WORLD VISION, a Christian relief and development organization, has seen the devastation of Chennai's coastal waterfront: "Parks where I used to picnic with my wife and daughter are now in ruins. Survivors search through the rubble to pick up any pieces of their lives. The dead are being buried in mass graves. Survivors face trauma upon trauma. They've lost sons, daughters, mothers and fathers -- and often they're robbed of the chance to even pay respects at their graves."

**15. REENA SAMUEL, relief worker for WORLD VISION, a Christian relief and development organization, is residing outside of Chennai, India. Samuel has been hearing the stories of survivors: "The line between those who survived and those who were swept away was strikingly thin. Those who stopped to grab personal belongings, or who ran too slowly, were swept away."

**16. SITHMINI PERERA, relief worker for WORLD VISION, a Christian relief and development organization, is based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Perera has encountered survivors traumatized by the disaster: "Survivors keep asking, 'Why us?' They wish they had been swept away instead of their loved ones."

**17. JON HANSON, retired assistant chief for the OKLAHOMA CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT and President George W. Bush's nominee for U.S. Fire Administrator at FEMA, is a rescue veteran of several natural and manmade disasters and can offer first-hand knowledge of the search-and-rescue process. Hansen can illustrate a phase-by-phase playbook of what needs to be done in the tsunami's aftermath. He can also provide his thoughts on the lessons learned after this particular disaster.

**18. ALBERT C. HINE, geological oceanographer at the College of Marine Sciences at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, can speak about stratigraphy and sedimentary processes along continental margins, mapping and high-resolution seismic reflection profiling techniques. Specific areas of interest include coastal geology of barrier-island and marsh-dominated coastlines, continental shelves, reefs and carbonate platforms. Hine has worked worldwide and his research employs a range of geoacoustical tools, such as swath bathymetry and side-scan sonar to image the seafloor in shelfal and upper slope environments for habitat mapping and identification of geologic features.

**19. CHUCK CONNOR, professor and chair of the Department of Geology at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, says that although his primary research interests are physical volcanology and geophysics, he can comment on earthquakes and tsunamis. Connor's recent research has focused on the development of volcanic hazard and risk models, and the development of new techniques for understanding the structural setting of basaltic volcanic fields, particularly in the southern Basin and Range. Connor can also speak to the issue of monitoring and modeling heat and mass transfer in volcanoes.

**20. ROBERT WEISBERG, professor of physical oceanography and geology at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, is an experimental physical oceanographer engaged in ocean circulation and ocean atmosphere interaction studies in the tropics, on continental shelves, and in estuaries. As director of the USF Ocean Circulation Group and co-director of the USF Coastal Ocean Modeling and Prediction System, Weisberg's research presently emphasizes in-situ measurements, analyses and models of the West Florida Shelf circulation, and the interactions between the shelf and the estuaries.

**21. ROBERT A. DALRYMPLE, coastal engineer at JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY and internationally recognized expert on water waves and coastal engineering, has written numerous scholarly articles and textbook chapters on water wave mechanics and how powerful waves can damage harbor structures and buildings constructed near the shore. Dalrymple is assembling a computer model to study the effect of tsunamis on coastal structures, and, although this model will not predict when and where tsunamis will strike, it may eventually help engineers build structures that are better able to withstand the impact of powerful waves.

**22. LAURA HAMMOND, assistant professor of international development at CLARK UNIVERSITY, anthropologist and author of "This Place Will Become Home," can talk about the humanitarian assistance operations that are unfolding, the kinds of dangers that can be expected (water-borne diseases), and the difficulty of reconstructing these areas following the earthquake and tsunamis. Hammond's perspective is based on emergency and humanitarian work she has done over the past decade, mostly in Africa. However, she is well acquainted with how the international community mobilizes in such a situation and is also familiar with issues of resettlement of disaster-stricken people. Hammond is available until Jan. 1.

**23. MARY WUNDROCK, vice president of laboratory services for WISCONSIN PHARMACAL COMPANY, is an expert on water purification and methods of purifying water, specifically the use of water purification tablets. Wundrock can speak to the types of diseases caused by water-borne viruses and bacteria. Specific angles include third-world countries, disaster relief and outdoor expedition safety. She also oversees the FDA- and EPA-approved production of Potable Aqua tablets -- iodine tablets to the United States military, as well as several other foreign militaries.

**24. CRISPIN PIERCE, Ph.D., assistant professor of the Department of Public Health Professions at the UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE, can provide the media with basic information about water-borne diseases, such as malaria and cholera, to which residents in the stricken area will now have much greater exposure.

**25. SUSAN E. HOWE, president of the PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTE OF CPAs, can comment on the loss implications for multinational companies with affected properties, HR aspects of having people posted in those areas and the HR aspects for multinational companies.

**26. JOHN W. BROOKS, founding chairman of the International Services Group of LUCE, FORWARD, HAMILTON SCRIPPS, LLP, can speak about the implications of the recent tsunamis on the economy in Asia. Brooks, who has just returned from an extended trip to Southeast Asia and Southern India, has recently completed an extensive series of articles that were published in "The Daily Transcript" in San Diego regarding business in Asia, with each article focusing on a different country. Since the Aceh quake, Brooks has been in contact with friends in Singapore, Thailand, and India about the extent of local damage and their personal safety.

**27. TOM CLASEN, water purification consultant for WISCONSIN PHARMACAL COMPANY, can discuss the health consequences of the tsunamis in Asia. Clasen is the founder of Extream Water Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of portable water treatment products. He is also the founder and organizer of First Water, Inc., a U.S. company that works with governments and NGOs in the development, evaluation and commercialization of low-cost, point- of-use water treatment and storage products for emergency relief and development.

**28. RICH MOSEANKO, relief director for WORLD VISION, a Christian relief and development organization, is based in Los Angeles and responsible for the transportation and delivery of relief aid during crises, such as the current Asia tsunami disaster. Moseanko has worked for World Vision in some of the world's most troubled countries, such as Rwanda, Kosovo and Bosnia, and served as country director in these countries. In 1990, Moseanko established a relief program in Jordan after Iraq invaded Kuwait, and before joining World Vision, he worked for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Ghana and Nicaragua.

**29. JOHN WOOD, founder and CEO of ROOM TO READ, a non-profit organization focusing on literacy in impoverished Asian countries, can comment on how the horrible tragedy in Asia will bring an international effort for rebuilding schools, libraries, and other institutions that foster literacy and economic development.

**30. JOE HARBISON, Asia area director of WORLD CONCERN, a Christian international relief and development organization, is directly involved in the assessment of damage and distribution of relief supplies, as World Concern partners with government agencies and churches in Sri Lanka and Thailand. Harbison has also lived in Thailand for 20 years, and has nearly two decades of experience in directing humanitarian relief and development aid in Asia and Africa.

**31. HARRY E. GRUBER, M.D., CEO, chairman and co-founder of KINTERA, INC., which helps non-profit organizations generate more awareness and funds using Web-based tools, can comment on the tsunami disaster, with a specific focus on fundraising and disaster relief efforts. During the past 25 years, Dr. Gruber has been a doctor, scientist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and an inventor with the vision to develop leading-edge technology tools to benefit society.

**32. MICHAEL WILLS, director of Southeast Asia studies at the NATIONAL BUREAU OF ASIAN RESEARCH, is available to comment on U.S. policy in Southeast Asia. Wills will be available for comment after Jan. 3.

**33. DR. SHELDON W. SIMON, advisory board chair of the NATIONAL BUREAU OF ASIAN RESEARCH SOUTHEAST ASIA STUDIES PROGRAM and professor of political science at Arizona State University, is available to comment on U.S. policy in Southeast Asia.

**34. DR. DONALD K. EMMERSON, member of the NATIONAL BUREAU OF ASIAN RESEARCH ADVISORY BOARD and director of the SOUTHEAST FORUM OF THE ASIA-PACIFIC RESEARCH CENTER, is available to comment on U.S. policy in Southeast Asia.

**35. STEVE MATTHEWS, communications manager for WORLD VISION'S GLOBAL RAPID RESPONSE TEAM, a group of first responders sent to humanitarian emergencies around the world within the first hours or days of their onset, is based in Sri Lanka and has extensive experience in radio and television journalism and gathers written, photographic and video resources for the World Vision partnership.

**36. TOM ARNOLD, CEO of CONCERN WORLDWIDE, a major humanitarian relief group conducting a major operation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the most affected region of India, can speak on the tsunamis in Asia.

**37. SIOBHAN WALSH, executive director of CONCERN WORLDWIDE U.S., a major humanitarian relief group conducting a major operation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the most affected region of India, can speak on the tsunamis in Asia.

**38. ROD MACLEOD, India country director for CONCERN WORLDWIDE, a major humanitarian relief group conducting a major operation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the most affected region of India, can speak on the tsunamis in Asia.

**39. LISA ANDREWS, marketing manager of ORBIMAGE, INC., a satellite imaging company, can speak about satellite imagery over the areas where the tsunamis have taken place.

**40. COL. PAUL LAFOND, retired marine colonel of Skowhegan, Maine, believes that the U.S. military should move the U.S. forces out of Fallujah and into Malaysia to help those who are suffering from the fallout of the tsunami. Lafond was also the author of a disaster plan during the Vietnam War for cities in Southeast Asia.