In a certain way, it's a lovely (albeit tragic and bittersweet) thing to be able to sit on your couch, and read about millions of people in serious trouble a half a world away, and without even getting up be able to contribute to their aid. Obviously, in ages past, we'd have read about it in the newspaper a week later, maybe shaken our heads, and moved on.
If you haven't already kicked in a couple of bucks or a few bob and you probably have, and you probably know these things already, but anyway here are couple of good ways to do so:


(Though, they're giving everything to Médecins sans Frontières and ICRC, so you're back with ICRC.)
Finally, I don't resist the temptation to point out that the first and by far most impactful response, as usual, was provided by the men and women of the United States military. For instance, currently:
- There are 12,000 service people on the scene 2/3 afloat, 1/3 ashore
- There are 18 Navy and Coast Guard ships, many with flight decks, plus loaded with water and medical supplies, plus they have massive desalination plants to produce fresh water
- 49 helicopters ferrying supplies ashore
- 7 Coast Guard C-130 transport planes doing evacuations and support
- The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson basically another airport plus its floating hospital w/3 operating rooms
- 1,800 patients have been treated, including surgery on the Carl Vinson
- The USNS Comfort, which is a floating hospital, with 1000 beds, arrives today
- USAF ATC personnel opened and operated the airport for incoming relief shipments rapidly getting it from 13 flights/day to 180
- 800 Marines (from 22 MEU out of Camp Lejeune) went ashore yesterday, ferrying food and water
- Troops from the Army's 82nd Airborne are already there
- In the last 6 days 400,000 bottles of water, 300,000 ration packs, and 12,000 pounds of medical supplies have been distributed
