Posted: Jan 8, 2005  14:45

By Sen. Larry Craig

Like many Idahoans, I have spent a significant amount of time over the last two weeks following coverage of the tsunami disaster in South Asia.

I recall that the day it was reported by all the news outlets in the United States, the scope of the disaster was not immediately clear. It was clear that a great natural disaster had taken place, but the magnitude of the wreckage and the extensive loss of life did not become apparent until many hours later. I remember that some of the initial estimates placed the death toll at 3,000, a number that seems so small now.

However, by the next day, as emergency personnel and government officials of the affected countries swung into action, the death toll skyrocketed to more than 50,000. Each day that passed only reinforced the stark realization that this was truly a disaster of historic proportions.

Appropriately, President Bush and the leaders of Germany, Japan, Australia and several other nations have pledged billions of dollars in emergency relief aid. Several wealthy celebrities have pledged millions of their own personal wealth to non-governmental relief organizations. President Bush himself pledged $10,000 of his own money to several different relief funds.

Clearly these are admirable actions, but most of us don’t have $1 million, or even $10,000 to give. Always compassionate, Americans have been looking for ways to help the victims of the tsunami. The answers are almost as numerous as the people seeking them. However, some answers are clearly better than others.

In Idaho and across the United States, individuals and families have begun to contact adoption agencies to express their interest in adopting orphaned children in the affected countries. As a strong supporter of adoption, I would like to commend these well-intentioned people for their willingness to help. However, I would like folks to understand that adoption simply isn’t feasible at this time.

Right now, it is much too soon after the disaster to know the status of a child’s family. In such events, dislocation and separation from family members is fairly common. It is quite possible that mothers and fathers may still be found and reunited with their children. There are massive tasks that must be dealt with before these countries reach the point where adoption could be considered. Let me explain.

Search and rescue efforts must be carried out completely, and the status of a child’s parents must be determined. If a child's parents are dead (or reasonably presumed to be so), our first efforts will be to place the child with its immediate or extended family. If such a placement is not possible, then efforts will be made to place the child within the country. Official U.S. policy agrees that international adoption should be explored only after other adoption options are shown to be unworkable.

This process can take many months or even a year or two, but in a Third World country stricken by disaster, it may take even longer. As you can imagine, government officials in these countries must place priority on protecting human life and restoring law and order before they can sort out the legal question of a child’s eligibility for adoption. There are disturbing reports that child trafficking has already become a problem, and until the current chaos is resolved, it would not be responsible to encourage these devastated countries to expedite international adoptions.

In the meantime, the best thing Idahoans can do is to donate money to relief funds dedicated to the tsunami disaster. Although such donations as canned foods, water, or clothing may be very thoughtful, coordinating and paying for the transportation of such bulky goods may only complicate things for relief agencies. In addition, differences in culture and food standards may also pose problems. Organizations like International Red Cross or UNICEF have spent years or even decades responding to disasters like this one, and donating cash allows them to use their expertise to decide quickly where and how to spend the money you give them.

In closing, I encourage everyone to give what you can. The volunteer group USA Freedom Corps, established by President Bush, has an outstanding website with an extensive list of relief organizations of every kind to choose from, and Congress just passed legislation to make such donations tax-deductible. Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton are working with this organization to encourage private donations.