Date: 26 December 2004

Magnitude: 9.0

The Indian Ocean Tsunami, triggered by a 9.0 magnitude undersea earthquake on Boxing Day, was one of the deadliest natural disasters in the world, claiming more than 250,000 lives and leaving at least two million homeless. The enormity of the crisis prompted Mercy Relief’s first-time collaboration with the Singapore military to provide humanitarian aid overseas. We also received overwhelming support and donations from Singaporeans.

Partner(s): Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Singapore Soka Association (SSA), NTUC Fairprice, Cathay Pacific Airways and Airmark Logistics, Singapore Land Authority (SLA), and Mediacorp Radio.

How we helped:

• Sent one medical relief mission
  • In total, 50 tonnes of food, medical supplies and other items were sent to Sri Lanka

How you helped:

• 1,200 volunteers participated in fundraising in Singapore for the Indian Ocean tsunami
• Cash donations and benefits in kind
• The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) allowed Mercy Relief the use of two school premises to sort and pack relief supplies for the affected areas before they were shipped out to ground zero
• More than 1,500 tonnes of relief supplies worth approximately $4 million were donated by the Singaporean public and corporate organisations