With 25,000+ estimated dead (the number is expected to reach at least 40,000), and many millions of people homeless and in grave danger of epidemic disease and famine, this disaster is going to, in the words of U.N. Undersecretary Jan Egeland, require the biggest relief effort the world has ever seen.

It also may prove to be the most costly disaster in human history, with "many billions" of damages in at least nine countries: and remember, many of the victims were among the world's poorest people, so relatively small amounts of lost money (by the standards of those of us living in the developed world) are potentially life-destroying for them.

We all need to help on this one, guys.