Carol and I attended a "candlelight" vigil on the front lawn of the Capitol this evening and were impressed by the turnout and were left with a great deal of concern for the people in Kashmir, the rest of Pakistan and other parts of south-east Asia. One month after the earthquake, media coverage in the US has all but disappeared and there is still much work to be done. Tonight we heard from people who had been on the ground there as recently as two days ago, and they all told harrowing tales of people trapped and walking days to the nearest functioning hospital. Time is fleeting, as winter is setting in and millions are without proper shelter. There is still time to get them tents, blankets, and warm clothing, but we must act now! Please, open your hearts and wallets to these fellow human beings. More about the vigil in the full story.

There were lots of statistics given at the gathering, including death counts from between 72,000 to 80,000 people. The United Nations is claiming that the need for 400,000 tents to help 3,000,000 displaced people is short by almost 300,000 at this point.

More details about the quake relief effort can be seen at SAQuake.org.

Also, consider writing your Senators and Representatives to encourage financial support, as well as support in the form of military airlift. Reports from Pakistan indicate there are only about 100 helicopters capable of carrying substantial cargo and personnel being made available to the relief effort.

The US has been helping some with the airlift, but there's not enough to go around yet. Please consider writing your representatives and sending money to one of the organizations already on the ground.

Right now, it appears CARE (reporting 92% program efficiency) and the International Rescue Committee (reporting 90% program efficiency) are both on the ground and ready to efficiently distribute goods if they have the funding. Please consider giving to them or another NGO in the area, such as the Red Cross (reporting 91% program efficiency).

Thanks to Charity Navigator for the information on program efficiency.