Christian aid groups are calling on Australians to "dig deep' as the death toll from the Boxing Day tidal waves surges past 125,000.
Mercy Ships Australia is sending a container load of donated goods and equipment to Sri Lanka as an initial response to meeting the nation's longer-term relief and development needs.
National Director, Brian ROSS, says many items donated by people throughout Australia, and scheduled for shipment to West Africa, will now be forwarded to an agency in Sri Lanka.
Tim Costello, the chief executive of World Vision Australia, investigating the devastation first hand, has described scenes in Sri Lanka as something out of the apocalypse.
World Vision Australia has raised $4.25 million, plus a further $500,000 from AusAid, to help the victims of the Asia earthquake.
But Mr Costello, who has visited coastal towns ravaged by the tsunami, is urging the Australian public to continue to give donations as the true extent of the tragedy continues to unfold.
Officials fear more than 5 million people will lack clean water, shelter, food, sanitation and medicine.
Samaritan’s Purse staff and partners in Southeast Asia have been mobilised to assess the damage and meet critical needs in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and possibly other countries.
They are preparing to distribute emergency food, cooking supplies, temporary shelter, water filtration units, and medicine.
Staff at the Archbishop of Sydney's Appeals Unit are encouraging people to pray and provide whatever financial assistance possible because the need will be great for months to come.
Director, Dearne Cameron says the Appeals Unit needs to look beyond the current pain to plan for the future.
"We need to meet the immediate crisis and the long term rebuilding that will be necessary. Please give generously and pray that future loss is prevented through the help we can provide," Ms Cameron says.
