It's a brutal way to look at things, but this is not the kind of disaster that knocks economies off their feet. Except for the Maldives, the countries affected are not ones reliant on tourism, and the enormous capital concentrations - the chip fabs of Thailand and the natural gas refineries of Indonesia - appear to be intact.
The Thai prime minister reckons the damage in his country amounts to about 0.36% of its last-year GDP.
I don't think there's anything we can do to help beyond giving money. South-east Asia does not lack people, and what the homeless victims of the wave need is shelter and food, which can be provided from local sources; it's not worth shipping tarpaulins from England to Sumatra, though it's probably worth shipping medicine.
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timeasmymeasure
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The Thai prime minister reckons the damage in his country amounts to about 0.36% of its last-year GDP.
I don't think there's anything we can do to help beyond giving money. South-east Asia does not lack people, and what the homeless victims of the wave need is shelter and food, which can be provided from local sources; it's not worth shipping tarpaulins from England to Sumatra, though it's probably worth shipping medicine.