Every day the death toll from Asia gets worse.

The stories of children lost, families shattered and towns destroyed are almost too horrible for comprehension. There has been an enormous loss of life, wiped from the earth in a terrible moment.

Early on, reports said that 13,000 were killed. But the number has grown by tens of thousands daily. On Wednesday morning, the number was 55,000. A day later, best estimates said it was 76,000, but that 80,000 may have been killed in Indonesia’s Aceh province alone. Reported numbers may not be complete for months as the numbers continue to grow by the hour. The tragedy will only get worse as more bodies are found and disease begins to affect survivors, millions of whom have no homes.

Within the horror are tales of amazing rescues and beyond-belief survival stories, of people who somehow survived as giant waves caused by a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck 12 different countries.

The Indian Ocean, where the tsunamis struck, does not have an early warning system like the one that monitors the Pacific Ocean for seismic events that can create the killer waves. Even if one had been in place, it’s not clear how much of the death and destruction could have been avoided. Nonetheless, it is a prudent and worthwhile investment – for countries hit by the waves and for others, a world away, that were not.

Ultimately, the fury of a turbulent planet cannot be outwitted. For all that humankind has accomplished during its relatively short existence, the power of nature remains undeniable and unavoidable. We have moved only a short distance from the destruction of Pompeii by a volcanic eruption in A.D. 79 to the floods that killed 200,000 in Bangladesh in 1970 to the famines in Africa and North Korea that have claimed millions of lives.

Despite our best efforts, we remain at the mercy of forces beyond our control. Even so, we are not completely powerless. We can help.

The United States has pledged $35 million for the recovery effort so far, but that amount will surely grow as the long-term effects of the devastation become more clear. Economists already are predicting that the tsunamis likely caused billions of dollars in damage.

If you want to help the survivors of the tsunamis, there are outlets available, including:

• The American Red Cross, International Response Fund, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013; 1-800-HELPNOW; www.redcross.org.

• Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090; 1-800-736-3467; www.catholicrelief.org.

• Doctors Without Borders, P.O. Box 2247, New York, NY 10116-2247; 1-888-392-0392; www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

• The United Nations Children’s Fund, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 333 East 38th St., New York, NY 10016;1-800-4UNICEF; unicefusa.org.

Beware, however, that criminals are also looking to loot during this disaster and steal from its victims. The Better Business Bureau is warning donors to be cautious with gifts. The BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance, www.give.org, has information about national charities and scams.

When the United States was struck by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, the world reached out to us. Now we should – must – do the same.