PORTLAND (AP) – Individuals and churches across Maine have continued to donate money to victims of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated countries in south Asia.

Suzanne McCormick, chief executive officer for the Southern Maine Chapter of the American Red Cross, said the organization has received more than $155,000, with $109,000 of that coming from donors in York and Cumberland counties.

“Something about this disaster has really touched a chord,” McCormick said. “In terms of international relief, we have never seen anything on this scale.”

Last fall, the American Red Cross in Maine raised $52,000 to help victims of the hurricanes that swept the southeast. That is barely one-third of what has been raised for tsunami victims, and the money keeps coming.

The Red Cross chapter in Portland received checks totalling $47,000 on Monday alone, all of which were earmarked for disaster relief in south Asia.

Thailand, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka were four of the Indian Ocean countries that suffered heavy damage and loss of life when an earthquake and tsunami devastated the region on Dec. 26. The death toll continues to rise and is expected to top 150,000.

In midcoast Maine, a group of volunteers from the Salvation Army’s Damariscotta Region Human Services Unit, has worked to raise money to buy water purification tablets.

“We will package them up and send them out to the front lines as soon as possible,” spokesman Greg Latimer said. “Each tablet will mean an immediate source of drinkable water for someone, even if it’s only for a day.”

Godfrey Wood, chief executive officer of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, said he plans to meet this week with American Red Cross officials to discuss details of a coordinated relief campaign involving the business community.