PHILADELPHIA ­- Judy Watfa was so moved by the heart-rending TV images she saw of children orphaned by the Indian Ocean tsunami that she wanted to do much more than write a check.

She wanted to adopt.

“It just totally amazed me. To see all that destruction. It just made me want to reach out and adopt one of those kids,” Watfa, 42, a cardiology technician from the Bethlehem, Pa., area, said.

Adoption agencies say many people have called to inquire how they can adopt children who suffered the ultimate loss, that of their families, in the disaster. But despite good intentions, it’s not an easy, or advisable, thing to do, adoption experts say.

Children who have been in a crisis should stay as close as possible to family members and their community, they say.

Before countries can even think of adoptions, they need to identify children who have lost their parents and help them with the daunting task of finding extended family.

“In many cases there will be extended family,” said Carolyn Miles, chief operating officer of Save the Children, an international aid organization, which estimates that a third of those killed were children. “In Sri Lanka and Indonesia, large families live in the vicinity of each other.”

The Indonesian government has already banned adoptions for at least 30 days.

Even after that, tsunami-hit countries will probably not allow many foreigners to adopt their children, said Harlan Tenenbaum, director of Adoption House, a Wilmington, Del., agency.

“People are calling out of the goodness of their hearts, but the legal regulations of each country have to be followed,” he said.

Unlike China, Guatemala, and some eastern European countries, which are eager to place children with American families, adoptions from Southeast Asian countries are complex and lengthy.

Many have strict age, religion and residency requirements. India, for instance, prefers placing children with Indian American families. Indonesia and Sri Lanka require adoptive families to be residents of their countries for two years. Malaysia does not allow non-Muslims to adopt Muslim children.

Children need food, water, shelter and medicine more than anything right now, said Antonia Edwardson, executive director of the Joint Council on International Children’s Services, which consists of adoption agencies, medical clinics and support groups.

“Adopting is much more than an act of goodwill. It’s a very serious thing and requires a lifelong commitment of love, support and care,” she said.

Vicki Francis, 40, of Southampton, Pa., knows that better than most people. She has adopted three South Korean children and would love to open her home to a child, “or two,” from the disaster zone.

“If I could fly there today, I’d probably load half the plane,” she said.

After she saw the devastation on TV, Francis’ first instinct was to call Pearl S. Buck House International, which arranged her other adoptions, and ask about the tsunami orphans.

“We were so moved. Everyone should be motivated to do something,” she said. “Having adopted before, we know there are so many children out there who need homes, and now that will be quadrupled.”

Last year she and her husband, Jim, came close to adopting three siblings from Africa, but they went to another family. Francis said they wanted to adopt children with the greatest needs, which is why they were drawn to Africa and, now, Southeast Asia.

When people call Adoptions From the Heart, Heidi Gonzalez said, she lets them know there are children in other countries they can adopt. Although the United States leads the world in foreign adoptions, with 22,000 last year, there are still 3.5 million children in orphanages worldwide.

Americans can also look in their own backyard.

“We have many children in foster care, and once they turn 2 or 3, their chances of finding an adoptive family decrease,” Gonzalez said.

But Francis and Watfa hope the governments of the affected countries will ease up on regulations and allow their children to come to America once they see the extent of the need.

“I don’t care if it’s two years down the road,” said Watfa, who is getting married in July. “If a child doesn’t have a family, maybe those countries won’t be so picky.”