No overall increase of generosity

BBC asks interesting questions and share relevant figures about private donations, following the flood of "generosity".

Massive appeals in the past, such as the Live Aid appeal for Ethiopia, have failed to make a long-term impact on our giving habits. It was similar with the 9/11 appeal in America, which raised $2bn from the public. Year-end figures revealed overall donations in the US did not rise significantly, says Ms Pharoah. Instead people simply diverted cash earmarked for one charity to the 11 September families.

So, there will be more victims of the tsunamis, but these will likely be unheard of: those who won't receive the money diverted.