As aid flights arrive in Sri Lanka as part of the massive relief effort, aid workers face the enormous task of distributing supplies effectively to save lives.
Among the workers is Salvation Army captain Mike McKee who was discussing the charity's plan of action with colleagues soon after arriving in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo from London on Thursday.
Captain McKee, field operations officer for the charity, is working with its relief operations co-ordinator Major Cedric Hills.
The following day they head to the Galle area, a southern coastal town badly-hit by Sunday's devastation.
"We want to identify villages and communities down there not receiving aid," he said.
He said there were non-government organisations already working in the area, providing supplies to the many people affected.
'No waste'
But he said there had been reports of some food going to waste before it was able to be distributed.
"We have come here to make sure aid is well-distributed and our food doesn't go to waste," he said.
Capt McKee, from the charity's international headquarters, said the Salvation Army will take a letter of introduction to the district leaders in Galle and will be working with them as part of the huge aid effort.
Salvation Army assessment teams took initial relief supplies of food items and water to the southern coastal areas of the island within hours of the disaster striking.
Capt McKee said the charity had been distributing clothes and supplies on Thursday to many people made homeless by the effects of the underwater earthquake.
Capt McKee who has previously led the Salvation Army's international emergency services team in Iraq, said they would be taking a truck load of supplies to the Galle area on their initial meeting with district officials.
"We are taking quite a lot of clothes and a lot of water - which is the main thing," he said.
Rebuilding work
These are supplies sent by Salvation Army workers in Hong Kong.
"There is a lot more in the pipeline", he said, "We are talking plane loads".
He added that the US, the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands were all among countries raising money for the charity to enable its aid relief.
Capt McKee, an American who now lives in Kent, says the Salvation Army expects to be in the area for the long haul.
"We are fully expecting to be here to help with rebuilding work as well as sustained relief. We're here for quite a while," he said.
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