The tidal waves that swept from South Asia to East Africa Sunday morning have riveted the attention of every major relief agency -- and may bring new attention to relief efforts by minority communities in the United States.

V. Velpari of Monroeville could picture the devastation in southeast India even before he saw it on satellite television. He is from Tamil Nadu, a state hit hard by the tsunami. And, as treasurer of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Tamil Nadu Foundation, which runs relief programs in that region, he knew he would be involved in the response.

His native city of Chennai -- formerly known as Madras -- is just inland from the fishing villages that were obliterated by the towering wall of water. Sunday mornings are a popular time for people to gather on the beach and purchase fresh fish from boatmen who have been on the water all night. The wave could not have hit at a worse time, he said.

Although Chennai has prospered through India's technology boom, the fishing villages have not shared the wealth.

"Most of the people who got killed are poor people," he said.

The Tamil Nadu Foundation will be collecting relief funds. The group has a social service center in Chennai that will determine how the money is used. Donations can be sent to the Tamil Nadu Foundation. USA, 1500 Scenery Ridge Road, Pittsburgh 15241.

The Sri Venkateswara Temple in Penn Hills is dispatching two representatives to India to assess the needs and coordinate relief from Pittsburgh.

"A lot of our members come from that area, so they know somebody who is affected," said Nagaraja Rao of Upper St. Clair, chairman of the temple's board of directors.

Dr. Srini Vasagam was making the rounds at Jefferson Regional Medical Center Sunday morning when a patient told him his homeland was on television. Vasagam, who is from the southern tip of India, spent the night watching the news and organizing.

A trustee of Sri Venkateswara Temple, he has close friends in the government of Tamil Nadu and at the helm of the Indian version of the Red Cross. He will leave tomorrow to spend a month in Tamil Nadu as one of the temple's relief coordinators.

Brother's Brother Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based charity that ships requested relief goods worldwide, hopes to work with the temple and many other groups, said President Luke Hingson. Cash donations can be sent to Brothers Brother Foundation, 1200 Galveston Ave., Pittsburgh 15233.

The annual New Year's Day prayer service at the Hindu-Jain Temple in Monroeville will be dedicated to aiding victims. Each Jan. 1 a fire is lit and devotees pray for peace and the well-being of the world. Donations will be collected at the service, which will begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Nasruth Ainapore, outreach director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, has been gathering information on Islamic relief organizations working in the disaster areas. Prayers will be offered Friday at the Oakland mosque for all those affected by the tsunamis, she said.

Donations for both the International Red Crescent and International Red Cross should be made through the Pittsburgh office of the American Red Cross at 225 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh 15222. They should be marked "International Response Fund." Islamic Relief Worldwide, www.irw.org/asiaquake/, is channeling donations to the victims.

Christian relief organizations are also deeply involved in the effort. World Vision, which has an international distribution center in Sewickley, has e-mailed thousands of churches across the nation requesting donations.