A massive relief effort is underway in the regions affected by a massive tidal wave that hit Asia on Dec. 26.

Canadians who are worried about friends and family can contact Canada's Foreign Affairs Emergency Operations Centre at:

• (613) 944-2471 or
• 1-800-606-5499

A list of Canadian offices for foreign embassies can be found at The DFAIT website The Diplomatic Gateway to Canada.

Some of the worst hit regions are Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and Thailand.

The Sri Lankan High Commissioner is sending requests for information on people in Sri Lanka directly to the country.

Requests should include: the name, address, last known whereabouts of the person in Sri Lanka, and the name of the person requesting information.

The High Commission can be contacted at 1-613-233-8449, or 1-613-233-1550 or slhcgen@sprint.ca .

The High Commission of India has issued a press release on its website with a list of contact numbers for Indian missions broad.

The contact numbers and e-mail addresses can be found at the bottom of the press release.

The Royal Thai Embassy in Ottawa suggested loved ones contact the Bangkok hotline for information. That number is:

• 662-241-7450 (the last two numbers can be dialed from 50 to 62)

There is also a Thai website that offers a search function that allows family and friends to search for loved ones. It can be found at the Thai government website.

As for the Canadian Red Cross, communication officer Suzanne Charest told CTV.ca that a system will be set up in a few days that will allow Canadians to place a tracing request on family and friends in the areas hit by the tsunami.

"The goal right now is really to do search and rescue, that's the main priority," Charest told CTV.ca.

When the Restoring Family Links Program is in place, those who wish to place an inquiry with the Tracing Service are asked to provide the following information to their nearest Red Cross office:

• Full name of sought person
• Date of birth or age
• Father's name
• Mother's name
• Last known address
• Date of last news
• Reason for separation
• Reason for search
• Personal background information
• Your full name
• Address
• Your relationship to the sought person