The disaster in Southeastern Asia in 2004 began one of the largest aid operations in the history of the Red Cross. The aid workers of the Finnish Red Cross helped in evacuating Finnish people from the tsunami area and offered emotional support in Finland. After the acute phase, an aid project, which lasted for seven years, began. In Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Indonesia, thousands of buildings were built and healthcare was improved.
When the disaster struck, 3,700 Finnish people were in the tsunami area. The Finnish Red Cross helped with the evacuations and provided emotional support in Finland.