The U.S. government is offering to help Asian nations struck by a massive earthquake and devastating tsunamis. At least three Americans were among the nearly 14,000 people killed. "The United States stands ready to offer all appropriate assistance to those nations most affected," White House deputy press secretary Trent Duffy said in a statement Sunday. State Department spokesman Noel Clay said U.S. officials were working on ways to help. "The United States will be very responsive," he said, offering no details on plans for relief and assistance. President George W. Bush expressed his condolences over the "terrible loss of life and suffering," said the White House statement issued aboard Air Force One. Bush was traveling from Washington to Texas, where he was beginning a post-Christmas vacation at his Crawford ranch. The 9.0 quake struck deep beneath the Indian Ocean, sending 20-foot (6-meter) walls of water thousands of miles (kilometers), crashing onto beaches in eight Asian countries.
