Can the aid paid to those afflicted by the tsunami be considered Zakat?

Zakat (definition) is paid to the eight categories mentioned in the Holy Quran: "Indeed, [prescribed] charitable donations are only to be given to the poor and the needy, and to those who work to collect them, and to those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to [free] captives, and to those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and to the wayfarer; [this is] an obligation from Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise." (At-Tawbah (definition): 60). So, if the earthquake victims are Muslims and fall into these categories, it is permissible to pay zakat to them; otherwise, it is not.