And not in a good way. Just in a huge, awe-struck way. The toll from the earthquake/tsunami in Asia exceeds 70,000 and is expected to climb higher.
I was going to say it makes terrorism look like peanuts, but that's pretty silly. It just reminds us that while we're fighting over who's imaginary friend is the real one, the Awesome Forces you can't deny keep ticking along with supreme indifference. The exhibit at Te Papa is accurately named.
What a great pity the billions the USA has wasted on that missle defence program weren't spent on, oh, say... a global early warning system for tsunami. Or disaster respose systems. Governments and CD had several hours warning in many cases but they couldn't evacuate or even warn people about it.
"... relief organizations said that given the scale of the devastation across a dozen countries, they were facing what amounted to the largest relief effort in history." But interestingly, "... [the] World Health Organization emphasized that the biggest risk of an outbreak was posed by survivors. The agency's officials said Tuesday that because there was little danger of epidemics from unburied bodies, immediate mass burials and cremations were not necessary. Instead, they said, family members and friends should be given time, where possible, to identify the bodies first."
I always thought the exact opposite, but apparently, "Disease transmission requires the presence of an infectious agent and exposure to it. So if bodies are infected with an organism, they can spread disease and start outbreaks.
But most infectious agents do not survive long enough in the human body after death, Dr. Connelly said. So the most likely source of outbreaks is from survivors, he said. Health officials are concerned about cholera and other infectious agents present in the affected areas."
I think in many ways it would make one highly cynical working for Red Cross/Crescent or similar relief agencies. "Aceh Province, on the northwestern tip of the island of Sumatra, was the hardest hit by both the earthquake and the resulting tsunamis. Rebels in the civil war in the region declared a cease-fire so rescue workers could gain access to those in need. Meanwhile, refugees foraged to survive, and heavy looting was reported."
How good of the rebels to allow the relief agencies to come in and feed and clothe their families when disaster hits. The rest of the time they'll kidnap or kill you for trying to immunise villagers or provide clean drinking water to 'enemy' children, but when they're threatened... by all means, and would you hurry up?!
(All quotes from the nytimes.com website)
Thanks
Posted by: Online Home Loans at November 19, 2005 10:55 PM