Wave
Holy moley. It's a funny feeling sitting here in our first true days of summer - and instead of listening to the cricket, we're learning about one of the greatest natural disasters of modern history.
The sheer scale of this event that has made in impression on me. At the end of 27th December, the confirmed death toll is 23,000 across 9 countries, following the largest earthquake for 40 years (9 on the Richter scale). It makes humanity seem very, very small when people, houses, cars, trees, animals can be obliterated on such a massive scale. Like washing ants down a plughole.
Although this disaster will probably not have great overall historical or geopolitical repercussions, (although the economic impact is already being calculated), it pisses all over September 11th 2001 in terms of size and the number of people directly affected. The fact that the people most hit are among the poorest in the world makes this event even more tragic.
The human side to the event is almost overwhelming. The BBC's "Have Your Say" has become a heart-rending bulletin board not only for people from around the world to describe their personal experiences of the tsunamis, but to also post queries about missing loved ones and make requests for aid from remote areas.
" I heard someone who said that she lost 2 (out of 4) of her children. She said that she didn't know which one to pick up because she couldn't carry them all."
"The main requirement in this area is drinking water, medicine, and shelter. Please help."
" We are desperate for news of our daughter Charlotte Jones who was on the island of Racha Yai near Phuket when the wave struck. She is 24, 5 foot 6 inches with distinguishing dreadlocks."
The sheer scale of this event that has made in impression on me. At the end of 27th December, the confirmed death toll is 23,000 across 9 countries, following the largest earthquake for 40 years (9 on the Richter scale). It makes humanity seem very, very small when people, houses, cars, trees, animals can be obliterated on such a massive scale. Like washing ants down a plughole.
Although this disaster will probably not have great overall historical or geopolitical repercussions, (although the economic impact is already being calculated), it pisses all over September 11th 2001 in terms of size and the number of people directly affected. The fact that the people most hit are among the poorest in the world makes this event even more tragic.
The human side to the event is almost overwhelming. The BBC's "Have Your Say" has become a heart-rending bulletin board not only for people from around the world to describe their personal experiences of the tsunamis, but to also post queries about missing loved ones and make requests for aid from remote areas.
" I heard someone who said that she lost 2 (out of 4) of her children. She said that she didn't know which one to pick up because she couldn't carry them all."
"The main requirement in this area is drinking water, medicine, and shelter. Please help."
" We are desperate for news of our daughter Charlotte Jones who was on the island of Racha Yai near Phuket when the wave struck. She is 24, 5 foot 6 inches with distinguishing dreadlocks."
posted by etnobofin @ 13:04
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