Floods

Aug. 27th, 2010 10:25 pm
lady_of_clunn: (Default)
[personal profile] lady_of_clunn
The water just doesn't want to go away.

It's awful. It's much, much worse than awful but I can't think of any adequate word. North and south of where I am it's hell on earth.

Between 17 and 20 million people have been affected. That's what the UN and the Pakistani government says.

'Affected' meaning their houses, all belongings, lifestock, crops and even their families have been lost in the masses of waters. Soon, waterborne diseases will start rampaging...  For at least two years, nearly all food will have to be imported as practically the entire crop of this year is lost. I do not know how the poorer families will be able to pay for imported food.

Many areas haven't even been reached because they are so remote and bridges and roads have simply disappeared.

Governments are sending aid but my mother says that at least in Germany, private people are reluctant to donate because they fear that the money will not reach the flood victims.

On my flight here I personally met Red Cross aid workers who assured me that they are controlling who will receive and what will be done with the money.

This catatsrophe is bigger than the 2004 tsunami, the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir and the Haiti earthquake combined. I don't know why it's so bloody quiet out there.

(no subject)

Date: 2010-08-27 06:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elvishly.livejournal.com
Wait, what, the US isn't giving it masses of coverage? :| Whaaaaat! Someone needs to explain this to me. :|

(no subject)

Date: 2010-08-27 06:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com
Um... Pakistan is a scary country with scary-looking people, who might just all be taliban?

Ergo, it's okay for them to drown?

(no subject)

Date: 2010-08-27 06:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ratherbsailing.livejournal.com
That's basically the sentiment that I'm picking up from the stuff i've read so far. So much intolerance for anything remotely associated with Islam or Muslims over here. It's even worse now with the big controversy about the Mosque and Ground Zero....people are getting very scary over here, and I suspect the media isn't going to be changing their focus to be more sympathetic any time soon.

(no subject)

Date: 2010-08-27 06:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lady-of-clunn.livejournal.com
The worst thing is that this is not going to improve the political climate whatsoever...

(no subject)

Date: 2010-08-27 06:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elvishly.livejournal.com
:| :| !!!

I knew the UK would have a lot of coverage b/c of its history, but these floods are pretty intense; I thought the US would have given it some priority? I've just come across this though: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/08/145997.htm

(no subject)

Date: 2010-08-28 05:43 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
The US military is very much involved in the rescue and aid efforts here and they try to show this as much as possible.

They are trying to get as much Pakistani media coverage as possible. They even officially say that this is mainly because they need the Pakistani people to see America in a positive light, win hearts and minds, blabla, need a strong ally in the region and so on and so on.

At the same time I have a feeling that they don't necessarily want the American people to know that they are actually helping quite a lot.

(no subject)

Date: 2010-08-29 05:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elvishly.livejournal.com
hearts and minds ... yes, that thought did come up whilst I was thinking about this... What you said seems possible and probably what IS happening. sighhh

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