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helwenAs some folks may be aware, Myanmar was in the news last year because of protests by the monks against the current military-run government. I've been going away from posting about stuff like this, pollution, global food issues, etc., because I really need the personal time to do things at home and locally. But for those who don't read the news, this is one worth knowing about.
Now there has just been a major cyclone with winds up to 120 mph -- the gov't had originally reported to the public that winds would be around 30 mph; I don't know how such an error was made at this point. The people there have determined at this point that the cyclone also created a 12 foot high tidal wave.
The area affected by the cyclone had 24 million people living there. Currently confirmed death toll is around 22,000. Current count for missing is around 41,000. Up to 1 million are homeless at this time. So many roads are obstructed that teams are having difficulty getting in aid and ascertaining damages, finding people who need help, etc. Also communications are down.
More details here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24478247/
The government has called for international aid, and aid is coming in from all directions. At first the government resisted, and some of the information available on this aspect is still rather confused, but it appears that some teams are going in, with more to follow. This is an unusual thing for the current government to permit.
The loss in homes, infrastructure, and rice crops is incalculable at this time. Entire villages are gone. The actual land affected is about 5 percent of the country's land mass, but approx. 1/4 of the country's population lived there. Because of loss of shelter, safe water, food supplies, and the inability of aid teams to get to many people immediately, the likelihood of epidemics is high. (And what supplies are available are being sold at very high prices by the stores).
Good question as to whether the government will remain in power for much longer, given their response time and how people are feeling between last September and this most recent event.
For those wanting to help out, I believe there are some aid groups mentioned in the article that probably have web sites for sending monetary aid through. Mercy Corps is a pretty effective group, so folks might consider them too. Donations can be in general or targeted to particular needs at the site: http://www.mercycorps.org/
***
Let's not get into discussions here about whether or not there are food shortages in the world (yes, in theory there's enough food to feed everyone, if it could be shipped everywhere, actually arrive at the proper destinations, actually be delivered to the people and not sit rotting on docks, and be affordable to everyone). I'm just providing the info and one possible international aid group to contribute to if one wishes, that's all.
Now there has just been a major cyclone with winds up to 120 mph -- the gov't had originally reported to the public that winds would be around 30 mph; I don't know how such an error was made at this point. The people there have determined at this point that the cyclone also created a 12 foot high tidal wave.
The area affected by the cyclone had 24 million people living there. Currently confirmed death toll is around 22,000. Current count for missing is around 41,000. Up to 1 million are homeless at this time. So many roads are obstructed that teams are having difficulty getting in aid and ascertaining damages, finding people who need help, etc. Also communications are down.
More details here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24478247/
The government has called for international aid, and aid is coming in from all directions. At first the government resisted, and some of the information available on this aspect is still rather confused, but it appears that some teams are going in, with more to follow. This is an unusual thing for the current government to permit.
The loss in homes, infrastructure, and rice crops is incalculable at this time. Entire villages are gone. The actual land affected is about 5 percent of the country's land mass, but approx. 1/4 of the country's population lived there. Because of loss of shelter, safe water, food supplies, and the inability of aid teams to get to many people immediately, the likelihood of epidemics is high. (And what supplies are available are being sold at very high prices by the stores).
Good question as to whether the government will remain in power for much longer, given their response time and how people are feeling between last September and this most recent event.
For those wanting to help out, I believe there are some aid groups mentioned in the article that probably have web sites for sending monetary aid through. Mercy Corps is a pretty effective group, so folks might consider them too. Donations can be in general or targeted to particular needs at the site: http://www.mercycorps.org/
***
Let's not get into discussions here about whether or not there are food shortages in the world (yes, in theory there's enough food to feed everyone, if it could be shipped everywhere, actually arrive at the proper destinations, actually be delivered to the people and not sit rotting on docks, and be affordable to everyone). I'm just providing the info and one possible international aid group to contribute to if one wishes, that's all.
