I haven’t seen the Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar covered here yet, but I just came across the recent CNN article that states the US government is estimating the death count to exceed 100,000, which is five times more than expected. Eek. Plus, it seems like the foreign aid is having trouble getting through to the region, especially as our six cargo helicopters are still awaiting visas in Thailand to enter the country. Eek times a million.
I can’t help but recall the huge tsunami that hit Thailand and Indonesia back in 2004, and the overwhelming amount of press, aid and conversation that it sparked here in the US.
What about Myanmar? I’ve only caught headlines online and very little coverage across blogs. I could be wrong (and do say so) but I’m curious to know everyone’s thoughts about this, especially in lieu of the 2004 disaster. Are we just less aware about global events? The tsunami hit right in the midst of our holiday season–did that create a better environment for Americans to openly address a foreign disaster? Do Thailand’s resort areas cause more concern because there are more likely to be fellow Americans there? Or are we more preoccupied with the upcoming Presidential election? How is the Asian American community responding to this?
The tsunami was clearly a bigger (and totally different) natural disaster, as it’s been reported to have killed over 250,000 people, but I thought I’d seek out your thoughts.
Side note: I also found this article, Burma’s Lucky Escape, about how the country was fortunate to escape much of the damage from the tsunami. Kind of creepy to read now, isn’t it?
(Photo courtesy of AFP)
