From Borneo, our heartfelt sympathies and prayers go out to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on the US Gulf Coast, and affected several other states.
It may be one of the worst natural disasters in US history, but it was initially not taken much notice here in Malaysian Borneo. The disaster did not even warrant front page news in the daily papers as Malaysia was in the midst of its Independence Day celebration.
It is not that we were unsympathetic or uncaring. Our thoughts went out to the victims and the destruction caused by the deadly ravage.
But this was in America, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, and the perennial leader in relief and rescue efforts in other less developed countries. We have been amazed and even inspired by the poise of the US in overcoming the 911 tragedy.
We were sure that they would clean up the mess and evacuate everyone to safety in a day or less. After all, no matter how big a natural disaster, you can always count on the US to come to your rescue.
When the US government’s response and recovery efforts were seemingly not forthcoming by the third day after the catastrophe, we suddenly took notice. But it was the images of the devastation that really caught our attention.
By the infrastructural damages and flooding, we would have thought this looks familiarly like Aceh after the Tsunami.
By the racial composition of the bewildered survivors still trapped in the mostly-submerged city of New Orleans, we could almost swear that this is not the Big Easy, but somewhere in a Third-World African country.
There were looting, gun shots, buildings on fire, and the dead left behind on the street side. There were people starving, suffering and dying. Tourists were still stranded and some were mugged. The whole episode depicts a chaotic and disorganized system of governing.
This is not the America we know. This is a scene from “Escape to New York” or some apocalyptic Hollywood movie.
The lesson learnt here is that even the world’s only Superpower will not be able to withstand the aftermath of a natural misfortune, not only physically and financially, but also socially and politically.
In this respect, the citizens of the world (regardless of creed, religion and race) from the less-developed and developing nations, should come together to dig deep into our hearts to see how we can offer some form of assistance (e.g., donations, prayers, etc.) to ease the plights of the victims.
Our best wishes for a speedy evacuation, recovery, and restoration process.
The Editor,
Travel Borneo Blog
e-borneo.com
http://www.e-borneo.com/
Relief Effort: How to Help
The US Emergency management officials recommend that those wishing to assist Hurricane Katrina victims give cash donations and resist going to affected areas. Donations can be made to charitable organizations recommended by the US's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at the following URL:
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18473
For online donation, you can visit the special site donated by Yahoo! for contribution to the American Red Cross' Hurricane 2005 Relief at the URL below:
http://store.yahoo.com/redcross-donate3/
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