tsunami - news

[dream_labyrinth]

I just saw 55,000 deaths mentioned somewhere.
There are NGOs and other organizations already trying to help. The hospital in my home town has re-scheduled so that as many doctors as possible can go to the areas affected and try to help.

It might seem strange at this point to think about books and library collections, but I have just found this page on IFLANET (IFLA, for those non-Librarians, is the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), asking for help for the libraries in Sri Lanka.

After the flooding in Europe two years ago, many libraries received an incredible amount of books and money. I've talked to some librarians who said that without this help, the libraries would not be open now.

I know that libraries are not as important as fresh water or food to survive. But they are essential for life, and their rebuilding is an important sign for rebuilding a society, and that is just what is necessary.

Link crossposted to libraries

Comments

[agrathea.livejournal.com]

After hearing last that the death toll was at 3,000, and you mentioning 55,000 this morning, my stomach sank. I looked, and you're right... It will also probably double in coming days, and there's no telling the continued deaths from lack of sanitation, clean water, and a spreading of disease. I'm flabbergasted. This is just too big to even imagine.

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

It is, and it seems even more impossible in a world where we think we can control anything, build houses to resist earthquakes and planes to take us away from danger and medicine against so many diseases but still it isn't enough.
It reminds me that no matter how much technology we will have, nature will always be stronger. Maybe it is good to know that, I just wish we wouldn't have to learn it in a lesson like this.

[tuva.livejournal.com]

I know, it is horrible, really horrible.

I've just read that they fear over 40000 deaths in Indonesia. There's already 21700 in Sri Lanka, 5000 in India and also many in Thailand, Somalia, Burma and Malaysia. A lot of people will probably never be found again... And they fear that the death toll will double because of epidemies. They have simply started to burn the dead ones in Indonesia, without ID'ing them, but I guess that's the only thing they can do...

Norway is sending personell today (I think we sent someone yesterday too), one of them is my best friends dad (he's a CSI, and he's going to identify dead bodies), they have no clue when he's coming back home again... We've also given (as far as I know) 10 million kroner, although I'm sure it'll become more soon, charity organisations are collecting and I think most people dontate...

[tuva.livejournal.com]

Ohh, just read that we gave 50 million kroner...