Stories about Disaster from August, 2007
Efforts underway to recover downed plane in French Polynesia
Parlons Tahiti writes about efforts to recover the downed plane (Fr) from a crash that killed twenty earlier this month in French Polynesia.
All out war in southern Philippines
War is raging in the island of Basilan, located in the southernmost part of the Philippines. An all-out war was recently declared by the government against the Abu Sayyaf bandit group accused of beheading 14 Marines last month. The military offensives have displaced thousands of families and imperiled the peace negotiations between the government and other Muslim rebel forces.
Jamaica: “Miss Lou” Fundraiser to Benefit Dean Victims
Geoffrey Philp notes that part proceeds from an upcoming tribute and fundraiser honoring the late Jamaican cultural icon Louise Bennett-Coverley, will be donated to victims of Hurricane Dean.
Dominica: Fair Trade after Dean
Caribbean farmers affected by Hurricane Dean are asking Britons to continue buying Fairtrade bananas in order to help them recover. Living Dominica reports.
Barbados: Answers for Britton's Hill
Barbados Underground suggests that Barbados’ Chief Town Planner should provide some answers on the Britton's Hill tragedy: “It is not BU’s intention to engage in the blame game but we...
Ukraine: Animal Shelter
On August 19, Ukrainian journalist Tanya Kremen paid a visit to an animal shelter located near a small town just outside Kyiv. Below are her impressions and thoughts, which she has posted on her blog at Korrespondent.net, as well as a couple of comments from her readers.
Barbados: Two Bodies Recovered
Cheese-on-bread! compares the site of the Barbados apartment building collapse to a “ground zero”, while Barbados Underground and Barbados Free Press report that two bodies (mother and son) have been...
Barbados: Recovery Effort Continues
It's Day 4 of the recovery effort to find the victims of the apartment building collapse in Barbados. Barbados Underground says that a significant part of the day was “spent...
Peru: An Opportunity for the Country
In the aftermath of the earthquake in Peru, some bloggers have continued to wonder who is to blame for the disappearance in aid and the sensationalist nature of the coverage. However, others are looking at the disaster as an opportunity for Peruvians to look critically at themselves and at their elected officials in order to make real reforms so that this does not happen again.
Barbados: Recovery, Not Rescue
Barbados Underground confirms that the rescue efforts at the site of the collapsed apartment building have become a recovery mission.
Egypt: Diplomats Destroy History
Elijah Zarwan links to an article about how European diplomats in Egypt destroyed a 40 million old UNESCO Heritage Site in Egypt's Whale Valley.
Greece: On Fire
We've probably all heard it in the news by now: Greece is ablaze. Today the fires reached the ancient city of Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics and home of...
Barbados: Apartment Building Collapses
Barbados Free Press, Barbados Underground and Pull! Push! all report on Barbados’ most recent tragedy – a young family feared dead after their apartment building collapsed into a cave.
Barbados, Jamaica: Rough Road Ahead?
“Jamaica was sailing along towards elections on August 27. Then, buddum! Nature, who has no votes, but often can be critical in how things turn out, wanted to have its...
Jamaica: Election postponed — till when?
In the aftermath of Hurricane Dean, confusion reigns over the postponement of the Jamaican general election originally scheduled for 27 August.
Reunion: Mild earthquake felt on the island.
At. 15:17 local time, an earthquake (3.6 on the richter scale) was felt all around the island of Reunion today. There is no report of major damages as of yet....
Jamaica: Surviving Dean
“It actually feels wrong to complain about the ‘agony’ of waiting 4 days to get back electricity just so that I can watch tv and surf the net. After all,...
Guyana: Flooding Expected?
“These are not freak occurrences but keep happening year after year with all kinds of excuses meted out for the cause of these floods,” says Guyana Providence Stadium, who is...
Barbados, Jamaica: Dean Winning Votes?
“Now taking advantage of disaster is a time honoured tradition amongst West Indian politicians,” writes Notes from the Margin, commenting on the impact Hurricane Dean may have on Jamaica's upcoming...
Russia: “Mama, We're In Hell!”
A young Russian woman traveling from Helsinki to Moscow found herself in a railway traffic jam caused by the train derailment last week. She was so horrified by the sight of the Russian countryside that she called her mother on her cell phone and told her they were stuck "in hell." The blogger who posted this story has received 469 comments from his readers.
Bahamas: Government Responsibility?
Sidney Sweeting, writing at WeblogBahamas.com, thinks Bahamians need to understand “where their own responsibilities end and the Government's responsibility begins or vice versa.”