· May, 2009

Stories about Disaster from May, 2009

Cyclone Aila, Another Blow to Bangladesh

  31 May 2009

Although cyclone Aila, which had battered the Southern parts of Bangladesh recently, was not powerful, it had done much damage causing tidal waves in the coastal areas. “Aila swept away many areas, which were still recovering from the hurricane Sidr,” updates, Life As I Know It .

Honduras: Strong Earthquake Shakes Country

  29 May 2009

Honduras awoke early in the morning of May 28 when an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale shook the country. Five deaths were confirmed, more injured, and slowly there is the discovery of damages to the country's infrastructure like buildings, bridges, and highways. Microblogging platforms like Blipea and Twitter were the first to report the earthquake from users in San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba. However, some bloggers were unable to update their sites due to electrical and internet outages all across the country.

Honduras: 7.1 Scale Earthquake Hits

  28 May 2009

A 7.1 scale earthquake has hit Honduras. Janpedrano [es] writes about communicating with friends and family around the country through internet, SMS, and telephone making sure that they were alright.

Bangladesh, India: No To Tipaimukh Dam

  27 May 2009

The Tipaimukh Hydroelectric Project is being constructed near the confluence of Barak and Tuivai rivers, in Manipur, India and within 100km of Bangladesh border. The project will submerge a huge portion of land, thereby making thousands of people homeless and threatening the habitats of Indigenous population in India. The downstream neighbor Bangladesh will also face severe environmental and economic consequences.

Pakistan: Another Suicide Attack In Lahore

  27 May 2009

Lahore Metblogs reports that 10 people have been killed and close to 100 people were injured as yet another suicide attack was launched in Lahore targeting a police building. Five Rupees predicts that this is the work of the Talibans in response to the Army offensive in North West Frontier...

Bangladesh: Cyclone Aila Relief Efforts

  27 May 2009

The death toll from the destruction of cyclone Aila, which wreaked havoc in India and Bangladesh, is rising and more than 150 people had died in Bangladesh alone. The tidal waves caused by the storm has made hundreds of thousands homeless. BRAC blog writes about the cyclone Aila relief efforts.

India: Cyclone Aila Strikes

  25 May 2009

Scores of people were killed and many injured in India and Bangladesh as cyclone Aila made a downfall in the region earlier today. Sukanya at Notes from wherever I happen to be… writes from Kolkata: “trapped as we were at work…while Aila created havoc. [..] Uprooted posts, torn wires and...

Haiti: Flooding Claims Lives

  25 May 2009

Repeating Islands reports that “at least 11 people died…in Haiti after torrential rains triggered floods throughout the nation.”

Influenza A(H1N1) cases in Southeast Asia

  24 May 2009

Several Southeast Asian countries have confirmed that some of their citizens have tested positive for Influenza A(H1N1) infection. The region is no longer swine flu-free. Bloggers react as the virus continues to spread from one country to another.

Sri Lanka: Abuse, Disbelief And Bitterness Persist

  22 May 2009

The Sri Lankan government's civil war for over 25 years against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ended a few days ago when the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed. The question remains that "has the dream of many Tamils of having a separate state free from discrimination died with him?". The polarized Sri Lankan Blogosphere is buzzing with a lot of analysis and counter analysis on the stories of celebrating the end of war, human rights abuse, distrust and communal hatred.

Pakistan: A Humanitarian Crisis

  21 May 2009

Pakistan has been hit by a severe humanitarian crisis as a result of the military onslaught against the Taliban insurgency in the Swat Valley. Over one million people have fled their homes from various areas in the Malakand division and FATA including Buner, Dir and Swat. A massive relief effort has been launched by many organizations and individuals and the Pakistani Blogosphere is also taking a leading role to seek help for the IDPs.

Sri Lanka: Concern For The IDPs

  20 May 2009

Musings from Toronto comments: “Whether the pro-LTTE diaspora's fear of the Sri Lankan Government is ludicrous or otherwise; their concern for the displaced civilians is certainly one I support.”

Indonesia: Army plane crash

  20 May 2009

An Indonesian army plane carrying more than 100 passengers crashed in East Java. Twitter user ari197 comments: “Indonesian soldier is dying not because of war but because of old device/weapons/planes/ships.”

Sri Lanka: Priorities After The War

  19 May 2009

A Voice In Colombo discusses about the two priorities Sri Lanka needs to address after the end of civil war; helping the IDPs and taking care of the injured veterans and families of the deceased.

China: Future school safety, but not the past

  19 May 2009

David Bandurski from China Media Project looked into the education ministry's recent project on “secondary and primary school safety” and noticed that there was no mention at all of the collapse of shoddily constructed schools in last year’s Wenchuan earthquake.

Sri Lanka: Bloggers react to the death of the LTTE leader

  18 May 2009

The government of Sril Lanka announced via state media and SMS today (Monday, May 18, 2009) afternoon that the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Vellupillai Prabhakaran, is dead. Obituaries of Prabhakaran note that he was a hero to some and a ruthless killer to others. Sri Lankan Bloggers lament on the legacy of this war lord and what his demise means for the future of the Tamil people and Sri Lanka.

Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar: A Year After

  17 May 2009

A deadly cyclone hit Myanmar’s southern Irrawaddy delta in May 2008 which affected more than 2 million people. A year after the Cyclone Nargis tragedy, survivors are still suffering while reconstruction efforts remain inadequate. Contributions are still needed in order to help the cyclone survivors.