Stories about Disaster from April, 2011
Colombia on Red Alert After Heavy Rains
Colombia is on red alert due to heavy rains. Residents of 28 departments suffer extreme hardship: flooding, landslides and sudden increase in rivers and streams have left more than three million five hundred thousand victims.
North Korea: Rumors and Superstitions Surrounding Former US President Carter
Former US President Carter visited the North Korea to resolve the country's nuclear issues, but failed to meet North Korea's reclusive leader, Kim Jong-il. A North Korean insider report, Open...
Execution Tunnels in North Korea
There are strong claims that tunnels in North Korea have been adapted for mass-executions of political prisoners if the regime ever be threatened, according to local reports. Alec Macph shared...
Ukraine: Memories and Photos of Chernobyl in August 1986
Aleksandr Strannik (LJ user av-strannik) arrived at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in mid-August of 1986, some four months after the April 26 blast at Reactor #4, to assist in the clean-up effort. Twenty-five years later, he is sharing some of his memories and photos from that time.
Ukraine: Stories From the Charity Walk to Chornobyl
Liudmyla Bulychova guestblogs at UK Ambassador Leigh Turner's blog about Charity Walk to Chornobyl, which was held on April 22-23. More stories [en, fr] and photos – here.
Ukraine: “Twenty-five years ago – Chornobyl – Where were you?”
uaMuzik and Nash Holos blog about the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe.
Colombia's Harsh Winter
Global Voices author Lully Posada writes in equinoXio [es] about winter in Colombia and the strong rains that have left more than 3 million victims.
North Korea: Three Films Denouncing Kim Jong-il Regime
Three films which give a rare glimpse inside the North Korea have been introduced during the North Korea Freedom Week, an annual event jointly held in Seoul and Washington hosting...
Mexico: Northern States Hit by Wildfires
Alejandro Ortiz Sotomayor in Vivir México [es] shares a photo by Jorge Alberto Mendoza Mariscal which shows the work of Mexican firefighters as they try to control a “Spring” wildfire...
Japan: Tohoku Earthquake as seen through Twitter
A video by Rio Akasaka shows how the news of the earthquake spread on Twitter on March 11.
Belarus, Ukraine: “Chernobyl: The First Month”
At OpenDemocracy.net, Barys Piatrovich, a Belarusian writer and journalist, recalls the first month after the Chernobyl catastrophe of April 26, 1986: “It was difficult for me to write this text....
North Korea: North Korean Defectors’ Remittances to Families in North
North Korean expert Andrei Lankov, wrote about the remittances from North Korean defectors on the East Asian Forum site. Despite their economic struggle in capitalistic South Korea, they send money...
Chile: Nurse Expedites Organ Transport Using Twitter
Cristina Bizama, a nurse at Talca hospital in Chile, has devised a way to speed up the transport of organs from the city of Talca to the capital, Santiago, some 260 kilometers away. Everything started with one tweet: "Incredible! There is no way to transport 5 organs to [Santiago]."
Ukraine: “Chernobyl Tourism: Time to Put an End”
Leopolis writes about the negative effect of “Chernobyl tourism”: “It has been branded as extreme tourism. The only problem is that as opposed to jumping off a cliff, you see...
Lebanon: Seven Estonian Hostages Appeal for Help
On March 25, Estonian YouTube user HelensVlogs reported on the kidnapping of seven Estonian tourists two days earlier, as they were cycling in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. On April 20, the...
Kazakhstan: Bloggers Keep an Eye on Floods as Official Media Keep Quiet
Two large cities in Kazakhstan are suffering from major floods, situated in the centers of two provinces – Uralsk in the western part of the country and Ust-Kamenogorsk in the east. Official media and many private publications have not provided a full picture of the disaster, and the real scope of damage is not being told. Bloggers have led the coverage of the situation, taking field trips with photo and video cameras, and providing assistance to the people.
Ukraine: “Crumbs From the Table”
Foreign Notes reports that a Ukrainian MP Rinat Akhmetov has bought a penthouse in London for £136 million ($222 million), and intends to donate $1 million for the construction of...
Brazil/Japan: Bridge Blogging Post-Earthquake News
“I read a post from a japanese blogger, I found it truly interesting and I decided to translate part of it”, said [pt] Satou Mihoko, who has decided to bridge...
Myanmar: Quake victims need water and zinc sheets
A relief worker reports that quake victims in Northeast Myanmar need drinking water and zinc sheets for shelter. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar last month.
North Korea: Starving People Welcome Big Forest Fires
A recent NASA satellite photo showed a number of forest fires in North Korea. Free North Korea Radio, an internet-based news media founded and runs by North Korean defectors, reported...
Japan: “Nuclear Power Mafia”
An anoymous user published on Nichannel (2ch) some pages from the manga titled Hakuryu Legend – Nuclear Power Mafia [ja] (by Tennoji Dai and Watanabe Michio), whose publication was suspended...
