Stories about Disaster from October, 2010
South Korea: North Korean Defector's Struggling Life In Big Cities
A North Korean defector's life in South Korea is tough. Even after hundreds hours of study in Hanawon, the state-run resettlement facility, the defector's first encounter with the real world outside North is full of bewilderment and frustration. Korea’s Joongang took a snapshot of a defector's daily life.
Cambodia: Flooding in Phnom Penh
Vutha from Cambodia posts pictures of the recent flooding in Phnom Penh.
Philippines: Strongest typhoon of the year
Typhoon Juan (international name: Megi), the world’s strongest tropical cyclone of the year, hit the north part of the Philippines forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. Many provinces are still without power and communication signals; rice and other agricultural crops were also destroyed. Netizens share their stories
Chile: The 34th Miner
Roberto Arancibia from El Mundo Sigue Ahí [es] writes about “the 34th miner”: the other miners that got out of the San José mine and did not get trapped. He thought about that 34th miner when the news broke that the 33 miners were alive, and when the rescued miners...
Haiti: Camp Conditions
Nine months after the January 12 earthquake, Haiti Grassroots Watch examines the conditions in the country's “1,354 squalid refugee camps”.
Chile: 33 Miners Rescued Successfully
In northern Chile, efforts to free 33 miners trapped inside the San Jose copper and gold mine concluded successfully. All the men, including rescue workers, were brought back to the surface using a small capsule. Chileans have not only used blogs and social media to react to the accident and the rescue, but also to discuss related issues, like miner's working conditions.
South Asia: Bloggers Discussing Water Issues
A number of South Asian bloggers have participated in the Blog Action Day 2010, which focuses on the theme 'water'. Let us look at what some of them are discussing about.
Pakistan: Art Exhibition To Raise Fund For The Flood Relief Efforts
“The Sanjh set (101 cards) [..] tells a story of how artists of Pakistan came forward to share the miseries of fellow countrymen in real need by offering their art work that moved people to buy and contribute to the (flood) relief efforts”, informs S. A. J. Shirazi at Lahore...
Haiti: Hero on the Titanic
“Joseph Phillippe Lemercier Laroche was the only black man, a Haitian man, to perish in the Titanic; that’s after he saved his wife and kids”: Repeating Islands has the amazing story.
Bolivia: The Mining Rescue and Chile-Bolivia Relations
In his blog Pronto, Miguel Centellas analyzes whether the mining rescue will improve bilateral relations between Bolivia and Chile. One of the 33 miners trapped underground is Bolivian [es].
Mexico: Remembering the Pasta de Conchos Mine Disaster
Pepe Flores, from Vivir Mexico [es], says Mexicans watching the rescue of 33 miners in Chile are remembering the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster from February 19, 2006, when 65 miners were trapped underground. In the case of Pasta de Conchos, no miners were rescued.
Chile: Unfolding Miracle
“it is such a joy to be following a story that is filled with the triumph of the human spirit”: Abeni is rejoicing over the rescue of the Chilean miners.
Chile: Miners Begin to Emerge
Julio Suarez Anturi blogs [es] about the first miners emerging after 69 days trapped underground: “A second opportunity on this planet is what these 33 men are getting who spent the first 17 days as if they had disappeared, died […]”
Chile: Twitter List of Users Live from Camp Hope Covering Rescue of Miners
Nicolas Copano (@copano) has made a list of Twitter users [es] that are reporting on the rescue of the 33 trapped miners live from Camp Hope.
Hungary: Chemical Waste Reservoir Still Dangerous
Marietta Le translates a firsthand account from the area affected by the the caustic red sludge spill in Western Hungary and provides information on how to help the victims.
B.V.I.: Hard Hit by Otto
Repeating Islands republishes news of the British Virgin Islands’ struggle to operate under a State of Emergency, which was enforced due to severe flooding.
Pakistan: Twin Blasts at Karachi Sufi Shrine
Yesterday two suicide bombs struck Abdullah Shah Ghazi (a sufi) shrine in Karachi, killing at least 10 people and injuring at least 50 others. Fahad Desmukh posted in his blog some eyewitness reports recorded at the shrine just after the blasts occurred.
Indonesia: West Papua Flashflood
More than 80 people died and hundreds more are still missing after a flashflood devastated the remote town of Wasior in West Papua, Indonesia. Here are some news and blog reports and Facebook reactions
Jordan: To Palestine, With Love
Bloggers in Jordan, where a majority of people are descended from Palestinians, wrote extensively about issues in the West Bank and the Middle East this week.
Nigeria: Government was warned of bomb blasts in Abuja
Nigerian Curiosity gives her take on Friday's bomb blasts in Abuja: “Nigeria's security forces were warned of an impending attack at least five days before October 1st… Given such information, it is unacceptable that the government did not do more to anticipate and prepare for the attack.”
Indonesia: Questions about the train crash
Referring to the deadly train crash in Indonesia which killed 36 passengers, Multibrand asks if it is fair to pin the blame solely on the driver and suggests that other train authorities should be investigated as well.
