Stories about Disaster from August, 2010
Taiwan: Anniversary of Typhoon Morakot
Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan in August 2009. Paul Katz looks at Xiaolin Village (小林村) one year after the disaster. The focus of the people is now on rebuilding their village.
Portugal: Blogging Against Military Action
Blog Anti-Nato Portugal [pt, es] denounces that the United States has denied making available, in the aid effort to Pakistan, the 19 helicopters destined to the war in Afghanistan. Bloggers cite a military high official, who in a press conference, confirmed that the decision was up to Washington and that the...
India: Oil Spill Near Mumbai Threatens Beaches And Mangrove Forests
On 7th of August 2010, the container carrier MSC Chitra collided with MV Khalijia-III near Mumbai shore causing a massive oil spill. Bloggers fear that this will severely damage nearby mangrove forests and pollute the clean beaches of South Mumbai.
Madagascar: FAO Warns of Locust Threat to Agriculture in the South West Region
On the blog of Organisation de la Presse Africaine, The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that $15 million USD is needed to mount a campaign on some 500,000 hectares of land threatened by locust plague [fr]. An average locust swarm consumes the equivalent amount of food as...
Pakistan: Bloggers Leading By Example In Helping The Flood Victims
Dr. Awab Alvi at Teeth Maestro informs how some bloggers are engaging online and offline with local communities to collect donations and plan relief efforts for the flood victims of Pakistan.
Haiti: Wyclef's Plans
Dessalines’ Children re-posts a video in which Wyclef Jean outlines “the main issues facing Haiti…how his presidential bid was inspired by Nelson Mandela and anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, and why his lack of political experience might work to his advantage in office.”
Russian-Fires.ru, First Ushahidi Experience
Wildfires in central Russia have shown that the Russian blogosphere is capable of fast mobilization, cooperation and solidarity when it comes to natural disasters. The RuNet Echo team not only observed the blogosphere's reaction to the wildfires, but has become one of the few centers of coordination of volunteers and victims of the disaster.
Pakistan: Sense Of Sacrifice
Considering the recent troubles Pakistan is in, Hasan at Chowrangi proposes that Pakistanis should celebrate the upcoming national day on the 14th August with a great sense of sacrifice, by helping the countrymen victimized by flood and war.
Russia: Do Authorities Conceal Rate of Death Caused by Smog?
Blogger molitva-i-post writes [RUS] that Moscow medical services failed to evacuate the body of her grandfather who died of heat and smog. Hospitals and morgues are filled with the dead, blogger reported. Despite numerous similar cases, the Ministry of Health denied [RUS] the increase in death rate caused by high temperatures.
Haiti: Does Class have an Impact?
“The Jan. 12 earthquake reveals that the principal fault-line in Haiti is not geological but one of class”: Haitianalysis.com says “a small handful of rich families own large tracts of land in suburban Port-au-Prince which would be ideal for resettling the displaced thousands.”
Haiti: Thoughts on Wyclef
While Currents Between Shores respects Wyclef Jean's bid for the Haitian presidency, she also thinks “his passion is naive, his vision is vague and short-sighted and that just because he can run for president of Haiti, doesn't mean that he should.” Mediahacker, meanwhile, says: “Jean likened himself to Barack Obama,...
Russia: Wildfire News Website Suspected to Be Attacked
LJ-user irka-knopkina writes [RUS] about a Vyksa city website [RUS] that is allegedly DDoS'ed for posting information about wildfires. Administration of a local factory prohibited access to the website to its employees, blogger added. Vyksa and surrounding areas were hit by severe wildfires recently.
China: Zhouqu landslide, a man made disaster
On August 8, a landslide happened in Zhouqu in Gansu province. According to official Xinhua news, the disaster has so far taken away 127 people's lives and 1,294 people reported missing. Since there is very limited information from official media outlets, Woeser's coordinated a collaborative investigation via Twitter soon after...
Taiwan: Indigenous people protest against forced eviction
In the video report created by Civilmedia[zht], more than 600 Taiwan indigenous people from different tribes and supporters gathered in front of the Presidential Office and criticize the forced eviction, ignorance on tribal integrity, and vacuum promises from government after Typhoon Morakot that hit southern Taiwan one year ago.
The Great Floods of Singapore
A series of freak floods hit Singapore in the past month which is unprecedented for a city state widely recognized as an urban paradise. Residents are angry and they want answers for the apparent lack of government preparation and response during the flooding disaster. Bloggers share their reactions
Russia: a Blogger That Wrote to Putin about Wildfires Regrets Writing
Alexander Pochkov (aka LJ user top-lap), shares [RUS] his regrets about writing to Russian Prime Minister [EN] Vladimir Putin. He claims he may lose his job and Putin's response made him a joke in the blogosphere. It would be better, he says, if he avoided writing and went to fight the...
Trinidad & Tobago: The Politics of Flooding
KnowTnT.com says that the country's recent floods, “while partly falling under ‘Act of God’ because of the rains, [are] largely government inspired”, while B.C. Pires, tongue in cheek, suggests ways in which “to profit from the floods we can't stop.”
Russia: Fires, Rynda and Putin Create Internet Meme
The coverage of Russian fires on the blogosphere took a different turn when notorious Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin replied to one of the posts on LiveJournal, popular blogging platform in the country, and, inadvertently, created a new Internet meme called "rynda."
Haiti: Saying “No” to Monsanto
Monsanto has been a controversial company for some years now, mainly because it is a major producer of genetically modified seed (reportedly selling as much as 90% of the genetically engineered seed in the United States) and has a reputation for employing questionable methods to ensure that it maintains its lead. Enter Haiti...
Pakistan: Anger Mounts At President's Apathy
As Pakistan is hit by the most devastating floods in over 80 years and is marred by rising violence in the country's metropolitan hub, bloggers vent their anger and frustration at the President's decision to embark on a foreign tour.
Haiti: Preparing for Hurricanes
Wadner Pierre reports that “Gonaives, the third largest city in Haiti, is rushing to prepare for an expected highly active hurricane season.”
