Tsunami: The Aftermath
Five days have passed since the tsunami event and we (my parents and I) had just made a donation to UNICEF to help the tsunami crisis in Southeast Asia. The damages have been horrendous at a large scale and thousands of lives had been taken. The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami had already been a big shock to the villagers, tourists and others stuck in the affected regions and many have lost their lives.
Not only there are losses in economy of those nations (especially in places like the Maldives, where the economy is heavily reliant on tourism and agriculture), but there are also growing fears about the spread of diseases such as malaria and other water borne diseases that will add to the present death toll of nearly ten thousand. So cleaning up dead bodies and debris in the short term is essential to reduce the risk of spreading diseases.
In the long term however, efforts are need to prepare for the worst natural disasters in the future. Despite being poor, it is essential for nations in the Indian Ocean region to develop a natural disaster warning system to prepare for Mother Nature’s shocks. And if the richest nations donated some money to build up such system, many people would be pleased with it.
And for the Maldivian people, it would be better if they moved out of the island. The Maldives very lowest lying and scientists are predicting it to be inundated in a century due to rising sea level. Rebuilding would be a waste of time and money and hence evacuation would be a better choice for them.
Having said that, the main priorities would be to prevent the spread of diseases, help the survivors and to prepare for uncertain disasters in the future and well as rebuilding towns and villages but these cannot be done without money. So it is not too late to make donations to help relief efforts.