Stories about Disaster from January, 2011
Saudi Arabia: Jeddah's Youth Come to the Rescue in Floods
Following Jeddah's flood at the end of January, the young generation of Saudis used social media websites to help with relief operations by providing aid, shelter, food or transportation to those who got affected by the rain.
Venezuela: Explosions Rocked the Maracay Night
Early Sunday morning the city of Maracay was rocked with explosions from 5 government ammunition warehouses which caught fire. Some are calling it gross negligence while others suggest it might not have been accidental at all.
Saudi Arabia: Jeddah Rain .. Again
Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port city of Jeddah has been lashed with rain again, bringing back the ill-fated #Jeddahrain hashtag to our Twitterfeeds. Following are reactions from netizens, who poured their wrath on corruption and Jeddah's deteriorating infrastructure.
Bulgaria: Sofia's Sugar Factory Tragedy
Maya's Corner writes about Sofia's Sugar Factory, where two people died in 2009 when the neglected building collapsed, and the fate of other landmarks owned by “predator ‘investors’.”
South Korea: A Photo Exhibition on Abandoned Animals of Yeonpyeong Island
Pressian posted heartbreaking photos of animals abandoned in the Yeonpyeong island after North Korea's artillery attack. An animal rights group, KARA, held a photo exhibition in Seoul displaying photos of animals left wounded as their owners evacuated the island due to intensified military tension.
Vietnam: Saigon earthquake
Adventure as Miss Saigon blogs about the recent 4.8 earthquake which hit Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Twitterers like MoodyRain, eds_m, and nguyenhimself also tweeted about it.
North Koreans Reportedly Consume the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Infected Cattle.
Reports have come out from NGO groups that North Korea, as well as South Korea, may hit hard by the foot-and-mouth disease. A more gruesome report[ko] came out from Open Radio for North Korea, a radio station founded and runs by North Korean defectors, that starving North Koreans are eating the infected cattle.
A Korean Vessel Rescued from Somali Pirates, Worries of Retaliation Grow
Last Friday, South Korean special forces successfully rescued its 21 crew members who had been held as hostages by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. Prudent net users have raised worries over possible retaliation and complaints against mainstream media for neglecting important domestic issues and the efforts of the individuals who have actually saved the crews.
Haiti: Aid From Slovakia Blocked by Customs for Ten Months
A container with the second shipment of humanitarian aid from Slovakia has been blocked by the customs in Haiti for nearly ten months. Tibor Blazko translates some of the Slovak netizens' views on the problem.
Pakistan: Earthquake In South West Pakistan
BRAC Blog informs about yesterday's 7.4 magnitude earthquake in South Western Pakistan: “there were no casualties or damage to houses or other assets.”
Haiti: Time for a Change
“I thought that after Duvalier left, things in Haiti were going to improve. What I never imagined was that the leaders who came after Duvalier were going to take Duvalier's concepts and use them to their own benefits”: Changing Perspectives republishes an interesting take on Haitian politics by Richard Morse...
Haiti: What About Aristide?
Wadner Pierre wonders how come exiled dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier has been granted a diplomatic passport to return to Haiti while the country's former democratically elected President has not been extended the same privilege.
Sri Lanka: The Devastation Of The Recent Floods
Indi.ca went to Polonnaruwa in North Central Province, Sri Lanka to check out the flood damage and here is what he found.
Poland: More Reactions to IAC Report – on Microblogs and via Cartoons
The Interstate Aviation Committee's report on last April's Smolensk plane crash has provoked many insightful posts from bloggers, but microblogging platforms - Twitter and Blip.pl - have also become good spaces for Poles to express their opinions, and quite a few of visuals criticising the report have appeared online as well.
Poland: Initial Reactions to Russian Report on Polish Air Force One Plane Crash
The Interstate Aviation Committee's report on the crash of TU-154M airplane near Smolensk on April 10, 2010, has generated an outburst of strong opinions about the validity and objectivity of the document, as well as the effect it might have on the Polish politics in 2011. Most discussions in various social media are highly negative of the document's content, but gradually bloggers are beginning to elaborate on the topic.
Panama: Fire in Youth Prison Sparks Controversy
A fire in a correctional facility for juvenile offenders has generated all types of reactions on Twitter and Panamanian blogs. The police officers involved are trying to defend themselves and explain what happened, and on the other side the Panamanian people are divided between those that want heads to roll among the prison guards and those that justify the police actions.
Haiti: Duvalier Visit Political Red Herring?
A little more than a year after a debilitating earthquake practically leveled the Haitian capital and destroyed innumerable surrounding towns, killing thousands and leaving survivors homeless (tent cities are still full, despite millions of dollars in relief aid pledged), exiled dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier returned to his homeland. Many bloggers are still stunned at this latest political development and remain unclear as to the motive behind his visit.
St. Lucia: Getting Over Tomas
“It will be a long road”: Sun, Rain, Or… says that St. Lucia is still struggling to get back to normal after last year's Hurricane Tomas.
Japan: 16th Anniversary of Great Hanshin Earthquake
Today is the 16th anniversary of the Great Hanshin earthquake, and many prayed for lives lost. Blogger nikisuke quietly reflected on the passing of the years and quotes a Tweet by @hannarry: “That earthquake wasn't a tragedy where 6,434 lives were lost, but an earthquake where the single tragedy of...
North Korea: Drugs Rampant, Even Among Teens
North Korean insiders and defectors have testified that drugs are widespread in North Korea. Most recent reports told that drugs are popular gifts among teens and even ordinary middle-class citizens are frequently abusing them.
Brazil: Flooding in the Mountainous Region of Rio de Janeiro Devastated Cities
The mountaineous region of Rio de Janeiro is suffering what is being considered Brazil’s most-deadly natural disaster: there are more than 500 fatal victims and countless people left homeless so far. This tragedy, which gives only its first steps in the aid of the victims, still doesn't allow us to assess the damage and the work to be done, but it already brings back the debate about the urgency of creating a policy for climate catastrophes in the country.
