Stories about Disaster from September, 2011
Pakistan: Update On Flood Relief
Teeth Maestro posts updates of some ongoing flood relief projects of SARelief in Pakistan. You can track the relief activities by following the hashtag #pkrelief on Twitter.
North Korea: Kim Jong-Il's Surprise Appearance On the Simpsons
Martyn Williams from the North Korea Tech blog wrote a short post on Kim Jong-il's appearance on “The Simpsons”. One character from the episode says that he was forced to write a musical about Kim in a North Korean prison and introduces a song addressing the regime's ban on internet.
North Korea: Kim Jong-il Plans to Solve Famine by Breeding Giant Rabbits
Zimbabwe Metro site posted a list of eccentric acts and plans carried out by North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-il. It includes Kim's plan to solve famine by breeding giant rabbits and revelations that Kim being one of the world’s largest buyer of Hennessy, German cars and Uzbekistani caviar.
Book Review: ‘Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives In North Korea’
Change in Longitude blog posted a thorough review of the book ‘Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives In North Korea’ by Barbara Demick. The book’s title comes from a song that North Korean school children recite, “We have nothing to envy in the world” in spite of chronic malnutrition and famine...
Nepal: Buddha Air Crash, Who To Blame?
Guffadi questions the aviation security in Nepal considering why the Buddha air flight that succumbed into a crash was allowed to take off in the midst of incessant rain.
North Korea: Google Earth Reveals Death Camps in Detail
Kyle Wagner from Gizmodo site wrote a post on one of the most detailed images of the North Korean concentration camps taken by Google Earth. It is estimated that over 200,000 North Korean citizens are imprisoned in the camps under unimaginably harsh conditions.
Nepal: Fire In The Mountains
Dr. Divas wonders whether the frequent wildfires in the Terai jungles of Nepal are natural or man-made and questions the authorities whether they are taking any action to prevent them.
Pakistan: Repeated Agonies
Beena Sarwar has some general observations from the 2010 Pakistan floods, which are sadly relevant again as nothing significant has been done to prevent floods.
Ukraine: Chernobyl Trip Reports
At Desolation Travel, Jane Keeler and Derek Kedziora write about their trip to Chernobyl this past summer.
Pakistan: Neglected Millions of Sindh Floods
After the devastating 2010 floods in Pakistan the government took no practical steps to tackle the possibility of future floods. The consequence of this gross negligence is that floods are yet again causing havoc. The eye of the storm this year is Sindh where flood waters have razed numerous villages and displaced millions.
Nepal: Bloggers Share Their Own Stories of Earthquake
On Sunday evening of September 18, Nepal experienced a strong earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale that had its epicentre in the border region of Taplejung of Nepal and Sikkim of India. The Home Ministry in Nepal has reported 9 deaths and 24 serious injuries in the country at the time of writing.
Jamaica: Disaster Preparedness
In the midst of the hurricane season, Ruthibelle suggests that “damages could be minimised and it would cost this country less if we would stop living on luck, and starting living out emergency disaster preparedness, until it is ingrained in our culture…”
Brazil: Floods Hit Santa Catarina State Again
Intense rains over the state of Santa Catarina in Brazil’s South Region have once again caused floods in several cities. Since September 8, floods, flash floods and landslides have hit 96 cities in the region and, according to mainstream news, nearly 1 million people have been affected.
Argentina: Seven Die and Hundreds Injured After Bus and Trains Collide
Seven people died and more than 100 were injured when a bus and two trains crashed in Flores, Buenos Aires on Tuesday morning, September 13. Twitter users in Argentina are using the hashtag #Flores to report on the accident and share reactions.
Cambodia: Video of Flooding in Siem Reap
SoutheastAsiaTravel has uploaded a video of the recent flooding in the Old Market Area in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Puerto Rico: Remembering 9/11
Anayra Santory [es], Carmen Rabell [es], and Huáscar Robles Carrasquillo write about 9/11 from different perspectives for various online publications.
Russia: Connecting Neighbors, Saving Lives
The creators of a website that enabled Russians to help each other during wildfires in 2010 have now redesigned the site to enable citizens to assist each other in new ways - including mapping willing blood donors in locations across the country.
Pakistan: Rain In Karachi
Kashif Aziz at Chowrangi posts some photos depicting how the recent downpour caused trouble in Karachi.
Tanzania: Passenger Ferry Capsizes in Zanzibar
At least 198 people died and 590 people were rescued after a ferry, MV Spice, sailing from Zanzibar to Pemba capsized. Twitter users including those on the ground in Zanzibar have been sharing information about the disaster using the hashtag #ZanzibarBoatAccident. Meanwhile, two netizens have set up a Ushahidi-based platform to track information about the accident in real-time.
Tanzania: Real-time Information on Zanzibar Boat Accident
You can follow real-time information on the Zanzibar boat accident 10th Sep 2011 or send report by sending a tweet with the hashtag/s #ZanzibarBoatAccident or #Zanzibar or #Pemba.
Russia: Plane Crashes with Lokomotive Ice Hockey Team
On the afternoon of September 7, 2011 an airplane carrying nearly all the players of the Lokomotive professional ice hockey team crashed only 500 meters after take-off near Yaroslavl in Russia.
