I was born in New Orleans. Lived in Gretna for the first 6 years of my life. Just saying the word "Katrina" is still enough to send me flying into a raging rant against the horrific "response" to that storm. I'm worried about what Gustav may yet do to the city and the surrounding regions.
However, right now, I'm a little more worried about the flooding in India. I saw a diary asking "Where is the Gustav link on Obama's site?" yesterday - screw that. Where's the India flood relief link? Over 2.1 million people displaced, thousands of acres of crops destroyed - and while there's only 100 officially recovered dead, one aid group estimates the actual death toll to be perhaps in the 2,000 range. Half of Bihar, India is underwater. These people are as much victims as those affected by Gustav - they need all the help they can get.
(Image credit http://biharfloodrelief2008.blogspot.com/)
I've never been to India, don't really know anyone from the country - but no matter what your experience with India is, the news is just not good.
First, there were nasty monsoons earlier this summer that are blamed for around 100 deaths in some regions. And more recently, on Aug. 18th the Kosi river breached a dam, overflowed - and now half of Bihar, India (and a bit of Nepal) is underwater. It's the worst flooding in India in over 50 years, equal to or even worse than Katrina.
I don't really have anything new to report - I just wanted to bring this to everyone's attention, since I've only been able to find two articles mentioning this in the most recent Overnight News Digests. This is as much a disaster as Katrina. Here's a bunch links I've scrabbled together:
http://www.redcross.org/...
http://www.sewausa.org/
Doctors Without Borders: A Médecins Sans Frontières emergency relief team has now reached the areas worst affected by the flooding in Bihar State, India
http://www.redcross.org/...
http://www.redcross.org/...
http://www.redcross.org/...
http://biharfloodrelief2008.blogspot.com/
AlertNet.org: PHOTOS: Floods devastate Bihar
BBC: In pictures: Bihar flood rescue
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Sky News: Fears India Flood Toll Will Soar
Google News collection of links on the situation
MSNBC: India's 'untouchables' last to be helped in floods
MSNBC: Disease feared at India flood refugee camps
New York Times: Half a Million Are Stranded by India Flood
New York Times: Millions Are Displaced by Floods in India