Sometimes it’s important to keep things in perspective. As bad as our natural disasters have been, we are still better off than those in the “third world”. Katrina’s aftermath paled in comparison to the tsunami in Indonesia. Likewise, while Gustav has left much of New Orleans and the surrounding area flooded but done little else, India has been devastated by floods.
The running total is that roughly three million (that’s million, as in three thousand-thousand) people have been displaced thanks to the water. In Bihal, the death toll is 100 at the moment, but steadily rising as bodies are being discovered washed up on dry land. It’s estimated the total will reach the thousands.
Gustav’s body count hit a climax of eight which, while tragic, is not immense. Particularly when placed next to this:
At least 15 people drowned in two separate accidents in Bihar when overcrowded rescue boats sank.
I realize that the reason this has gotten swept aside is that it’s in India while Gustav hit on our soil, but it is worth pondering that when a monumental event strikes in another country, people generally aren’t even aware of it. Instead, I’m writing about why Sarah Palin fired a librarian.
