| While I recognize that China may not be prepared for storms like this, I do wonder if the officials watch the weather forecast. Obviously what has made this "storm" unique is it's timing. Millions take to the trains, buses and air during this CNY time. Considering this happened during the most traveled period of the year, it's little wonder things have turned out so bad. But ... I really think that once again there were officials asleep at the wheel. Having lived in the Guangzhou area during the SARS disaster, I'm maybe super-sensitve to the governements response time and preperation for diasters. I wonder if it had not been for CNN live coverage of the mess at the GZ train station if over 200,000 military would have been as quickly dispatched to control the situation. As we go through our daily lives here, I think that we sometimes forget that their isn't a mature infra-structure to handle these types of things. I wonder if CNY's holiday impact on this country as it goes forward will be considered. While I realize how important this is, (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years all rolled into one), it is impossible for the country to effectly shut down and transport the millions that travel. I wonder if now, in this day and age, while not losing it's importance it will at least be put into a more reasonable perspective? But ... I also remember Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, an a country with as sophisticated a infra-structure as is technically available ... fumbled the ball in response to this disaster. Let's hope that the 2008 winter and CNY holiday will not only be remembered for it's terrible impact on people lives, but a wake up call for the government that they need to spend money on prevention and govern the largest population on the planet and he fastest growing economy. Olymipics be damned ... focus that energy on improving your citizens lives. |
The Most Severe Disaster I Experienced