Man's inhumanity to man, poverty and inequality

After posting regularly for sixteen months on humanitarian crises in the Sudan, DR Congo, Northern Uganda, Ethiopia and Niger, this blog author is overwhelmed by man's inhumanity to man and the sad truth of poverty and inequality exposed by Hurrican Katrina, and is taking a break to rest and reflect.

News round ups of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in New Orleans and surrounding areas, mainly from a UK perspective, are at my personal blog:

Sep 3 post: Reporters' Log on Katrina's aftermath Friday 2 Sep - Saturday 3 Sep, 2005.

Sep 2 post: 90,000 sq miles affected by Hurricane Katrina - 60,000 people could still be stranded in the city - Death toll could climb above 10,000 in Louisiana alone.

The following news report via Reuters 2 Sep was to be posted here yesterday, but I kept it back for the purpose of announcing this intermission. It does not make clear if any people in the group were from Darfur, Sudan or even Africa. Right now, I prefer to believe there were:

Prayers from Sudan - and the World
When Hurricane Katrina struck, Paul Dirdak, executive director of UMCOR, was traveling with UMCOR staff in a war-torn area of Sudan. He reports that when news reached their group people stopped their work to pray for the thousands of people affected by Hurricane Katrina. He noted that since they heard about the hurricane, conversations in Darfur centered around the suffering so many in the US are experiencing.

A disaster of this size can cause those affected to feel isolated and alone. "The people of the world are praying in their many languages for those who feel very much alone," said Dirdak to Katrina's survivors. "We in the church will seek out the loneliest and walk with you during the months and years of your recovery."

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British Red Cross experts help hurricane relief

Two British Red Cross experts are flying to Alabama to assist in the relief effort after Hurricane Katrina.

Red Cross logistics experts Mike Goodhand (47) from London and John Cunningham (52) from Bristol leave London's Heathrow airport today at 20:30 to assist the American Red Cross.



Tens of thousands of people are in urgent need of shelter, food and water in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.

The American Red Cross has launched the largest ever relief effort in its 125-year history to meet people's immediate needs. It has opened more than 275 centres to provide temporary shelter for more than 76,000 people and it will provide up to half a million hot meals a day. In the last 24 hours it served 170,000 hot meals alone. More than 100 emergency response vehicles are also at work in the affected states distributing food. The organisation is providing blankets, beds and food to those who have been evacuated from New Orleans to Houston, Texas.

Commenting on his deployment to Montgomery, Alabama, Mike Goodhand, head of logistics at the British Red Cross, said

"Responding to a disaster of this magnitude is an enormous logistical challenge because flooding, downed power lines, impassable roads and sporadic gas fires all pose hazards to us getting relief to those who need it most. However, the Red Cross is used to working in some of the world's most difficult disasters. It's critical that we get help to people now."

The pair will help co-ordinate the reception and onward distribution of relief items like food, water and medical supplies.

The British Red Cross delegates will be joined by logisticians from the Dutch and Finnish Red Cross societies.

In America the authorities have declared a public health emergency in the affected region as fears grow over the lack of sanitation, clean water and food, including the potential threat of the outbreak of water-borne diseases.

To support the Red Cross relief effort please donate online at www.redcross.org

Eyecatching American Red Cross blog buttons can be found at Rebecca's.

As children are the world's future, Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children UK are usually my favourites but at the moment Red Cross are doing tremendous work for the people of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and need all the help they can get - along with other excellent aid organisations that can be found in above posts and Instapundit's list not forgetting HurricaneHousing.org.

Please give what you can, no matter how little. Every penny counts. Thank you.

God bless.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa Red Cross Hurricane Katrina aid worker poverty inequality