Manila Day 6

My thought for the day is pretty simple - humans have a short attention span. People are still living in flooded areas. It is predicted that many of these areas will have water remaining for months. Daily survival is still a struggle for most. The health issues are starting to compound. The problems for the people affected have not disappeared, instead they are living in a prolonged state of emergency. All of this may be true, but the rest of the world is moving on.

the front page of the local paper didn't have the storms as a headline story. I looked on CNN a couple of times today and didn't find any stories in their top links on the storm. the rest of the world is moving on, but people are still suffering.

For those affected by the storm, the next few months (not days) are going to be very important in helping them reestablish their lives.

I do have a second thought, why do natural disasters seem to disproportionately affect the poor? there are lots of explanations like, the house construction isn't as good - you get what you pay for. or they don't have the savings to rebuild as quickly as a middle or upper class person does - so the duration of their suffering is extended by their lack of resources. maybe the land the poor are forced to build on is cheaper because it is less desirable and, therefore, more prone to disasters like flooding. whatever the reason, natural disasters seem to have a disproportionate effect on the poor. don't get me wrong, I'm not saying mother nature is out to get the little guy - fire, tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, volcanoes; these things do not discriminate, the will impact anyone regardless of race or class. But, when it happens the impact and ability to bounce back is greatly affected by the amount of resources one had to begin with, before the storm came. have you noticed that? we don't have to look far, the 9th ward in New Orleans is an example of this phenomenon. what are your thoughts on the matter?