Earthquake disaster - Government must up €1m aid donation

WITH the death toll of the Asian earthquake continuing to soar hour upon agonising hour, it is vital that the focus be directed to the care of millions of people caught up in a humanitarian and economic disaster of truly biblical proportions.

Unparallelled in modern times, the sheer scale of this catastrophe, which could ultimately claim up to 100,000 lives, threatens to overwhelm the greatest relief effort in history which is ponderously getting underway.

In stark contrast with previous international emergencies that were generally confined to one place, the awesome force of the tidal waves triggered by the earthquake devastated thousands of communities in 12 countries across coastal regions ranging from Indonesia to Sri Lanka and India to Africa.

The enormity of this disaster is mirrored only by the enormity of the relief effort urgently required to tackle the incredible devastation inflicted on one of the poorest regions on the planet.

Notwithstanding the aid promises emanating from governments around the world, it will ultimately fall to voluntary organisations to respond to the needs of people caught up in this terrible tragedy.

Unfortunately, many of the agencies working at the cliff face of international aid have already disbursed much of their reserves over the Christmas season.

Among others, the Irish Red Cross is strapped for cash as it prepares to rush emergency supplies and medicine to the various disaster zones.

There is a compelling case for the Irish Government to greatly increase the amount of money it plans to send to the aid effort. In the context of a tragedy of this magnitude, Ireland’s declared contribution of €1 million is miserly in the extreme. To put the offer in context, it would barely be enough to purchase a detached house in a leafy suburb of Dublin.

As aid agencies issue appeals for support, it is high time that a Government which likes to boast of this country’s wealth put its money where its mouth is by emulating the renowned generosity of the Irish people towards the plight of those in need around the globe.

Worryingly, after the dream of a Christmas holiday in the sun descended into a hellish nightmare, an unspecified number of Irish holidaymakers, including two women, were still unaccounted for last night.

Thankfully, hundreds of others are known to be among the survivors. Bruised, battered, shocked and confused, they are lucky to be alive in what Dan Mulhall, Ireland’s Ambassador to Thailand, has graphically described as a war zone.

It is perfectly natural and entirely understandable that many in Ireland should be primarily concerned about the fate of missing loved ones.

Government representatives in Thailand and Sri Lanka are trying to contact every Irish citizen living in or visiting the region. Their tireless efforts are greatly reassuring and will bring solace to many.

In order to clear the way for both the massive international relief effort and the recovery of tens of thousands of bodies, there is an urgent need to evacuate holidaymakers, including up to 500 Irish people.

In order to facilitate the evacuation effort it is essential everyone who succeeded in getting in touch with a relative or friend in the disaster area should immediately contact the Department of Foreign Affairs so that their names can be removed from the list of people who have yet to be accounted for in the region.

As disaster threatens to follow disaster with the spread of waterborne disease, major questions must be addressed by governments and international agencies.

Why, for instance, had no early warning system been established in the Indian Ocean despite a history of tsunami incidents along a major geological fault zone where a relatively recently tidal wave killed 200 people in Indonesia?

There is urgent need to establish a system similar to that in the Pacific Ocean which has saved countless lives. Doubtless, many deaths could also have been averted around the rim of the Indian Ocean last Sunday if a warning system had existed.

Yet another pertinent question, raised by John O’Shea of GOAL, concerns the failure of governments in the developed world to respond in a meaningful way to perennial disasters in low-lying regions of Asia where thousands die every year in disastrous floods.

It is difficult to gainsay his contention that the eyes of the Western world are focused on the tragedy in South East Asia largely because it is a holiday playground for affluent Europeans, Australians and other developed societies.

It is vital that Government promises be front-loaded with visible cash and resources for the aid effort. Otherwise, those promises will not be worth the breath they are uttered on and will evaporate when the international media focus turns elsewhere.

Given the sheer enormity of this disaster, there is a compelling case for the UN and similar aid organisations to combine resources so that instant relief efforts on a global scale can kick into action more smoothly and swiftly for future disasters.

The immediate challenge is to rebuild the lives of millions of people in communities which were totally devastated on Sunday morning in the space of a few terrifying minutes by one of the greatest disasters in human history.