I’m extremely short on posting time today, but need to take note of the horrendous earthquake in Pakistan. The latest numbers are staggering: 30,000 people feared dead, 40,000 people wounded, and as many as 2.5 million people left homeless after the quake.
What can we do in the face of numbers like that? How can we go beyond the numbers, and try to understand the human lives behind them?
Lance Mannion has posted the tragic story of a Pakistani man, now living in New York, who lost most of his family:
He lost his bother-in-law, his sister-in-law, all of their children and much of their extended families.
Hussan said the quake completely flattened his mountain village, killing hundreds and leaving thousands homeless.
Most of those killed were children, Hussan said.
“There is nothing,” Hussan said. “They have no blankets, they have no food. Many roads are destroyed, and nobody can reach them to help.”
The New York Times has photos of the damage. Flickr has more.
Many articles have touted Pakistan’s acceptance of India’s relief aid, but this AP article makes it clear that old tensions die hard.
On Daily Kos, oldnorthstate posted a list of relief agencies that are helping with the recovery effort (via Billmon). Please give what you can.
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