Charity begins at home?

It looks like the generosity of the British public comes to the fore again. £23m in two days. Fantastic. However, I wonder if that will affect the CIN total?

Typical! If I remember correctly weren’t elements of the media criticised for getting in the way of the aid agencies and the UN in Haiti.

Charlie it has already been replaced on the front page of one of today’s comics by the fact that Wayne Rooney has been thrown out of a brothel!

As you say their problems will not be solved by immediate and urgent aid. The long term effects are probably still to be fully assessed.

They haven’t got clean water and any food so immediate aid is exactly what they need. Once people are fed and treated medically then they can start to help themselves.

Well the death toll is now revised down to 2-2,500 so the media has been hyping it up again. That is a shame as its not the dead that need help its those who have to put their lives back together again after this bloody awful mess. Lets hope it does not turn into another Haiti and aid gets quickly to where its needed!

I always find it distasteful that the world’s media descend like vultures on disaster areas scavenging stories but not helping only to leave as quickly as they came when the story loses it’s momentum.

As you say their problems will not be solved by immediate and urgent aid. The long term effects are probably still to be fully assessed.

This will take years to return to a normality.The Tsunami at Christmas,Japanese Nuclear disaster,New York and New Orleans ,still suffering.When the newspaper and TV crews find something else to feed themselves on then this will also disappear off the radar.

Speaking from experience, the Philippino Nurses that we have over here, put some of ours to shame.If I were 50yrs younger, I would volunteer to go and help in any way I could, they deserve all the help they can get.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

As you say their problems will not be solved by immediate and urgent aid. The long term effects are probably still to be fully assessed.

Warren, According to a T.V. Reporter who flew over a large area, all of the crops, which, as you state includes rice, are in total devastation, meaning there will be no crops this year,and if it was Sea water,that swamped the fields, they won’t be able to grow crops for a long time, so they will need Aid (Food) maybe for several years. Unfortunately, they are in for the long haul.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Actually he didn’t but that’s not the story engrained in the collective memory.
And Mr M makes the pertinent point.

Actually, he did!!
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I didn’t mean shipped really, I meant flown over… 🙂

No, I know you didn’t literally mean ‘ship’ the aid…..I was just pulling your chain!

Flying the aid there is possible but not particularly practical; it is fast but it is also extremely expensive (unless air-transport is given free-of-charge by governments) and the quantities that can be shipped are small. Governments are reasonably keen to do it because it shows they are doing something and the news-media love to cover it because it happens as the story breaks (they can also do-so from the comfort of the airport lounge) and it always looks impressive (especially helicopters or air-drops)!

In reality transporting the huge quantities of tents, blankets, building materials, sanitation-equipment, medical-supplies, food, and (especially) bottled-drinking-water for the days and months ahead need ships to transport them. One good thing is the Philippines should be pretty ideal for supply by ship.

On the subject of where the stuff should come from I’d say wherever is closest and cheapest; isn’t the Philippines a centre for manufacturing clothes? So why not put money into the local economy (longer term) employing local companies to make blankets, tents or whatever?

I’m guessing the local food staple is rice? No sense in trying to supply that from the United Kingdom; there must be somewhere more local that can be procured.

Actually he didn’t but that’s not the story engrained in the collective memory.
And Mr M makes the pertinent point.

Mr M. Perhaps it may well have been another Michael Fish gaff, when he forcast the wrong weather.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I can workout why it’s taken so long to get help there? The storm was forcast to happen, why wasn’t aid prepared for shipping as soon as the forcast came in?

Good idea; a ship-load of tents, blankets and emergency food-aid should arrive in the Philippines…

…in about three to four weeks! :rolleyes:

I didn’t mean shipped really ,i meant flown over 🙂 They interviewed the captain of a Navy aircraft carrier and they can provide pretty much everything needed ,just getting it there.
Well if it takes 3 weeks that’s down to poor organisation.You can have planes from all over the world there and loaded in hours if there’s a will.
I heard yesterday the USA sent empty planes over there to pick up their own people-why in gods name couldn’t they have loaded it up then bring their people home.Having said that ,have they cleared up the storm damage in their own country from a year ago and New Orleans was it a few years ago?

You would hope that lessons would have been learnt and better practices implemented after the Haiti shambles. The latest UN estimates of 11.3 million affected and 673,000 homeless ought to focus everyone’s minds on relief above all else.

Then, why not use a few C130s, and do a Para drop on pallets, also, there is that bloody great Russian A/C. which can carry a shed load of goods. I agree with Trumper, too many Government Officials have syphoned money into their own pockets.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I agree IF…..the goods are purchased here first then shipped off…

Good idea; a ship-load of tents, blankets and emergency food-aid should arrive in the Philippines…

…in about three to four weeks! :rolleyes:

Normally I might agree but in this case I’ll trust the charities to buy what they with the money we provide.

I agree IF the money can be traced into the products bought thats fine but we need cast iron proof,i e the goods are purchased here first then shipped off,not money set abroad.