Sad is this oe and so truthful well done and powerful poem.

I hope next time when disaster strikes, the country is going to be much more prepared to lend helping hands. Good write.

Sandie May Angel a.k.a. Sandie Angel :o)

Disasters come and go in many ways
Not only to leave pain in our memory
But to give us opportunities to learn

And having been involved in animal rescue work in New Orleans, and witnessing first hand both the human and the nonhuman suffering, I truly hope we have all learned many valuable lessons now, Abdi-Noor. And I also hope the New Year is much more tranquil for all of us.

And a Most Happy New Year to You.

Sadly enough, I agree with with Dawn. And it would seem we cannot imagine such things until they happen. Perhaps it is the fate of human kind to always underestimate the awesome power of the very nature that shaped this world...perhaps we have grown too arrogant in our beliefs in our own puny "creations" to accept that we cannot defy nature, but merely get out of its way? And sometimes it does not give us time to do that. But, yes, you would think a world so well connected as ours is in this day and age could at least respond sooner. I can only think it is indifference to the plight of the victim, not from the common folk, who have given 'til it hurts to help their fellow beings. Oddly enough, from those very sources we had put our faith and trust in to be in charge.

a lack of real love and concern for one another, locally (neighbor to neighbor) and globally (country to country) lies at the root of our non-response. I fear we will see many more disasters. I hope I and others will be a part of the response aimed at helping one another. many blessings in the year ahead, Abdi-Noor. you are a light of hope and a voice for change. shine on! Dawn

Brother Abdi-Noor, you are right on point as usual, however, I sadly believe that many more catasthropes await us in the coming year as the many powers that be continue to exercise the same responses of reaction versus proaction.Peace, love, and blessings to you and yours. Mikii

Abdi Noor so glad you are back. This is a superb write. I have to agree with Sherry. My poem today is on a similar track. We are first and foremost responsible for our actions, no matter our circumstance. We must always try to help ourselves first , before expecting governments to bail us out. Then when we have exhausted all we can do it is the governments time to help us.The trouble is that too many bypass doing anything at all to help themselves and go right to the government for their needs. This is what causes the problems. I hope we can find better answers in the future, but we all have to want to do it for it to be successful. Thanks for sharing !

Love,
Eileen

Disasters are exactly that and even the best preparations cannot be employed in specific situations. The magnitude of the disasters we have witnessed this year have far exceeded our expectations and many factors have hampered the rescue missions. Until all governments become a part of the plan, there will never BE a viable plan. There needs to be several levels established to get help to those who have a chance at survival, the first being the citizens themselves. We need to get to our neighbors as quickly as we can, next level of support should be the churches and the town governments themselves, then the state, then the federal, then the world. We had a lot of people here in the USA who did nothing to help themselves and simply waited for the deployment of the federal government agencies to come to their rescue. The local governments failed miserably and the federal government begins action only once a state or emergency is offically declared. This leaves a long period of time for them to utilize the funds that are dispensed for the disaster and actually take it to the people. The contrast between the people of New Orleans and the people of Mississippi was stark. The people of Mississippi helped each other and did not depend upon speedy innervention of the federal government for help. They assessed their situation and they pulled together. It is paramount that we respond this way in times of dire emergency. The initial response must come from the citizens of the community. Having lived most of my life in Los Angeles, I had to learn about preparedness and about emergency procedures as earthquakes strike with intense magnitude and no warning. In those cases we do not expect federal help for days and local assistance, (fire departments etc.) are difficult to reach since all phone service is usually out. Yes I hope we have a better plan, but it begins with us. We must not rely on govenrments to rush to our aid. Even in times not part of disaster, the local police will not be there to help us until we have a moment to contact them and request their help, and often that is too late.
Take care,
Sherry

hopefully, mankind will learn from past calamity and will set up a better way to deal with them ... unfortunately, it will take more catastrophic disasters before that will happen for the world is not really united in an "ounce of prevention" ...