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Tepid response from US public to Pakistan floods
Tepid? It's that good?[Pak Daily Times] Americans are giving a paltry amount for relief efforts in Pakistan compared to other overseas disasters. They were more than 40 times more generous for the Haiti earthquake. Perhaps because "death to America" demonstrations aren't very common in Haiti. Reasons include the slow-motion nature of the calamity, relatively scant TV coverage, and - unmistakably - the fact that Pakistan is viewed warily by many Americans. Well, call me "mean spirited", but I just have a hard time with paying for a local Rage Boy's nice new tent... No disasters are alike. Yet a month into Pakistan's flood catastrophe, with 8 million people in dire need and a fifth of its territory affected, the donation comparisons are startling. InterAction, an umbrella group for US relief agencies active abroad, says its affiliates have raised about $12 million thus far for Pakistan, compared to more than $500 million at the same stage of the Haiti earthquake relief effort earlier this year. The American Red Cross, traditionally the biggest recipient of disaster relief donations, has collected about $2 million for Pakistan and is dipping into a contingency fund to support its work there. At the same stage, it had raised about $100 million in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, more than $670 million for Hurricane Katrina and about $230 million for the Haiti quake. "People find it complicated to understand our relationship with Pakistan - how the government works, who to trust," said Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. "It was easier to look at a place like Haiti and know a quick response was needed," she said. Posted by: Fred 2010-08-29 |
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