TIDES OF HOPE?

Abstract

My thoughts and support go to all affected by the earthquake and Tsunami in the Indian Ocean rim. Your pain is impossible to comprehend. Naturally, the international development community needs to do all in its power to ensure that the immediate, cruel and devastating tragedy of the Indian Ocean Tsunamis is mitigated to the greatest extent possible. But we also need to ensure that the immediate, emergency response does not set the conditions for a slower, drip feed, development problem.

The immediate response to the huge waves that swamped, drowned and shattered so many individual lives and sucked the lifeblood out of so many communities is to focus on rescue, care, shelter, food, disease prevention and reconnecting those families and communities that somehow, miraculously, survived. No one should much care who does this work or how it is done. Just bring on all the expertise, funding, food, water purification, medicine, shelter and other essentials and get them where they are needed, as quick as possible. Bring it on, in the best possible sense of that phrase.