Management Professor Notes II

Don't look away: Support the Southeast Asian quake victims now

Yesterday, the Plain Dealer republished Salman Rushdie's op-ed from The Times of London on November 12, 2005, warning that the response to the Kashmiri earthquake has been dramatically inadequate. He says:

"If the flow of aid does not increase at once, then it is probable that more people will die in the earthquake’s wintry aftermath than perished in the quake itself. It is entirely possible that the final death toll will be greater than the tsunami’s. We may be looking at the greatest natural calamity in human history. But in this case we have the power to avert it. We can send the money to fly the helicopters and tend to the sick and build the winter shelters. If we do this, people will live. People who have already lost everything may yet be prevented from losing their own lives."

"If we can accomplish this, it will be a great good thing. If we fail — because we are tired of disasters, or because Kashmir is far away and remote and quarrelsome and doesn’t feel like our business — well, then shame on us."

Aid is still needed, even after the recent donor conference. As was written in the Washington Post on Friday, November 18, "Last month's earthquake ... left perhaps 3 million people homeless. But so far only about 340,000 tents have been distributed. Doctors are trying to immunize 1.2 million children put at risk by bad shelter, diet and sanitation. But the immunization drive has only half the $8 million that it needs."

"The contrast with the Indian Ocean tsunami is distressing. After the tsunami, the United States sent nearly $1 billion in government aid, 16,000 soldiers, 57 helicopters, 42 other aircraft and 25 ships. After the Kashmir quake, the United States has offered Pakistan $156 million in aid, including military equipment; deployed 950 soldiers; and sent 24 helicopters."

"The tsunami triggered a tsunami of generosity because it hit during the holiday season and because Western tourists were affected. ... the risk of an after-disaster in Kashmir is real."

We have sent a donation to Oxfam today. Other charities accepting donations specifically for the Kashmir earthquake include UNICEF , Mercy Corps, and Relief International. All these charities have a three- or four-star rating from Charity Navigator. Please do what you can!

If you can't donate, please write to your political representatives in Washington, DC, to urge that they release aid immediately, rather than attaching strings.