Cyclone Sidr - Brings People Together to Help, Risks Becoming Old News

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Cyclone Sidr - Brings People Together to Help, Risks Becoming Old

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Cyclone Sidr - How To Help

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Reporting for The Uncultured Project and NowPublic.com from Bangladesh - on the road to a dissaster area caused by Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh.....

“We need you here in an hour” said my contact at Muslim Aid - one of the charities I mentioned in a previous YouTube episode.
I am in the road as I type. I am heading to Bagarat - one of the
areas worst hit when Cyclone Sidr hit the coast of Bangladesh and
killing over 3,000 and leaving countless displaced. Cyclone Sidr may
have displaced many people - but it’s also brought a lot of people
together. This aid mission includes Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and
Atheists coming from places such as Canada, UK and Bangladesh.

Among all this is yours truly. I had little time to prepare - I’ve
never showered, brushed my teeth, packed my bags, and ate a meal so
quickly in my life. This mission includes a lot of equipment from all
around the world. I am proud to say that I was able to get my 70
blankets back from that horribly botched joint distribution with BRAC.
The are with me on this car and they they will be going to those who
need it.

The toughest part lies ahead. I’ve never been in a situation like
this in my life. Then again, many of the victims of this Cyclone are
probably saying the same thing. I’m hoping and praying that the world
keeps Bangladesh in mind. People in the developed world seem to have a
short attention span when it comes to the tragedies elsewhere in the
world. This is especially true among college and high school aged
students. Much like fashion trends, certain issues fall out of style.

The “trendy” thing back at my alma mater Notre Dame seems to be helping victims of the cyclone that hit Mexico. It even has a better slogan than the tragedy here: “the Katrina of Mexico”
they call it. Never mind that the Cyclone that hit Bangladesh was more
powerful than Katrina. But you know what? Tragedies shouldn’t need to
be competing for attention. There should be enough compassion and
attention for all of them. Just cut the Paris Hilton and Britney Spears
coverage by 5% and you can make room for both.

The worst thing that can happen to the victims of Cyclone Sidr right now is for their tragedy to become old news.

[Editor's note: see here for uncultured's latest field report]