Do you believe that NATO should mount a massive airlift to save earthquake survivors?
Kashmir quake stories
Alarm bells ring for Pakistan quake survivors, Â NATO says no to quake airlift
The top United Nations aid official called for a massive airlift by NATO to rescue survivors, as aid was slow to trickle in and very difficult to distribute because of the destruction of roads. NATO says it is already struggling to find enough helicopters for use in Afghanistan.
NATO says it will send up to 1,000 troops including engineers and a few helicopters for earthquake relief in Kashmir, but will not mount a massive airlift to rescue survivors. India is prepared to send helicopters, but not without crews, as Pakistan stipulated. Tents are also desperately needed. The United Nations had received $57 million towards its
Kashmiri Capital Becomes City of Migrants
As earthquake refugees from mountain villages stream into Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan's part of Kashmir, others are leaving the ruined city to join relatives elsewhere in Pakistan. Looting broke out there shortly after the first earthquake.
Mule Train Brings Aid to Pakistani Town
There was so much chaos in Ghanool, Pakistan that helicopters could not land, and food and other aid was brought in by mule train. Snow has been falling in Kashmir and most are still without shelter. Turkey has offered $150 million in cash.
Cheap Shelter Offers Hope in Quake Zones
A design for a cheap 12 by 12 feet, semi-spherical tent quickly assembled from local materials has already been proven. Thick plastic is laid over a frame of standard water pipes and lined with ordinary blankets. Mud is used to prevent water seeping in and small local heaters are used.
Hurricane stories
Hurricane Wilma lashes Mexico's beach resorts
Category 4 Hurricane Wilma battered the tourist beaches and resorts whilst tourists huddled inside cramped shelters. Electricity was cut, trees were blown over and there was considerable structural damage and flooding. Cuba was already beginning to feel the effects; more than 350,000 people were evacuated. Florida residents were also getting ready, but the Gulf Coast oil and gas industry was expected to be spared.
Wilma Threatens Florida's Agriculture
Just as Hurricane Katrina affected people well away from the Gulf Coast with higher gas prices, Hurricane Wilma could affect people well away from FLorida with highr prices for winter vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers, orange juice and other citrus products and other items. Apart from those crops ruined by wind and rain directly, others could be harmed by the spread of canker.
Rumsfeld Orders Independent Levee Probe
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has directed Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey to form a panel of engineering and atmospheric experts under the direction of the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate the performance of New Orleans area levees during Hurricane Katrina. The Army Corps of Engineers is conducting its own investigation, as are the American Society of Civil Engineers, the state and the National Science Foundation.
La. Wants Ill. Mud for Devastated Marshes
Louisiana officials want mud from farmland in the upper Mississippi River valley to fill in the wetlands devastated by Hurricane Katrina and earlier neglect. The cost of the 1,240-mile trip from Illinois would be high, however. 2.7 miles of marsh is said to reduce storm surge by 1 foot. Before the river was straightened and canals cut, the silt used to come down the river naturally, for free, and replenish the marshes.
Hurricane Debris May Help Fight Erosion
Louisiana environmental authorities are looking at ways to recycled some the mountain of debris left after Hurricane Katrina to help fight erosion of the coast. There are around 50,000 destroyed fibreglass boats that could be found up and mixed with cement to build artificial reefs. Timber from broken trees and homes could be used as sediment traps in the marshes. Care would need to be taken not to cause pollution. With about 1,900 square miles of marsh having been lost since the 1930s, there is a lot of ground to be made up to restore New Orleans's protection.
LSU Med After Katrina: Classes in Theater
Louisiana State University's nursing school is conducting lectures in venues around Baton Rouge, including in a movie theatre before it's time for movies to be shown. Many dental school classes are taking place at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. Tulane's medical school is operating in Texas. Few students have transferred. Many are living on a Finnish ferry.
Senate Comes to Halt in Battle of Bridges
Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma wanted to cut $450 million in federal funds for Alaskan bridges, and spend $75 million on a Louisiana bridge damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Republican Ted Stevens of Alaska said that he would resign and "be taken out of here on a stretcher" if his state lost the funding. Alaska won.
The Senate bill has now to be reconciled with the House-passed bill. It includes $1.45 billion for Amtrak, $1 billion more than the administration wanted, which has brought the threat of a presidential veto.
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