The "Typhoon" article makes me wonder...

[Pretentious]

Was there any reporting whatsoever over there on Hurricane Katrina and/or it's aftermath? I should probably expect a "no" but meh. I'm curious.

[Kustom]

Of course, dude, it's all over the TV, with special broadcasts and stuff...
Why would Americans hear about the tsunami and the rest of the world not hear about Katrina? Sounds a little patronizing to me. Need I remind you that Bangladesh gave a million dollar in aid to the US after the hurricane?

[Silverback]

If you read some of the news articles on the Internet about the international response to Hurricane Katrina, you will see that Japan, as one of America closest and dearest friends, has stepped up to the plate with very generous offers of help. Not just money, but they were one of the countries who were the first to offer up a portion of their own oil reserves, which says a lot since they are not an oil exporting country.

[Ziellos.ein]

thats really cool

[bizzybody]

Be happy it wasn't a storm like Typhoon Tip (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Tip) that hit Japan in 1979. Or how about Hurricane Mitch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Mitch)?

Wikipedia has many articles on hurricanes, including Katrina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina_%28disambiguation%29).

Just keep in mind that the year with the most storms that would've rated names if they named them then, typhoons and hurricanes, was 1933. :eek:

[Kiljou]

If you read some of the news articles on the Internet about the international response to Hurricane Katrina, you will see that Japan, as one of America closest and dearest friends, has stepped up to the plate with very generous offers of help. Not just money, but they were one of the countries who were the first to offer up a portion of their own oil reserves, which says a lot since they are not an oil exporting country.

Well, it is Japan,
If they didn't help us, then...
We'd Gaijin Smash them!

[yao_yao]

I'm curious if that typhoon is the same one that's hitting us in Shanghai right now.

Actually, should I gloat that my school got a warning (our first! or at least I think it's our first... first one I've ever had anyway) and closed?

Yea if I don't reply to any replies to this, I've lost connection from the typhoon. I'll get back ASAP. And if I get no replies, I'm just being geeky.

[Pierrot le Fou]

No, it was the typhoon before. Very few typhoons that hit Signapore also hit Japan (for the obvious reason that the two countries are far apart, and in different directions from where most storms originate).

[Kustom]

I think he said Shanghai, not Singapore though

[Pierrot le Fou]

Excellent point. Still a different Typhoon for the same reason (though typhoons do hit Kyushu or Okinawa and then head to China, the really devastating ones follow the whole of Japan nailing the snot out of this archipelago).

[Maian]

Maybe it's just me, but I see most of these "donations" as kissing US' ass. Sure any help is welcome, but I'm skeptical about the motives...

[yao_yao]

we're okay! Yea I said Shanghai, and note I'm a gal not a guy. Wind and rain all night, the city got a good scrubbing from the heavens.

donations playing up to the US? Yes some of them are (ex Cuba), but a number of others were returning favors... all the Tsunami countries have sent over money (Sri Lanka I recall sent a LOT of money... nevermind I think they need it themselves)

[Pierrot le Fou]

Were you suspicious of all the aid given to Tsunami victims as well? I mean, they may have wanted cheap labour from India! Or some discounted beachfront property from Thailand or Indonesia after all...

I am shocked that more people didn't donate to the Hurricane victims than did, especially foreign governments.

[yao_yao]

I confess, I wasn't too caught up about that sorta thing from the Tsunami. My family adn I were touring Thailand, and almost went to Phuket that day. Luckily for us, my younger sister got very ill and we decided to go home... we were on the last flight out of Banghkok that day. For the first week we were too busy answering phonecalls from friends and family and our school to really be thinking much

Then when we got to school, the school was in mourning (we lost a family). Then I was busy participating in fundraising (from my mother's religious group, the school, and Habitat for Humanity) to really pay attention. Lax for an expat I know.

[Kustom]

What do you think about Cuba's offer? This one is really a double edge sword obviously, but was it right for the US government to turn down 400 trained medical specialists for ideological reasons? Are there really more than enought doctors in Louisiana already?

[yao_yao]

I think they should have accepted the help for their own people, and a step to build peaceful relations. But that's just me.


sorry if i appear to be haunting the forums... I'm kinda stuck inside the house

[Silverback]

I think the US should have accepted Cuba's offer. Kudos to Cuba for making the gesture, politics aside.

[chgu]

I was/still am waiting to see an editorial about the news on hurricane Katrina. But then again, how many Japanese reporters would have been over here before the National Guard started cracking the skulls of the media?

[Jormungand]

If you read some of the news articles on the Internet about the international response to Hurricane Katrina, you will see that Japan, as one of America closest and dearest friends, has stepped up to the plate with very generous offers of help. Not just money, but they were one of the countries who were the first to offer up a portion of their own oil reserves, which says a lot since they are not an oil exporting country.

which news arcticle is this? last time i checked japan was only givin a million bucks which is fucken peanuts nowadays and i havent heard anythin bout them givin oil reserves kuwait has already givin like 500million dollars 400mil in oil and saudi arabia has givin 250million dollars japan is our friend in name only theyd stab us in the back the first chance theyd get last time i checked france, italy and germany wer giving nothing and the rest of europe was giving pocket change i dont kno bout japan but the european press was gloating about the whole thing i find it sad the the muslims who r practicly our enemys r giving more than our so called allys

[Oosutorariajin]

I believe it is a nice gesture that nations are giving the US some form of aid but why? If America is the richest country on earth it should be able to afford to help its own citizens. If not then it is a sad world we live in indeed.

[TygressVirgo]

It's all political.

Anyways, if you want to look up some other major typhoons/hurricanes, you could look up typhoon Paka and Pongsona. These are two are really supertyphoons that hit Guam. Major destruction, but not really any large anount of lives lost. I was actually on Guam for Pongsona, it was a very interesting expierence.

[Silverback]

Jormungand, sorry, but I didn't save the link at the time I read the article. It was on Yahoo! News, where I was following the story in the days after the hurricane. I do know that it was later that same day that some European contries did the same. (offers of oil reserves). It was Japan who was first to come forward of that group we call our "overseas allies".

Honestly, I think Canada had made pledges of aid a bit earlier in the day, IIRC.

Personally, I think the international response has been quite positive. When people's lives were at risk, others stepped forward to help. I don't care how many steps they took or how much money they gave or what religion they are.

The original question in this thread was "Was there any reporting whatsoever over there on Hurricane Katrina and/or it's aftermath?" Yes.