[After the tsunami,] we had about 1000 helicopters active from the countries concerned, and from the whole international community ... We have about one-10th of this in this emergency, and we need helicopters just as badly. |
[The PricewaterhouseCoopers project will be] an Internet-based tracking system for the whole cycle from the pledge to the actual dispersion, ... real time tracking of which pledges we get, when they are committed, when they are dispersed and when they are realized by which organization in the field. |
All humanitarian organizations are acutely aware that our window of opportunity for action is closing with the onset of the severe winter. |
All in all we expect the U.N. involvement to grow as we expect there to be a very considerable increase in the number of international relief flights to the United States from many parts of the world. |
All together, we need a massive amount of investment from the international donor community and from the region itself to avert a massive loss of lives. |
Are we going to have tens of thousands of people staying in the rubble and in the snow until it's too late? Maybe. It's a logistical nightmare, |
behave responsibly and not be utterly irresponsible as they are today. |
But certainly the Pakistani army is continuing to look for people. |
But we have not yet decided if and when I will endeavor to go back. |
Conditions here are totally unacceptable. It has to change because people have to live a better life and have a better future. |
Cuba is one of the best prepared nations to deal with these natural phenomena because it knows exactly what to do in high-risk zones. |
First there is the search and rescue phase that is now ending. It is a cruel reality. |
Had there been better prevention, better early warning, better schools, earthquake-safe buildings - tens of thousands of lives would have been saved both in the Indian Ocean tsunami and in the South Asian earthquake, |
Haiti is the most vulnerable society in the region and Cuba is one of the best prepared, if not the best prepared for natural disasters. The same hurricane which would take zero lives in Cuba would kill massively in Haiti. |
However, air drops are being undertaken, |