Friday, January 07, 2005

Disaster Tourism

Another wave is now sweeping areas damaged by the tsunami waves. A well-meaning hoard of ill-prepared people are now flooding in, often making matters worse. This report from Kerala via the Sea-Eat Blog

The massive inflow of charitable organisations and aid volunteers to the tsunami-hit areas of Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh is what is now being seen as the second giant wave.

And overzealous volunteers, obsessed with the need to "do good" are making things worse - in many places.

"They are coming in large numbers, with loads of loads of relief material but no idea as to what they need to do," said AID-India volunteer Ravi Shankar, who has taken a break from his teaching assignment at an Indian Institute of Technology.
"We call it disaster tourism."


Read more...

1 comment:

Deborah White said...

They mean well, but sadly might accomplish more by giving money or goods to the large charitable organizations already there. My church just sent three people there, and they have no idea what they're going to do there.