Considering the post-tsunami response, I would have thought there would be threads all over about this, on the Dope and in the blogsphere. But they’re not there. Maybe I’m just not seeing them. But here you go.
Here is information on where to donate.
I was just going to ask this question. Is there any thread on this? It’s truly a massive natural disaster.
The Brits have sent rescue teams, and other countries have pledged to help as well.
Unfortunately, earthquakes with large death tolls occur regularly.
Er- NOT THIS BIG a death toll!
There are about a million earthquakes a year (real stat), most of 'em don’t reach this level. 20,000 people haven’t been killed in an earthquake since Bam, Iran in December 03. This is a big deal, in that sense.
Also, the mud slides in Guatamala- 1400 possibly killed is also major in terms of numbers. This stuff isn’t all the time.
I see Fox news had to put their spin on the story. The line they are taking is that the Pakistani Army is helping with the rescue and relief and this is diverting them from fighting “The War On Terror”. And they were also speculating if Bin Laden had been killed or injured in the Quake. What’s with this station? Do they have to mention “War On Terror” a certain number of times every day so they can qualify for a pay bonus?
I hate to sound callous, but I think most of us are kinda burned out with major disasters. I’ll probably give some money to the Red Cross for the victims in Pakistan, but beyond that I don’t see what else there is to say about the subject.
As for the mudslides in Guatamala, what can be done? They’re declaring entire villages to be mass graves. Not only is there no more hope of finding survivors, but in many cases they can’t even figure out where to dig.
Estimates are now up to 40.000 …
Lesson for Guatemala. Plant as many trees as you hack down.
Well, the BBC have had reporters and satellite up-links on-site from day one.
Front page of all the Sunday papers AFAICT. Lead on all the news programs this morning and yesterday.
I don’t know what there is to say besides, “How horrible” until we get more detailed info.
And now they are down to 19,000 killed, way too many injured. Not that it isn’t still quite horrible, just saying.
Oh, and this is a stable homepage for updates on the quake, currtesy of the BBC.
That was yesterday … The governor of Kashmir estimates 30.000 in that province alone, another 9000 deaths estimated in a neighbouring province. We’ll see.
There are also something like 130,000 homeless people, and the winter is fast approaching.
Well, always a good idea. Do we know that deforestation was an issue in the slide areas though? I can’t find anything to claify that.
And if it matters coming from this bitter heathen: my heart aches for the survivors in Pakistan. (not being a smartass) My they choose a kinder lot for their next time around.
It’s a damned shame how much money & effort various nations spend killing a couple thousand ‘enemies’ while at the same time that same effort could effectively spare hundreds of thousands untold grief. What a weird place this world is!
The earth is angry, my friends. It’s time to throw a virgin somewhere.
Happy
First the tsunami, then hurricanes, fires in California, flood and mudslides in Guatemala, now an earthquake … what’s left? Famine and pestilence I guess …
::searches sky for plagues of locusts::
I wonder what the combined death toll of these events will be.
Throw her my way…and then maybe I’ll see what I can do about the Earth. 
We’ve seen a lot of coverage and have been following it (and Guatemala) closely. But aside from donating, there doesn’t seem to be a lot anyone can directly do right now. If there’s not much to fight about or any locals to post updates, it doesn’t produce as many threads.
I did start a GQ thread about it, asking if the U.S. has offered aid. Only I quickly heard that we had, so it didn’t make any sense for anyone to reply to it (which they didn’t).
Plenty can be done. An orphanage my mom volunteered at, Casa Guatemala, took on 75 new children affected by the hurricanes. Although they have few resources and have just barely began to replace the facilities damanged in the earthquake of 1999, they are a really wonderful place and the kids there are happy, well-fed, and have real futures to look forward to. They are in desperate need of all kinds of things- from tubes of toothpaste to a new water tower- and I’m sure an extra 75 kids is going to stretch their resources any tighter. Honestly, anything helps.
They could especially use qualified teachers who can volunteer three months of their time. It’s a beautiful place, the kids are wonderful, and you’ll have memories to last a lifetime.