Posted on: Sunday, January 9, 2005
AFTER DEADLINE
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By Anne Harpham
Advertiser Senior Editor
Daily, since Christmas, the news has been dominated by the human tragedy of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis.
The enormous scope of the heartbreaking story of devastation can be difficult to grasp.
And initially, media accounts did not reflect the size of the disaster because it was not yet known.
It was a story that grew as the numbers of dead and the extent of the destruction became apparent. The first stories on Sunday, Dec. 26, reported at least 700 dead. The next day, the toll was 23,000 and, as we know, it climbed dramatically. As of Friday, it was estimated at more than 147,000 and was expected to grow beyond that.
As USA Today reported earlier last week, it is a story that much of the media got a slow start on. "The White House didn't understand it, journalists didn't understand it and aid organizations didn't understand it," ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff said in USA Today.
The devastation has been stunning, even for veterans of disasters. "I've been in war, and I've been through a number of hurricanes, tornadoes and other relief operations, but I have never seen anything like this," Secretary of State Colin Powell said after surveying the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Billions in aid has been pledged. Service organizations struggle with difficult logistics to get urgently needed food, water and medical supplies to victims.
And there are countless stories of human suffering — and of hope.
We know that residents of Hawai'i have family and friends who were affected by the disaster or have gone to the area to help. Many more have given generously to relief funds.
This will continue to be a major story, and we are committed to covering it comprehensively. If you have a question or concern about our coverage, please call me.
If your company or organization has a relief effort, we would like to know about it.
And if you know of anyone from Hawai'i who is affected by the disaster, please let us know.
To pass on tsunami-related news information, call our city desk at 525-8090 or call Advertiser staff writer Vicki Viotti at 525-8053. E-mail hawaii@honoluluadvertiser.com or vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com. The state's new bottle-deposit law has caused a lot of questions and concerns, and a number of readers have called seeking resource information or wanting more stories.
Advertiser staff writer Robbie Dingeman is our point person on this recycling issue.
Our previous stories and resource lists are at The Advertiser's Web site.
Go to www.honoluluadvertiser.com and look for the Bottle Bill link. You also will find a link to a list of recycling centers statewide. You also can call 211 to find your nearest recycling center.
Senior editor Anne Harpham is The Advertiser's reader representative. Reach her at aharpham@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8033.
BOTTLE LAW
