Ike's aftermath

[maudlinragdoll]

According to recent satellite imaging, it looks like my sister's house is still standing. It's probably not in good condition though. No way to tell until people are allowed back onto the Island t assess damage

Comments

[originalkitsune]

This might sound awful of me, but I'd want to know as soon as i know someone in my family is dead. It doesn't matter if the news knows "first" or not to me. The sooner, the better so i can get affairs in order.

[maudlinragdoll]

It doesn't sound awful at all. Finding out sooner seems better than worrying yourself sick for a really long time and harboring hope and then just feeling worse when the news arrives. I didn't mean to give precedence to news media over families or anything, though. I think that sensitivity is an important thing and that it's crucial to notify the families of the victims in a timely and appropriate fashion so that they can grieve, make arrangements, and cope with the circumstances. But, news coverage and information sharing seems to be inadequate and I mean that as a wholly separate thing. My concern is less about the priority that one group or another group has over access to that information, but about the general veil of secrecy surrounding this and other issues. For instance, I do not think that the news should disclose any information about the identity of the deceased without the family's consent and that means contacting them first. But, I also think that to ignore the topic of casualties is troubling. The numbers aren't adding

[originalkitsune]

i totally agree. I suspect it's something political that prevents the knowledge sharing that is masquerading as something personal.