Natural disasters happen every day.
Whether it's a flood, tornado, earthquake or major storm, somewhere around the world something is happening.
There aren't ways to know when these natural disasters will strike and, even with the best prediction equipment, it's impossible to know exactly where "the big one" will hit.
Chile, located in a region known for seismic activity, was dealt a magnitude 8.8 quake Saturday. The death toll is now above 700. Also this year, we've seen reports of a 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan and a 3.8-magnitude earthquake in Illinois, of all places.
Earthquakes happen almost constantly. It's a safe bet that at any given time, somewhere on the planet the ground is shaking.
When Haiti was stuck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake Jan. 12, more than 233,000 people were killed. The Haiti earthquake is now the third most deadly in recorded history. The process of rebuilding will take years, maybe even decades.
Yet the television stations and news reports have turned their attention to Chile. While there are still reports coming from Haiti, the public now wants to know about the newest natural disaster. But do we move on too quickly to the next bout of destruction? How many of us take the time to read about the rehabilitation efforts in countries formerly reported on so heavily?
How many of us remember the September 2009 8.1-magnitude earthquake that hit the Samoan Islands — the biggest one of last year? It triggered a 46-foot high tsunami that killed almost 200.
What about the 2005 Kashmir earthquake (Pakistan), 2007 Sichuan earthquake (China) or 2008 Cyclone Nargis (Myanmar)? These events killed 79,000; 68,000; and 138,000, respectively.
Unless we are told on the news, do we really know what has happened in these areas since these events?
The Gulf Coast is still far from recovered from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which killed nearly 2,000 and caused $88.5 billion in damage. Aside from scattered reports, what do we know about those restoration efforts?
The countries devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, including Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Somalia, are still working on fully recovering from the catastrophic magnitude 9.2 earthquake that sent a huge wave — in some places it was more than 50 feet high — crashing onshore in parts of Asia. More than $7 billion in aid was sent to help countries affected by the tsunami — but what was done with that money?
Maybe with Haiti and Chile, people will become less fickle with their news consumption.
Reports about recovery aren't the breaking, front-page or heavily tweeted stories like the original stories. It doesn't mean they are any less important.
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