Grief is keenest when disaster strikes people and places we know well or with which we have close bonds. Thus New Zealanders feel especially deeply for the victims of the earthquake-triggered tsunami that devastated areas of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.
Many have enjoyed holidays on the southern coast of Upolu, which suffered particularly from the walls of water up to 6m high that, with little warning, swept onto Samoa.
And the likes of boxer David Tua and rugby player Peter Fatialofa number relatives among the 100-plus who lost their lives. This was no distant disaster, occasioning only a cursory interest.
Unhappily, it has been succeeded by powerful earthquakes in Indonesia, the death toll from which may exceed 1000. Scientists will argue whether the two earthquakes were connected because of shared tectonic plate boundaries.
But in different ways they both wrought enormous damage. Most of those killed in the highly vulnerable Sumatran city of Padang were buried under collapsed buildings, the consequence of a 7.6-magnitude quake very close to shore.
There was only a very small tsunami, in contrast to the outcome of the 8.3-magnitude quake centred about 190km south of Samoa.
The latter provided yet another reminder of nature's power. The Pacific is reckoned to have an efficient alert system, centred on the Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii.
But any effective reaction is predicated on people having at least 15 minutes to vacate low-lying areas. In this instance, a locally generated tsunami meant there was only about 10 minutes to respond - and five by some estimates.
That, combined with apparent difficulties in relaying the warning to some villages and resorts, left some people too little time to run for high ground.
It may not have helped that Samoa has pioneered the concept of fales on the shore for tourists. The death toll may have been lower if coastal communities boasted buildings made of concrete or bricks.
But that would detract much from Samoa's attraction. Indeed, an imperative now is that the tourism industry recovers from this disaster as quickly as possible.
At present, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is advising New Zealanders planning to travel to Samoa for the rest of the school holidays to cancel until more is known about the tsunami's aftermath.
Clearly, it is concerned about the possibility of aftershocks, as well as the state of Samoa's water and sanitation infrastructure and suchlike. But, in the interests of the Samoan economy, tourists must be encouraged to return there as soon as possible.
Most immediately, of course, there is need for medical supplies, not least to prevent an outbreak of infectious diseases, as well as attention to food and water needs. In the longer term, housing and infrastructure will have to be rebuilt.
In terms of the international aid effort, important lessons should have been learned from the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which killed 230,000 people around the coasts of Thailand and Indonesia and across the Indian Ocean. The world's response to that tragedy was as efficient as it was heartening.
Samoa's disaster may be smaller in scale but is still enormous in its relative impact. The death toll and the large number of people rendered homeless, sometimes when whole villages were flattened, are huge blows to a nation of just 182,000 people.
The speed of its recovery and the rebuilding of livelihoods will depend upon the effectiveness of aid and reconstruction and the return of tourists to its resorts. New Zealanders, who, themselves, were at the outer extremity of this tsunami, will want to be at the forefront of both efforts.
How you can help
Pacific Cooperation Foundation
Deposits can be made at at any Westpac branch. All the money raised will go to the Samoan Government
Red Cross
- Make a secure online donation at redcross.org.nz
- Send cheques to the Samoan Red Cross Fund, PO Box 12140, Thorndon, Wellington 6144
- Call 0900 31 100 to make an automatic $20 donation
- Make a donation at any NZ Red Cross office
ANZ bank
Make a donation at any ANZ bank branch, or donate directly to the ANZ appeal account: 01 1839 0143546 00
Oxfam
- Make a secure online donation at
Oxfam.org.nz
- Phone 0800 400 666 or make an automatic $20 donation by calling 0900 600 20
