Hurricane Sandy Devastates the Poor

“The islands of our planet are at war against climate change, warming temperatures and rising seas. Entire nations that currently occupy this Assembly, whose representatives sit among us as friends and equals, may simply cease to exist as a result of our inaction.”

These words come from the warning of island nations at the UN, just a few weeks before the “storm of the century” and the US election which did not mention climate change.

While celebrating the US election (including the trouncing of two Foot-in-Mouth Party senators), we should remember that the same week brought continuing devastation to the poor, of the USA as well as the Caribbean. People were left stranded, in beach communities without power (or washed away); or in NYC trapped in tall buildings without elevators. We often forget that the USA in effect hides the equivalent of a third-world population stranded throughout our cities and rural areas alike–with decreasing economic expectations. We need to compel our newly elected or reelected leaders to keep their eye on this.