West africa struggle

There is a revolution going on right now that you may not have heard of.  Not in the middle east or north Africa. But in west Africa right now there is a disputed election. The current president who has already had a full term in office has been voted out. But he refused to leave his position. Laurent Gbagbo  is a defiant little dictator that has taken the capital by force with troops loyal to his regime. 

The internationally recognized president of the country of 20 million citizens  Alassane Ouattara  declared a curfew in this capital and fierce fighting has been taking place. Citizens are reporting hearing loud gun battles and smoke in the streets. Citizens of the capital city of Abijan are afraid for a full blown conflict.

It has been reported by CNN that top ranking military officials inside the old regime have fled the country and are asking for asylum. They claim “The Army does not want to fight for Gbabgo against its own people”.  Its expected that the primary crises for the besieged city will be a humanitarian crises with shortages of food, water and basic civil services. 

The Naval response to the crises in Japan

Disaster in Japan

            To understand the size and scope of this you really have to use your imagination. For those who were in Japan it’s very easy for them to understand. Because a 30 foot high wall of water just pushed the entire coastline inland by six feet. The Earthquake that devastated New Zealand not so long ago was not nearly as powerful as the one off the north east coast of Japan. 8.9 Magnitude is an historic quake as powerful of one in over 100 years. History has only recorded four other earthquakes larger than this one.

            The very word Tsunami in Japanese means “Harbor Wave”. Imagine sitting on the beach and then to see what looks like a bump in the water coming closer. The horizon could be playing tricks on you and you squint to see. But ever so closer this wave comes. As the wave comes closer inland it grows in size. You’ve seen larger waves but this one is different. Suddenly it grows nearly 30 feet tall and is as wide as the coastline. This 30 foot tall wall of water slams into the coast and pushes everything in its path under it.

            The disaster in progress was unfathomable in reality when the first reports of casualties in the hundreds which was very inaccurate. Current estimates of deaths are 9500 with 16,000 missing. Estimated death tolls could eventually equal of up to 15,000 casualties.

http://photos.denverpost.com/mediacenter/2011/03/japan-struck-by-major-earthquake-tsunami-–-day-13/#18

            The United States Navy immediately began what the New York Times reportedly called “ Operation Tomodachi or (friend in Japanese). The U.S. Aircraft Carrier Ronald Reagan along with 19 other United States Naval vessels made a course change for the ravaged coastline.

            Operation Tomodachi is a U.S. Aide and Diplomacy effort to save civilians by using helicopters and other resources who now are refugees from the disaster. One Japanese woman was reportedly saying “They look like gods coming out of the sky!”. U.S. helicopters began dropping off crates of food and water and clothing amongst other supplies.  These rescuers are sometimes veterans of other rescue operations of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia.  The Navy reported they have donated over 194,000 lbs. of food to people in hard hit areas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/world/asia/23reagan.html?partner=rss&emc=rss