It's often said that these days nothing is shocking. And for the most part, it's true: We live in a world so full of information, images and statistics that very little can amaze us, horrify us or stop us in our tracks. But in the past year, a handful of brutal, basic acts of nature managed to do all of that. And then some.
It all started late in 2004, when a massive undersea earthquake off the coast of Indonesia triggered deadly tidal waves that spread out across the Indian Ocean, smashing into coastlines from Sumatra to Somalia and leaving unimaginable death and destruction in their wake. More than 150,000 were killed, countless more left homeless and destitute, and property damages totaled in the billions. An unprecedented international relief effort followed, uniting governments, citizens, entertainers and musicians, but to most living in the United States, it was difficult to fathom. The death and destruction seemed very, very foreign, and very, very far away.
All of that would change in August, when Hurricane Katrina rumbled through the Gulf Coast, breaking levees and wreaking havoc on the region. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was slow to react to the storm, leaving thousands homeless and allowing the city of New Orleans to devolve into a surreal, horrifying wasteland on the brink of chaos. Images of looting and stories of murder and rape within the city's convention center began to clog the airwaves as some Americans watched in stunned disbelief while others (such as Kanye West) vented their frustrations by ripping the president. The region had little time to recover, though, as another powerful storm, Hurricane Rita, slammed it in late September.
In October, a powerful earthquake struck the Kashmir region on the border of India and Pakistan, killing a reported 30,000 people. The remoteness of the area proved difficult for international relief workers, who struggled to deliver food and medical supplies to the survivors. As the year came to a close, portions of the area were still unreached, and relief agencies still awaited additional funds.
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