It could be a lot worse. Case in point, Burma’s government is worse.

Myanmar’s military government came under pressure on Wednesday to open its borders to more international help after a devastating cyclone that a U.S. diplomat said may have killed more than 100,000 people.

That’s a lot of deaths. In terms of loss of human life, it is a huge tragedy. Dwarfs Katrina although our government’s response to Katrina was less than optimal, ok abysmal.

image credit AFP

Naturally, politics only makes it worse, sounds familiar.

“What remains is for the Burmese government to allow the international community to help its people. It should be a simple matter. It is not a matter of politics,” U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in Washington.

John Holmes, the top U.N. humanitarian official, urged Myanmar to waive visa restrictions he said were slowing efforts to bring in relief experts and supplies to help an estimated one million people affected by Cyclone Nargis.

Even the U.N. can’t get much action here. I listened to Laura Bush speak about this last Saturday but as the death toll wasn’t estimated to be that high, I didn’t blog about it. There was a volcano eruption somewhere else, earthquakes, lots of stuff I missed blogging about. Incidentally, she looked awful like she’s had too tight a face lift. To recap unless this escaped people, it was reported to be a Category 3, like Katrina actually. Cyclone is a hurricane.

The cyclone, with 190 kph (120 mph) winds, slammed into coastal towns and villages in the rice-growing Irrawaddy delta southwest of Yangon on Saturday. Witnesses reported villages destroyed and people fighting for survival by clutching trees.

Reminds me of the tsunami although on a smaller scale, only one country affected. One who’s government is slow to accept aid. Still a major humanitarian disaster.

Disasters can strike anywhere and it is better to be prepared rather than expect government to do it. They tend to muck it up under the best of circumstances. Come to think of it, government can be a disaster. If Newt is right, it just may be come November. We shall see.