when you read something like this. How do you spell relief? Tsunami relief, that is. From The Boston Herald:
GALLE, Sri Lanka- At the main warehouse in Galle, mountains of cardboard boxes and suitcases ready to burst take up a quarter of the cavernous building.
Some are labeled “Aid for Tsunami Victims,” but their contents – winter jackets, expired cans of salmon, stiletto shoes, winter tents, thong panties and even Viagra – have left Sri Lankans scratching their heads.
Unprecedented aid poured in after the Dec. 26 tsunami, but some of those wanting to help were perhaps too eager, shipping items of no use in tropical Sri Lanka. And seven weeks after the disaster, no one knows what to do with some supplies piled up at government buildings, aid agencies and refugee camps.
[…]
“It’s clear that some people have sent clothes that are actually meant to be used as dusters,” said Himali Fernando, another aid official. “We don’t mean to be ungrateful, but it would be appreciated if people take a little more care before just unloading their basements and garages.”
An embarrassed Fernando said the black-and-pink thong underwear will not be offered to refugees. Nor would a spaghetti-strap, sequin-studded black evening dress. Still, she said, nothing will be thrown away. Warm clothing may be sent to shelters or to tea plantation workers in the hills, where the climate is cooler.
Among the most unlikely supplies sent in were six packs of Viagra from Australia, said Gandhi Saundararajan of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization.
Hat tip: Wizbang.
