Icelandic Volcano grounds air travel over Europe

Six days ago, an Icelandic volcano with a name (Eyjafjallajoekull) nobody can pronounce erupted, spreading ash clouds all over Europe.  This forced airport authorities to ground tens of thousands of flights that were scheduled to land on or depart from this continent, stranding millions of passengers literally all over the world.

And just when they thought it might be safe to fly again, the Associated Press reported yesterday that ash clouds from this still belching volcano could hamper travel for days, if not weeks, to come….

But I hope I’ll be forgiven for not feeling too concerned about the disruptions and economic hardships this is causing.  After all, when Mother Nature unleashes her wrath upon my people down in the Caribbean with her hurricanes and earthquakes, it invariably results in death, destruction and dislocation of unspeakable proportions.

Whereas, the only things those affected by her indigestion in this case have to complain about is having to sleep in airports or resort to trains, taxis and ferries to get home.

But hell, how bad can it be when the British government has already dispatched the royal navy to rescue stranded Britons, and other governments are mobilizing similar efforts for their respective citizens?

So instead of whining about missing home, or even worse that all important business meeting (webinar, videoteleconference…?), these folks would do well to get a little perspective.

That said, my heart does go out to exporters in poor countries – from Asia to Africa – who are suffering irreparable economic losses because they are unable to fly their perishable exports to markets in Europe. I am especially concerned for people in these countries who might lose their subsistence jobs….