Newsmaker
Monday, December 29, 1997
Name: Bob MacPherson
Age: 50
Occupation: U.S. Marine Corps retired colonel
Hobbies: Jogging
Somalia is suffering from the worst flood since 1961, and it appears that the Juba and Shabelle rivers have joined to create one river that is up to 12 miles wide at some points, according to retired Marine Corps Col. Bob MacPherson. CARE-ing about Somalia
MacPherson, who went to Somalia with the Marines as part of the Operation Restore Hope humanitarian relief effort in 1992-93, recently returned from the region after serving as a consultant for CARE.
"An estimated 224,000 people have been forced to leave their homes because of the rising floodwaters," said MacPherson. He has been working with CARE, described as one of the world's largest relief and development organizations, since 1971.
"The challenge is getting to help these people because right now airstrips are underwater or too soggy to land on, and the same is true of the roads. Food stores and livestocks have been destroyed en mass by flooding.
"This means there won't be anything to eat in Somalia for a long time to come. People won't have houses, food or even clothes. Even if they survive the flooding and the danger of malaria and cholera, it's going to be a long struggle."
In 1994 MacPherson was involved in the Bosnia relief effort helping to get food and relief supplies to Croatia and Bosnia. As part of this relief effort, the Kailua resident helped distribute 22,000 teddy bears collected in Hawaii for the "To Bosnia with Love" program.
Gregg K. Kakesako, Star-Bulletin
