I hate to be cynical but they've claimed over 200,000 dead but won't allow anyone to verifiy the number because they're blocking access to the disaster areas. Does the UN contribute money and manpower based on the number of dead?
People over here also need to stop and think, that is over 200,000 people died, then thye just dont need that much food then, do they?
We should still provide aid, airlift in what we can, with HUGE USA flags on it, so they know who came to their help.
Absolutely. It's a pretty good index to the amount of aid a country will need. For instance, in the US, where a killer quake might kill 50 people, we don't need much (if any) aid, because all of our own first responders, aid workers, social institutions, etc., are still intact, regardless of property damage. As the casualty numbers go up, though, entire societal systems start breaking down and the aid required goes up dramatically, maybe even exponentially.