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Deadly Silences: The Hurricane Andrew Cover-up Continued from page 38 nounced effects on the young; often, they "Evil can only be defined as absence of ston communicating altogether. emnathv..." co nounced effects on the young; often, they stop communicating altogether. One little girl in particular caught my attention. Her arm had been badly injured, twisted into a permanent position of defor- mity. She stood very still, holding her hair in her good hand, never moving or showing any signs of emotion. "She needs medical attention," I said to the doctor. "Yes," he agreed, "a lot of the young sur- vivors desperately need medical attention." His answer puzzled me. "But I thought financial aid was donated from foreign countries." "Yes," he nodded, "but most of the money ended up in the pockets of govern- ment officials. It never reached the sur- vivors." How well I knew what that meant. How well indeed. After pausing, he added, "When the earthquakes struck, one foreign country offered to construct a hospital at the devas- tated site. But because of political differ- ences, our government refused the offer." I left the Turkish people, wondering: what kind of future is man creating for himself? Only one thought came to mind: "Evil can only be defined as absence of empathy..." oo survivors squeezed my hand tightly, too overcome by grief to explain how they never found the bodies of their loved ones. Long pauses of silence took over when tears replaced words. The poverty I witnessed was too startling to escape my poorly sighted eyes. Pathetic cardboard-type huts, covered by plastic sheets, greeted me everywhere I went. Then there were the bleak rows of govern- ment-funded temporary housing which lacked simple basic needs like indoor pri- vate showers. I often wonder, now that I've returned back home, how those Turkish survivors weathered the 115° temperatures of July, since their temporary housing lacked prop- er insulation and air-conditioning. As the month of August began to unfold, torrential rains bombarded the country, bringing a new kind of disaster: flash flooding. How many lives were lost to this disaster? The most pathetic survivors of all are children. Like many of the children who survived hurricane Andrew, many Turkish children whom I saw who could no longer smile or play. Shell-shock has very pro- Editor's Note: This article is based on excerpts reprint- ed in The Unopened Files, issues 17 & 18, 2000, originally published in k.t. Frankovich's book, Where Heavens Meet (Language of Souls Publications, Inc., USA). To obtain a copy, order via Amazon.com or send payment to: k.t. Frankovich, PO Box 703, Umatilla FL 32784, USA (US$24.95 + $3.20 s&h in US; £14.99 + £3.50 p&h to UK; else- where, US$24.95 + US$8.00 p&h). For further information, visit www.kt.cjb.net or e-mail Kfrnkovich@aol.com or Ukpoet@aol.com. About the Author: k.t. Frankovich has had a distinguished career as a writer in film and television, winning the 1975 Gold Venus award for documentary film writing. She has devoted her personal life to rescuing abandoned, lost and abused animals. k.t. is a poet and an author of short stories and several books. She is a frequent guest on radio talk shows across the US, and is passionate about exposing the tragedies surrounding the hur- ricane Andrew disaster. APRIL — MAY 2001 NEXUS = 83 www.nexusmagazine.com