Disaster relief requires professionalism

Mindless rushing in, without a clear plan, will not help people in disaster areas, says an article in Beijing Youth Daily (excerpts below).

Media reports say two volunteers were injured in a car accident on their way from Chengdu to the disaster area.

Their enthusiasm is to be applauded but they have diverted attention away from the quake victims.

Helping quake victims requires expertise and professionalism. A headlong rush into a disaster area helps no one and can end in taking up scarce resources.

We all want to help people in disaster areas, but the most important thing we should consider is will our efforts actually help or hinder people.