Are we becoming immune to disasters? Even when they wipe out thousands of lives and wreak devastation on the environment, are we apathetic to suffering if it happens somewhere else?

Hurricane Mitch has shown no mercy. So far 9,000 people are dead, 14,000 are missing and half a million are homeless. Yet the world has been slow to react.

Crops have been lost, with 70% of all agriculture in Honduras wiped out, and a similar proportion destroyed in Nicaragua.

Urgent food aid is essential if Central America is to avoid human catastrophe. But with road networks in the region destroyed, it may take more time to get aid into some communities than they have left.

Despite money being channelled into the region to try to relieve some of the suffering, Central America has enormous debts to be paid off.

Nicaragua for example spends 40% of its national wealth paying off debt.

Should the West write off these debts so these countries stand some kind of chance of recovery? Have we been too slow to take an interest in this disaster?

Nicaragua's Foreign Minister Eduardo Montealegre said the international community could help significantly by cancelling 80% of its national debt.

"That would allow us - instead of having significant amounts of our foreign reserves to service our debt - to be invested in schools, health, infrastructure, and economic development," he said.

The US and European Union have already pledged several million pounds in relief aid.

But Oxfam says help also needs to come from individuals. Spokesman Maurice Herson said the charity would be looking to inject hundreds of thousands, if not millions of pounds into hurricane-ravaged countries.

He said continuing aid would be needed to prevent widespread sewage contamination and disease.

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Hurricane Mitch: Are we doing enough?

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