THE gales which battered the North over the weekend brought tragedy and chaos in their wake. Thousands were affected by floods, damaged property and a loss of power to their homes.

But while we do not for a second seek to belittle the impact of the storms on our communities, they have also served to underline how comparatively fortunate we are.

If we feel frustrated by how long it takes to reconnect electricity supplies, or to get roof tiles replaced, imagine what it must be like for the people of the countries affected by the recent tsunami disaster.

For us, the debris will soon by cleared, and power will be restored before the adventure and novelty of playing games by candlelight has worn off for our children.

The lack of cooking facilities simply meant a trip to the pub for Sunday lunch for many.

But imagine if there was nowhere to go for shelter or food. Imagine if a few days' inconvenience was replaced by months of heartache, hardship and uncertainty amid the unthinkable task of rebuilding countries more or less from scratch.

It will take a relatively short time to repair the damage caused by the weekend's gales in this country. For millions in Asia, the misery will go on and on.

That is why it is so important to keep our own problems in perspective and to remember those who are so much worse off.