But there is another humanitarian disaster where this leadership is also needed: Congo.
North Korea is an economic disaster, where hundreds of thousands are this year yet again desperate for food.
"I don't think we've had our big disaster where hundreds of people die to make this palatable.
I'd just had a disaster, where one of my pieces had injured someone, and I was terribly shaken.
A short walk away is what's left of Plaza Towers elementary school, epicenter of this disaster, where many children perished.
"It is time for common sense to come into the equation so we never have another disaster where red tape delays the emergency services".
"It's the first time in my experience in a domestic disaster where citizens are taking control of their information," Ms. Foster said.
Since the World Trade Center disaster, where he worked the night of Sept. 11 on rescue operations, people on the street have been noticeably more interested and supportive.
Since 2001 the chemical company has owned Union Carbide, the firm at the centre of the 1984 Bhopal disaster where thousands died from a gas leak.
"I have seen many disasters in my life, but I have never seen this kind of disaster where people are now camping along the roads living in desperate conditions," Mr. Holbrooke said.
But the update might remind other users of Apple's recent U2 PR disaster, where it pushed the band's new album to user's phones without asking them, many of whom then requested to have it removed.
