Recent Natural Disasters
7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia and triggered tsunami
On 25 October 2010, 9:42 PM local time, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. It was felt by many across the provinces of Bengkulu and West Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that struck the Mentawai Islands. 10 villages on the islands were swept away by the tsunami which reached a height of 3m (9ft,) destroying houses and buildings, taken the lives of over 100 people and leaving many more missing. Early warning systems were installed following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami which occurred along the same fault. According to officials, even though one of the sensors failed but it did not harmed the system’s operation. However, the epicenter of the earthquake was so close to the islands that a warning would probably be too late in any case to effectively evacuate villagers to safer grounds.
Whenever I read about natural disasters that hit countries around the world, I feel blessed to be living in Singapore where natural disasters rarely occur. In 2004, the massive earthquake and tsunami hit 14 countries in Asia, including neighbouring countries Malaysia and India, but Singapore was totally unaffected.
I was struck by the physical damage and emotional trauma that natural disasters, like earthquakes and tsunami, brought about. Many were left without a roof over their heads but besides that, countless families were broken by these natural disasters that killed many who could not escape from the clutches of death. The feeling of losing a loved one is indescribable. Although one may eventually come to terms with it, but the grief and loss that they go through is not something that everyone can understand and feel unless they really went through the same ordeal. For those missing victims’ families, it would feel like an endless wait for their family members to return home. With each passing day, the hope that missing victims could be found diminishes a little, until eventually searching work stops and the families could only pray that they survived and return home soon.
We do not experience earthquakes, volcano eruptions, drought, blizzards, hailstorm, sand storms, hurricanes or other natural disasters, due to our geographical location. Many of us would not realise how blessed we are, until we read about the natural disasters around the world. I hope that when people read about natural disasters that struck, they would be reminded of how fortunate they are to be living in Singapore.
link: BBC article on Sumatra earthquake and tsunami
