Recent Natural Disasters

Indonesia tsunami deaths increase after Sumatra quake

URL of article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11626242

Natural Disasters is part of a progression that human hands cannot control. The world is changing and Mother Nature has been tampered with. With all the adverse effects that the earth has to go through to sustain all living organisms, are not natural disasters inevitable? Preventive measures may be implemented however the capability of Mother Natures’ wrath remains indefinite to even the most renowned scientist.

In October 2010 off the coast of Sumatra, without any forewarning Indonesia experienced an earthquake that triggered a tsunami with a magnitude of 7.7. A total of ten villages were completely destroyed in landslides. The tsunami moved at such an intense speed that it tore down trees, destroyed roads and bridges, and wrecked buildings. The access roads in Sumatra were torn apart by the quake preventing medical teams from reaching the injured. Just imagine lying by the side of a broken down road waiting for help to arrive for a time that remains unknown with blood oozing out of your wounds exposed to germs.

Women and children are not spared from the wrath of Mother Nature. All in the path of the tsunami is engulfed and swallowed whole. For the unfortunate, they are thrust into anything that stands in the way of the killer waves. It may it be a concrete wall or it may have been a tree that once stood tall, it doesn’t really matter. The graphics are not to scare you but instead to paint a visual image of how catastrophic the situation was. Merely reading the articles alone may evoke sympathy but visualising it would evoke empathy.

Natural disasters can be especially traumatic for children and the youth as the magnitude of the devastation may be too much them to comprehend. Within minutes their lives are changed for the worst. Houses, streets and all that once stood upon their village have been brought to chaos in an instant. Their sense of security is snatched away from them in an instant, leaving them in a world of turmoil and sadness in seconds. The chaos to their once familiar environment such as their homes and playgrounds can be a long lasting and distressing experience. Unlike the village that can be restored to how it used to be with time, memories cannot be erased.

Health ministry officials said 113 bodies had been recovered in the area so far reported the Associated Press news agency. In addition, 200 body bags were being sent to the region in case they were needed. Many would have to battle with uncertainty and in a time like this the feeling is personified and it is like a dagger pierced through the heart with every day that passes by and no news of their loved ones survival reported. Closure to me is very important. I would rather know that my loved one has passed on then to hold on to hope unsure if it is worth the effort or not. Uncertainty and worry makes it hard to sleep through the night but I would rather live each day with a fact then stay awake with hope. That may sound like someone who has no feelings or could care less but like I said, closure for me is very important. Survivors can be involved with the disaster aftermath for months or even years, especially if they continue to live in the same village. Surviving a disaster of such devastation also means living with painful memories. Hence, survivors who have trouble coping with the reminders of the destruction choose to desolate themselves from the landscape.

These are raw hard facts weather at the end of the day we choose to accept it or not it does not change the immensity of the situation. My heart goes out to the people not so much for the dead but instead for the living, that have to go through each day with the memory deeply engraved in their hearts, images in their minds and scars on their weakened body. We will never truly understand why these horrible things happen to innocent people. Trying to find the answers is going to be a never ending search and even if answers are found it can never truly satisfy our curiosity. We must learn from the past to prepare ourselves, embrace the present as it’s an opportunity to transform a frightening event into a learning experience and brace ourselves for the future, because it remains uncertain.