Powerful Indonesia quake kills at least 71
Posted: 07 March 2007 0237 hrs
Extracts from the article:
PADANG, Indonesia : A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Tuesday, killing at least 71 people, flattening buildings and sparking panic in the streets of Malaysia and Singapore.
Officials said the death toll was expected to rise in the latest catastrophe to hit the beleaguered nation, and hospitals were quickly overwhelmed with the rush of wounded. Many people were feared to be trapped under rubble.
Communication was cut off with much of the area close to the epicentre of the 6.3-magnitude quake, so there was no immediate way of knowing the extent of the damage there, they said.
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In Singapore, which is rarely hit by quakes, hundreds of people cleared out of their office skyscrapers and raced into the streets - some of them weeping and screaming - when the ground started to tremble.
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Indonesia, an archipelago of some 17,000 islands, sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet - and where earthquakes are a regular and often deadly occurrence. Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, which killed some 168,000 people in Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra. Some 5,800 people were killed and 33,000 others injured in a massive quake that rocked Java island in May last year. Two months later, another quake on Java killed more than 600.
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My two-story office which is now cement and false walls on zinc planks (in my intepretation) felt the tremors also. I was in a discussion at a meeting, and perhaps due to the excitement in the product development meeting.. I didn't really feel the tremors. It was only when I came out of the meeting (shortly after the tremor) that my colleagues told us that there was an earthquake and they felt it, with some friends and relatives from the Shenton way area calling to confirm and saying that people were evacuating in Shenton way.
"Woah!" was my response. My first thought was of my two sheep working in the city area and sent some smses to find out how they were and what the situation was like there. Second thought was of how the country (didn't know it was Indonesia at that time) must have been super terribly hit if S'pore felt it so strongly.
Thankfully, my sheep were fine and there was really no damage in Singapore.
I remember experiencing a tremor maybe 6-7 years back, around the middle of the night. It felt like the entire building was swaying. Really quite a scary thought. I was then watching television with my Dad and afterwards, we discussed a little about what we should do if there really was an earthquake in S'pore. The conclusion was something like this: “If you have time, run out of the building. Rem to take the stairs, not the lift. If you do not have time, hide under the table, preferably with a soft blanket.” And I remember a thought I had- That's another reason why you should stay on higher floors. The lower you stay, the more stories and pile of concrete you have on you when there's an earthquake. Harder to rescue.
Memories and funny thoughts aside, the incident reminded me and brought in me a deeper sense of compassion for people. (Proof once again that many times, Man require so-called bad or negative things to happen, to trigger their deeper senses of life, purpose, love and understanding of priorities in life.)
Firstly, it reminded me of a verse I read recently–
9 When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away."
10Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
- Luke 21: 9-11
The number of earthquakes and natural disasters and their increasing magnitude of destruction in the recent years are a sign that the end is indeed drawing near. Questions that come to mind would be “Am I living my life purposefully, the way that God would want me to, so that should the end come so unexpectedly, I can say that I live without regrets, I’ve run the race, fought the good fight?” “The people in my life.. do they know how important they are to me?” “My friends, my loved ones, how can I bring them to experience Christ’s love?” Important questions that we often miss out asking while living our daily routines…
Secondly, I pray that those experiencing hurt and pain in their lives will find God’s comfort and love. After going through the flood at Thomson last December, it has helped me to appreciate and empathize more with disaster victims. The devastation you see of what used to be your office/home/belongings, the shock and the sadness you feel, that whelming of emotions including the need to plod on, to find faith & strength to move on despite the trauma. These feelings somehow also link my thoughts to some of my friends who are going through depression. I hope that in my little ways, I can help ease their pain and provide some support and pray that God will help me to show them that He loves and is the source of our hope and strength. Showing love can be tiring.. being loving is difficult.. but it is so needed in a hectic world like ours..
“God, I need you. Help me to live life the way you want me to. Thank you!”
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