Living in the Ring of Fire

"The death toll from the earthquake that shook West Sumatra on Wednesday is expected to run into thousands..." (read more here). It is just sad to see so many people passed away, especially youngsters. It was late afternoon, time for the school children to go to their courses. Most of the children who passed away were either attending their afternoon courses or their Qur'an reading in the mosque. I saw the hectic situation from amateur videos (so, thanks to citizen reporters) running on and on by the local television. It was just sad realizing that our buildings are prone to earthquakes. The traditional building without nails had better stand in earthquake.

Children who passed away under those collapsed building were plenty. Those who survived the earthquake were interviewed after the disaster, and The Jakarta Globe reported that

“I was scared” was the most common response from children when asked about the 7.6-magnitude quake that reportedly killed up to 1,100 people and brought untold suffering to the region. But for many, their answers were covered up with a blush, a smile or even laughter.

The trauma after the disaster would be the biggest problem for those victims. Those who can help are now working in the area to help stabilizing the situation. Clean water, medication, and food are the most important things over there. It was also agreed that there are some mass burial as it would be difficult to dig the body out from the suspected site.

This is the risk of living in the ring of fire. It has a very close connection to the activity of our volcanoes, and it was not only producing earthquakes, but also land slides. In Pariaman, we saw a village who lost most of its houses because of the land slides.

Earthquakes and landslides are the sad stories, a horrible nightmare for those who experienced it...but also news for others. Social media is a way of sharing news, collecting supports, and raising awareness...yet never forget the ethical rules! That's how an eyewitness' reports made things different, because they are one of those who experienced it...they'll use their heart in reporting it.