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January 15, 2005
As sea takes another, a new wave of life
Topics: Southeast Asia Earthquake and TsunamiKofi Anan said in Banda Aceh,
"I must admit I have never seen such utter destruction, mile after mile. You wonder, where are
the people?" For thousands of Acehnese who have lost all of their property, loved ones, friends, neighbors, and the only way of life they ever knew, what matters to them now at this very moment is the community in which they now find themselves and making it through yet one more day. For them, the grief seems almost unbearable. I can't help but think that "there but for the grace of God, go you and I." There isn't one among us that is immune to such disasters, and it's hard not to think about our own loved ones while reading about the great saddness of our fellow human beings in tsunami-ravaged southeastern Asia, particularly in the hard-hit area of Banda Aceh.
"Grief has a new meaning when it cuts across an entire community. Acehnese no longer merely ask "pue haba" ("how's the news") by way of greeting; they also must inquire after each other's family, knowing the answer will be a number: the number of members lost."
If you haven't hugged your kids lately, you'll probably want to after you read this article:
The Australian
FOR 15 agonising days, Andian Sulaiman and his wife Irliana watched their daughter die.
In the end it wasn't the physical injuries that did it for 12-year-old
Nuratia -- though they were serious enough -- but the sheer amount of
ocean she swallowed when the tsunami hit.
She did not go gently. Feverish and delirious, in the first days
Nuratia called repeatedly for water, and for her mother. "'Kiss me,
Mama', she cried, although she wasn't really conscious," Andian
recalled. Read more...
Posted by Hyscience at January 15, 2005 10:42 PM
Articles Related to Southeast Asia Earthquake and Tsunami:
- Tsunami survivors reject new homes - Feb 09, 2005
- Tsunami toll tops 295,000 - Feb 07, 2005
- Earthquake (does not) result in Tsunami alert (updated) - Feb 05, 2005
- Lesson from forefathers helped spare Island at quake epicentre - Jan 30, 2005
- Aceh's tsunami relief effort 'in chaos' - Jan 27, 2005
- Tsunami Impact: In relief camps dignity sells for a pittance - Jan 24, 2005
- Lone tsunami survivor found on island - Jan 23, 2005
- Tsunami survivors 'eating leaves' - Jan 20, 2005
- Tsunami decimates Aceh's child population - Jan 20, 2005
- Miracle of little girl plucked from debris - Jan 18, 2005
Comments
Ouch. That story hurts my heart. :-(
Posted by: Beth at January 16, 2005 12:17 AM
That's our Kofi Annan. He concludes his Jackson's Hole, Wyoming ski vacation without interruption,flies to New York (undoubtedly first-class) and gives a press-conference to attempt to justify his delayed response to the disaster.
And then he arrives in the disaster area in order to take credit for the relief effort only after better, more able people have done the real work.
I wish that the administration had the fortitude to withdraw from the UNited Partying Organization and founded another, better-governed group of nations that would be willing to make a difference without all the corruption.
Posted by: EdWonk at January 16, 2005 7:58 PM
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