Sunday, January 02, 2005
Tsunami
The end of this year brought the dreaded tsunamis on December 26th that devastated countries from Malaysia to East Africa (Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Maldives, and Somalia. As of today, the death toll was at 115,000. The aftershocks continue...
The earthquake was at a 9.0 magnitude, the strongest on the planet since 1964. It changed the lives of people from many nations almost immediately, because there was very little time to react. It was run for your life or die. The people who tried to bring personal possessions with them were the ones who wound up dying. The tsunamis did not affect just the Asian side of the world. They affected the entire world, because citizens from other countries were also among the casualties and missing: Australia, Austria, Belguim, Britain, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Portugul, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States.
This also affected me personally because I have some Thai college friends that I was concerned about. My roommate for one semester and a friend who lived next door to us in the dorm both are now college professors in Bangkok. I also have a friend who is a college professor in Alabama, and he was like a big brother to me. I have been trying to call him ever since I heard about the tsunamis, and got no answer at any of the numbers I have for him. I finally resorted to leaving a voice mail on his cellphone, asking him to call me and let me know how he was doing. I've been praying for the safety of my friends. In church this morning, I also said a little prayer for them. Today my prayer was answered. Sonny called me this afternoon and let me know that he was okay. He was one of the lucky ones. He was at one of the beaches that was hit hardest in Thailand only four days before the tsunamis. He said that the water there is normally very clear, but the week he was there it was very muddy, indicating that something was happening below the ocean. He almost stayed another week, but then decided to return back to Bangkok. His immediate family is fine, but he is sure that some relatives of his were killed.
The thought that some of my good friends could have been killed has been very upsetting to me. It really makes you think about how much you should appreciate the people in your life who have meant so much to you, and have helped contribute to who you are and are a part of you.
The earthquake was at a 9.0 magnitude, the strongest on the planet since 1964. It changed the lives of people from many nations almost immediately, because there was very little time to react. It was run for your life or die. The people who tried to bring personal possessions with them were the ones who wound up dying. The tsunamis did not affect just the Asian side of the world. They affected the entire world, because citizens from other countries were also among the casualties and missing: Australia, Austria, Belguim, Britain, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Portugul, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States.
This also affected me personally because I have some Thai college friends that I was concerned about. My roommate for one semester and a friend who lived next door to us in the dorm both are now college professors in Bangkok. I also have a friend who is a college professor in Alabama, and he was like a big brother to me. I have been trying to call him ever since I heard about the tsunamis, and got no answer at any of the numbers I have for him. I finally resorted to leaving a voice mail on his cellphone, asking him to call me and let me know how he was doing. I've been praying for the safety of my friends. In church this morning, I also said a little prayer for them. Today my prayer was answered. Sonny called me this afternoon and let me know that he was okay. He was one of the lucky ones. He was at one of the beaches that was hit hardest in Thailand only four days before the tsunamis. He said that the water there is normally very clear, but the week he was there it was very muddy, indicating that something was happening below the ocean. He almost stayed another week, but then decided to return back to Bangkok. His immediate family is fine, but he is sure that some relatives of his were killed.
The thought that some of my good friends could have been killed has been very upsetting to me. It really makes you think about how much you should appreciate the people in your life who have meant so much to you, and have helped contribute to who you are and are a part of you.
