Sunday, June 26, 2005

6 Month Anniversary of the Jakarta Tsunami

CNN reminds up that today is the 6 month anniversary of the Jakarta Tsunami. I suppose it should not be shocking, but it amazed me to read in the article that there are still 50,000 "missing" as in "not yet listed as dead." Here in the West, the disaster now seems far, far away. But in the East, it is still just today's news.

n Banda Aceh, capital of Indonesia's Aceh province, 45-year-old Muhamed Ali, a carpenter, didn't know until just a few weeks ago that his 16-year-old daughter was alive.
"I am very happy because I finally can see my daughter again," he said when the pair were reunited June 22. But the happiness of the moment was dimmed when Handayani asked whether her mother and sister had been taken by the waves. Her father could only nod.
In the chaotic aftermath of the tsunami, thousands of children were separated from their families, presenting a huge challenge for officials and agencies in charge of their welfare.
It is a reminder that the crisis is not over, just because the waters have receeded. Lives were torn apart, and we need to keep up our prayers and donations to the suvivors.

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