Tsunami shock
When I got back home at around 9pm last night and my housemate's sister said there had been an earthquake and tsunami in Penang, I didn't believe her. I thought she was trying to pull a fast one on me or something. I mean, geography might not be my strongest subject but even I know that Malaysia doesn't reside on any fault lines. We don't have earthquakes here... or so I thought.
But I called two friends in Penang and they confirmed the news, assuring me they were all right. Both were cheerful and seemed to make light of the whole thing; one said that Penang does frequently get some after-shock tremors from earthquakes in neighbouring Indonesia, so he's pretty used to it.
Then the late-night news came on tv and I watched, horrified, as the disaster was detailed. Oh my God. At least 53 Malaysians dead and 34 missing. Whole villages in the northern states destroyed. (10 fishing villages in Kedah were "nearly flattened", according to the New Straits Times.)
This morning I opened my email and got a number of concerned messages from bloggers around the globe. For some reason I hadn't expected this... maybe thinking that Malaysia wouldn't make the international news. After all, the effects of the Sumatran earthquake were so much worse in India and Sri Lanka.
Thanks for the messages of concern and caring. Both Messy Christian and I live near the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, not very near the coast, so we were unaffected. My parents are in Perak, and our town is about 20mins drive from the beach -- Mom said they felt the pews shake a little during yesterday's church service but apart from that everything seemed fine. MC has relatives in Penang but I believe they're okay too.
I think this incident has shaken us as a nation, coz like MC says, Malaysia's hardly ever exposed to natural disasters. We don't get earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, or anything like that. The worst we ever get is flooding, and that's sometimes blamed on widespread indiscriminate illegal logging or irresponsible development. We always thought we were safe... and now it seems that we aren't.
Further news from Malaysian bloggers:
- Mack Zulkifli says the government is offering a thousand dollars (ringgit) relief for each of the victims' families. I'm thinking RM1,000 is better than nothing, but it isn't a lot.
- Noor Hidayat's family in Penang is being asked to evacuate.
- Penang bloggers give personal accounts and discuss the tragedy.
- Alvin believes "this 'little' tsunami was just a calling card, a wake up call".
- Jeff Ooi has constant updates on the latest news.
- A Moxilicious Moment experienced a moment of fear for a friend.