After Nias, where next?<\/p>\n
Today, just under two weeks after a huge earthquake demolished
\ntheir homes, burying hundreds of men, women and children in their
\nsleep, the people of Nias are still struggling to rebuild their
\nlives.<\/p>\n
As of this weekend, many bodies were still under the rubble,
\nunrecovered due to a lack of heavy earth moving equipment. School
\nchildren, those who survived the March 28 killer quake and
\nescaped uninjured, were compelled to attend their lessons in
\nmakeshift classrooms or in the open. Food, water and fuel were
\nhard to come by.<\/p>\n
Though smaller in scale than the catastropic destruction that
\nwas left in the wake of the Dec. 26 tsunami, which washed whole
\ntowns and villages off the map, the human suffering that the 8.7-
\nscale earthquake has wrought on the once-idyllic island of Nias
\nis felt no less intensely by the island's population.<\/p>\n
Not that help from outside has been wanting. As was the case
\nin the Aceh tsunami disaster, help has come in by the planeload
\nand by sea, sent over by concerned citizens overseas and
\nelsewhere across the country as soon as news of the disaster
\nspread. And as was true in the wake of the Dec. 26 calamity too,
\nfriendly countries near and far have been prompt to extend a
\nhelping hand to ease the suffering of the populace.<\/p>\n
If something good has come out of this latest disaster, it
\nmust be that it has strengthened the bond of solidarity and
\nmutual understanding -- both on the national and international
\nfront -- that governmental mismanagement, oppression and
\ndiscrimination have for so long buried and pushed into near
\noblivion.<\/p>\n
All this, however, does not detract from the disturbing
\nimpression that the various natural disasters that have occurred
\nover the past months have proven this country's capabilities to
\ndeal with natural disasters to be grossly inadequate. As regards
\nthe Dec. 26 tsunami and more recent Nias earthquake, it is easy
\nand certainly tempting to lay the blame for the nation's
\ninadequacy on the sheer scope and extent of the destruction.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, one cannot escape the impression that
\nneighboring countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, India and Sri
\nLanka have shown themselves to be much more ready to act in the
\nface of disaster. The very fact that international teams have
\noften been first to offer help in some of the most remote of the
\ndisaster-stricken areas should give us plenty of reason to think
\nabout upgrading our own relief capabilities.<\/p>\n
To be sure, this may not be as easy a task as it may seem. For
\none thing, money in sufficient amounts must be set aside to
\nestablish the organizational framework and set up the
\ninfrastructure and equipment necessary for such a task. In the
\nface of such constraints, the government and the nation are well
\nadvised to make the best use of the international offers that
\nhave been made by governments and organizations abroad to come to
\nour and to the region's help.<\/p>\n
Above all, the local populace of our coastal regions must be
\nmade aware of the vital importance of keeping their protective
\ncoastal environments intact. This is particularly true given the
\ninclination of Indonesians to dismiss or take lightly the
\npossibility of disaster until it actually strikes. Hopefully,
\nthough, the devastation which the disasters of past weeks have
\nwrought in the area can serve as a reminder that prevention is
\nalways better than the cure.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/after-nias-where-next-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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