'Early warning system badly needed'<\/p>\n
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and world leaders met
\nin a special summit on tsunami relief in Jakarta, harnessing
\nefforts to cope with the disaster that has left at least 150,000
\npeople dead across Asia. The Jakarta Post asked Jakartans what
\nwent through their mind when they learned about the devastating
\ncalamity.<\/p>\n
Asri, 26, is a shop attendant in Kalibata Mall, South Jakarta.
\nShe lives in a rented room in Cawang, East Jakarta:<\/p>\n
I could not believe that the natural disaster could have swept
\nthrough a major part of Aceh and killed so many people.<\/p>\n
As an archipelagic country like Japan, I think we should have
\nbeen better prepared for earthquakes and tidal waves.<\/p>\n
Even if we have the information and technology to avoid losing
\nso many lives in so short a time, I'm not sure that the
\ngovernment would prioritize the safety of the people over their
\nown political interests in the wake of the election year in 2004.<\/p>\n
The only good thing we can learn from this tragedy is that we
\nall realize just how fragile the country is and an early warning
\nsystem is badly needed.<\/p>\n
Oni Setiawan, owns restaurants in Cempaka Putih, Central
\nJakarta and Utan Kayu, East Jakarta. He lives with his wife and
\ndaughter in Cempaka Putih:<\/p>\n
What I regret most is that we have neglected the importance of
\ntraining and emergency drills to prepare for natural disasters. I
\nrecall that in my days in elementary school in Yogyakarta during
\nthe tenure of president Soeharto students were all familiar with
\nemergency drills. I think such an effort would be an effective
\nmeans to minimize greater casualties.<\/p>\n
In the recent tragedy, we witnessed that the government and
\npeople were confused and in a state of panic. Everything looked
\nso poorly organized. They neglected to prioritize transportation
\nof humanitarian aid and relief workers so that the victims could
\nbe quickly assisted.<\/p>\n
Anyway, if I look on the bright side, the tragedy has brought
\nall people, regardless of race and religion, together to work for
\nthe speedy recovery of Aceh and North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
-- The Jakarta Post<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/early-warning-system-badly-needed-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }