Lessons from the quake<\/p>\n
Lessons can be learnt from the strong earthquake which hit
\nJakarta Monday. The disaster left neither casualties nor serious
\nconstruction damage but people -- who are always appreciative of
\nsuch an outcome in any calamity -- were quick to express their
\ngratitude to God.<\/p>\n
The following day the topic on everyone's lips was their
\nfeeling of panic after the quake which registered 6.0 on the
\nRichter scale -- a rare and electrifying experience.<\/p>\n
But people's reaction did not stop there. As people of this
\nspectacular planet we should ponder what wisdom can be learnt
\nfrom such a calamity. Although the capital has never been rocked
\nby a killer quake -- unlike some provinces -- nobody could
\nguarantee that such a disaster would ever strike the city on a
\nmore disastrous magnitude.<\/p>\n
Even scientists have not been able to protect us from the
\npowerful forces of nature, much less predict such an event. This
\nnatural phenomenon is still entirely the prerogative of the
\nAlmighty.<\/p>\n
But fortunately God is compassionate and merciful. He not only
\nreminds us how limited our will and power are in facing the
\nforces of nature, but he has given us the ability to cope with
\nsuch calamities. The fact that we were safe and sound Monday does
\nnot mean that we should sit still and do nothing, the habitual
\ninaction which has been part of our tradition in taking things
\nfor granted.<\/p>\n
In recent cases of fire gutting high-rise buildings, we have
\nshown our unpreparedness for disaster. We rarely conduct
\nexercises or educate people on how to respond to such disasters.
\nIt is important that if a fire guts a high-rise building, we have
\nthe knowledge and expertise to deal with it and thereby save
\nlives.<\/p>\n
It is our lack of knowledge regarding disasters which is
\ndangerous. Panic is heightened if people are not aware of how to
\nreact in a disaster and eventually people's ignorance will lead
\nto a repulsive tendency to hide the results of our carelessness.
\nThe lack of professional ethics among officials in preparing
\npeople for disaster is nothing but a naked truth and one day the
\npeople will pay a high price for this.<\/p>\n
Although earlier reports said no buildings had been seriously
\ndamaged by Monday's earthquake, serious investigation should be
\nconducted to uncover the real impact of the disaster. Our
\nbuildings should also be evaluated to assess whether they have
\nbeen constructed on the basis of a special design to withstand --
\nor at least minimize the damage of -- a more devastating
\nearthquake.<\/p>\n
This is no trivial job and the city administration needs to
\ntake stern measures against those who are reluctant to cooperate
\nin such efforts.<\/p>\n
We should take Monday's panic as the last warning because an
\nearthquake cannot be predicted. If we cannot learn from our own
\nexperiences, we can learn from others who have suffered greatly
\nfrom calamitous seismic activity.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lessons-from-the-quake-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}