When 'the underground king dragon' gets angry...<\/p>\n
Text and photos by Mulkan Salmona<\/p>\n
JAMBI (JP): Earthquake! It always comes without warning when
\neverybody is preoccupied with their daily lives or sound asleep,
\nforgetting that it may happen any time and that it always comes
\nwith the mission to ruin and kill.<\/p>\n
Earthquakes surprised the people of Flores island, East
\nNusatenggara, in December 1992; scarred the land of Liwa, Lampung
\nin March 1994; split the land of Banyuwangi, East Java, in June
\n1994; and pitilessly wrecked havoc on the land of Kerinci, Jambi
\ntwo weeks ago, on Oct. 7, 1995.<\/p>\n
Within seconds the Jambi earthquake, measuring 7 on the
\nRichter scale, damaged everything: the roads, which took years
\nand a lot of money to build; rice fields, which had been the
\nvillager's livelihood for generations; houses, which had
\nsheltered them from rain and heat and ensured them of a sound
\nsleep at night; mosques, where they worshiped God.<\/p>\n
A total of 81 people were killed, compared to 223 in
\nBanyuwangi, 201 in Liwa, and about 2,000 in Flores.<\/p>\n
Experts say the Kerinci earthquake was caused by a tectonic
\noccurrence. Yet folklore says it happened because the king dragon
\nliving underground was disturbed in its sleep, woke up and
\nangrily moved around.<\/p>\n
Whatever the reason, within seconds the earthquake caused as
\nmuch damage and pain as a war can cause in months. All that
\npeople took decades to built with sweat, tears and money was
\nruined in the blink of an eye. Plus they lost their loved ones.<\/p>\n
For days after the quake people were still full of anger,
\ntears, thirst and hunger. Yet, just as other quake victims around
\nthe world, the Kerinci people need to start rebuilding their
\nlives and clear away the memory of the traumatic event.<\/p>\n
\"Let us not cry for this. Instead, let's us reflect on what we
\nhave done, because every natural disaster is closely related to
\nhuman behavior,\" said Col. Muchdi Purwo Pranjono, chief of the
\narea's military command.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/when-the-underground-king-dragon-gets-angry-1447893297",
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