United in crisis
Nothing could have prepared this nation -- not the government and certainly not the people -- to face Sunday's calamity.
Measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, the earthquake off the northwestern coast of Sumatra was the most powerful tremor recorded around the globe in over 40 years. The towering tidal waves that ensued -- and which caused the majority of deaths -- were rare occurrences in the Indian Ocean. An expert at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said the Indian Ocean faced such catastrophes once every 700 years.
Even if there had been an early warning system -- like those in place in most Pacific rim countries -- it would not have made much difference to Indonesia: We would not have had the time to warn the people in northern Sumatra of the impending disaster because of our proximity to the epicenter.
A warning system might have saved lives in India, Malaysia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand, toward which the tsunami traveled some 60 to 90 minutes across the ocean before hitting their shores. For Indonesia, however, Sunday's quake was just too powerful and the tidal waves came too fast to handle.
One lesson to take away from this disaster is the need for countries bordering the Indian Ocean to cooperate and set up an early warning system modeled on the Pacific system. If a massive quake should occur in the Maldives -- whether tomorrow or in 700 years' time -- those of us in Indonesia would surely like to hear of it in time and have a chance to prepare for it, for example by evacuating people along the coasts.
With the death toll in the six affected countries exceeding 15,000 and growing -- including more than at least 5,000 in Indonesia -- the disaster is horrific.
Tragic though it may be, it is not so much the figure that is mind-boggling, as after a while, the number of dead will become a mere statistic and fade in the collective consciousness.
More devastating than this are the survivors' tales as told through photographs: of lifeless children lined up in an Aceh morgue; of a wailing young woman nudging her dead baby in the vain hope of reviving it; of a man grieving over his dead child; of families sifting through the ruins of what were once their homes; of fishing boat floating lifelessly and unmoored.
This nation was on full alert over Christmas weekend against possible terrorist attacks. Instead, a worse disaster struck us.
With terrorism, we could at least vent our anger at the perpetrators; with natural disasters, we cannot blame anyone in particular -- not even God -- nor can we pinpoint their exact cause for all our powers of reasoning.
From a spiritual point of view, perhaps it was a sign that we need to be more sensitive as regards the well-being of our fellow countrymen.
Certainly, our reaction and response to Sunday's calamity was found wanting. Most local TV stations continued to air their regular Sunday evening programs of dangdut music, game shows and other entertainment programs even after the government declared a national disaster and called for public support.
The people of Alor Island in East Nusa Tenggara and Nabire in Papua, which were recently struck by deadly earthquakes, are probably familiar with the insensitivity of fellow Indonesians about their fate.
At least the government responded swiftly, and in declaring a national disaster, it opened the doors to massive aid -- domestic and foreign -- to be channeled to victims as quickly as possible. One consequence of this move is that aid can now be distributed directly to the affected provinces, bypassing the cumbersome Jakarta red tape that delayed relief operations in the past.
Foreign aid is most welcome and is vital, but it is usually available as immediate relief operations and medical/food aid, but not beyond.
For most survivors, the real challenge begins once they have overcome their grief and shock, as they go about the heartrending task of rebuilding their homes and shattered lives. It is the responsibility of the Indonesian people and their government to provide the sorely needed long-term support. The calamity that struck our countrymen in Aceh and North Sumatra is too big for them to face alone.
In spite of the indifference shown on Sunday night, we, as a people, have risen to the challenge on many occasions in times of crises; it is this shared experience that has brought this nation together.
This time is no exception. As we help the survivors of Aceh and North Sumatra to rebuild their lives, we will be helping this nation to build a future.