It's one of the world's sad ironies that natural disasters so often hit nations that are the least equipped to handle them. Something like a Hurricane Katrina is horrible enough when it happens to the richest country in the world, so when the developing world is affected by Mother Nature, the effects are even more dearly felt.And so to the news of a massive 7.5-magnitude earthquake beneath the sea floor near the island of Sulawesi. The nearest town was Gorontalo, and no word on casualties or property damage yet, but the strength alone was enough to cause a serious tsunami warning. In fact it was an earthquake the triggered the Sumatra tsunami of 2004, and which devastated the region in so many ways that are still being dealt with.
It can't be said that earthquake news is ever surprising in Indonesia, since the archipelago owes its very existence to seismic bursts throughout history. After all, the country sits right on top of the "Ring of Fire," the Pacific Ocean's minefield of volcanoes and fault lines. Such is the inescapable fragility of everyday life.
Today's Top Stories
No comments:
Post a Comment