As you know I live in Australia, where we recently experienced heatwaves and floods, and our neighbour New Zealand experienced an earthquake. I prayed for a better year ahead for all of us, but it appears that Mother Earth is unhappy, and we have seen yet another natural disaster - this time, in Japan.
I was in a conference call with colleagues around Asia, including Japan, when the earthquake was first felt. We heard screaming and one colleague had time to tell us there was an earthquake before the line went dead. It was many minutes before we received an updated by way of instant messenger saying they had just experienced what most of them felt to be the worst earthquake of their lives but everyone in the office was safe and accounted for. Phone lines were down. Train lines were down and they could not go home that night. Those were scary moments, and obviously more so for them in Japan than for us over the phone line.
We watched it on the news. My four year old son was shocked by the footage of the tsunami. He does not understand why it happened. I don't understand why it happened. It just did.
What can we do, being so many miles away? There are various organisations collecting funds for the Japanese victims of the earthquake and tsunami. We can give. Give generously. We can pray. I am sure every little bit counts.
Looking for somewhere to donate? Try these:
http://www.japansociety.org/news (Japan Society)
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm (Save the Children)
http://www.redcross.org.au/japan2011.htm (Australian Red Cross)
I also want to say how ashamed I am that a Malaysian newspaper has chosen to publish a comic panel (is that what they are called??) making light of the tsunami. I don't see how that is funny. I assure you, I do have a sense of humour, but laughing at other people's misery is just not on. That crosses a line. I am sad that there are people who find it funny. It was not that long ago that the northern states of Malaysia were affected by a tsunami that caused great devastation there and in Thailand and surrounding areas. It wasn't funny then, and it is still not funny now.
Labels: appeal, earthquake, tsunami
