A Natural Disaster That Occurred

Sometimes nature hits in such a hard way that the man will feel simply helpless. Take the case of an earthquake. Nothing can be done to stop it. The earth heaves and at its wake brings about untold misery. There are landslides, typhoons and tornadoes, cloud bursts, and so on. These are unpredictable disasters though nowadays we try to forecast with the help of sophisticated instruments. One such disaster which hit my country recently was a tidal wave.

That particular coast of the country is always subject to the ferocity of cyclones and the ravages of heavy rain that follows. But this time something unexpected happened. The usual warning was given by the meteorological department. The meteorologists said that a big and forceful cyclone was heading for the coast. Heavy rain and high winds were forecast but the people, who were living on the coast never heeded the warning. There was a casual mention of it on the radio but not a serious warning.

It was almost midnight when the cyclone hit. Huge waves several meters high were whipped up and the huts and dwellings on the coast were simply carried forward and flung like pieces of wood. The rain simply poured non-stop and men and women were buried in the slush and water. Power had failed and in the dark that prevailed, there was nothing but a huge eerie silence interspersed with the cry of those who struggled for life.

When the morning dawned the wind abated but what an awful scene lay in the aftermath. Thousands upon thousands of trees were uprooted. In the flood that followed huts, dead bodies of humans, carcasses of animals, and huge trees floated. There was no landmark that could be identified. Those who were spared looked dazed and dumb having lost all their belongings and loved ones.

After a day or two, there was a stink of the dead. Voluntary organizations came forward to bury the dead and help the survivors. To find clothing and shelter for them was a big problem. The call for help was heeded to by sympathetic nations. Clothing, food, and medical aid were rushed to the suffering. Rescue work was taken up by the military and the Red Cross units. Temporary houses were put up and rehabilitation was done with the utmost difficulty.

It was a holocaust that could never be erased from our memory. Had the media like the radio, had given ample and serious warning in time, much of the misery could have been averted. Here it is not a question of prevention but is a question of taking the warning by the forecasters seriously. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.