I have more up-beat blog entries in my head to write, but I have been so overwhelmed by the sadness of the earthquake in Sumatra that I am not inclined to write them. I have had to stop watching the news, as the images of the crumbled city and the grief-stricken people are just too much! I've been moved to tears several time. There are images of so many dead bodies, too many for the hospital to even handle. With each one of those human lives lost, I can't help but think of the 10-20 people at least who will be grieving for that loss, while at the same time trying to come to terms with their own loss of homes and possessions. With a death toll of over 1100 confirmed, and 1000s of others still to be found under the rubble, it is such an imense human tragedy. And one that is so uncontrollable. The one thing we humans can not control yet is the force of nature.

People in Padang are used to earthquakes, being located right in the middle of the Ring of Fire, but this one, the Big One that people who live in these tectnonically volatile places fear, has been absolutely devastating. Individuals have lost their entire family, children have been orphaned, there are too many peope with injuries for doctors to deal with, survivors are living in tents- calls for 10,000 tents have been made!- there are limited fresh water supplies....and of course there is the worry about disease breaking out.

I think that this tragedy has affected me as it is in the country where I am living, and that makes it just so real. Yet, despite the sadness and the awfulness of it all, I am brightened by the way that people band together and really get in there to help in whatever way they can in times like this. Governments and aid agencies and disaster management specialists are almost instant in their response, and everyday people are working together to help those who are suffering. Thank god for this saintly-ness.

I don't think I could handle being at the earthquake site, but I plan to donate money once I figure out which agency is the best to give to. I know that as much is being done as possible, and I am trying not to focus on the loss of so many beautiful lives. It has been a crazy period of time for South-East Asia, between the typhoon in the Philipines and Vietnam and the Tsunami in the Samoas, and now the earthquake in Indonensia...it definitely calls for a time of reflection and action in whatever way we can provide it. Once the news agencies have become bored in a week from now, and another news items takes rank, it will be easy to forget about what has happened in Sumatra...but this is going to be an on-going recovery, for a long time into the future, and with so many people affected, it is going to affect Indonesia long after the news stories have stopped.

This is the organisation who I am going to donate to for disaster relief. I recommend anybody who wants to help, even if it is only a small amount, to do the same.

MercyCorps www.mercycorps.org