More than 3000 dead in quake that hits central Java. Yogakarta, near where the quake hit is a really beautiful place an amzing history and culture and its sad to see more hardship strike this country. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12995142/?GT1=8199 MSNBC News Services Updated: 1 hour, 3 minutes ago YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake flattened homes and hotels in central Indonesia early Saturday as people slept, killing more than 3,000 and injuring thousands more in the nation’s worst disaster since the 2004 tsunami. The magnitude-6.2 quake struck at 5:54 a.m. near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, 250 miles east of the capital, Jakarta. It was centered about six miles below the surface, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake’s epicenter was close to the rumbling Mount Merapi volcano, and activity increased soon after the temblor. A large burst spewed hot clouds and sent debris cascading some two miles down its western flank. Bambang Dwiyanto of the Energy and Mineral Ministry could not say whether the quake caused the volcanic activity but warned that it could trigger a larger eruption. “It will influence the activities of Mount Merapi, particularly in the lava dome,” said Dwiyanto, head of the ministry’s geological division. Almost all people had already been evacuated away from the volcano’s danger zone, and there were no reports of injuries as a result of the eruption. ‘Too scared’ As darkness fell in the heartland of Indonesia’s main island of Java, thousands were preparing to spend the night outside their ruined homes or on the grounds of mosques, churches and schools. “It’s pitch dark. We have to use candles and we are sitting outside now. We are too scared to sleep inside. The radio keeps saying there will be more quakes. We still feel the tremors,” said Tjut Nariman, who lives on the outskirts of Yogyakarta. TV footage showed damaged hotels and government buildings, and several collapsed buildings. Roads and bridges were destroyed, hindering efforts to get the wounded to hospitals. Some phone lines also were cut. “It felt really powerful, and the whole building shook,” said Narman, a receptionist at a hotel in Yogyakarta. “Everyone ran from their rooms.” Rising death toll President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the army to help evacuate victims and arrived in densely populated Central Java province Saturday afternoon with a team of Cabinet ministers to oversee rescue operations. He also told people not to fear a tsunami. Sixteen hours after the quake struck, the number of dead stood at 3,068, Social Affairs Ministry official Sopar Jaya said, adding that two-thirds of the fatalities occurred in devastated Bantul. Click for related content World’s largest Buddhist temple OK after quake In the chaos that followed the quake, rumors of an impending tsunami sent thousands of people on Java fleeing to higher ground in cars and motorbikes. But Japan’s Meteorological Agency said there was no danger of a killer wave. Doctors struggled to care for hundreds of injured people lying on plastic sheets, straw mats and even newspapers outside the overcrowded hospitals, some hooked to intravenous drips dangling from trees. “We need help here,” said Kusmarwanto of Bantul Muhammadiyah Hospital, the closest hospital to the quake’s epicenter, adding that his hospital alone had 39 bodies. “There so many casualties. Houses ... are flattened. Many people still need to be evacuated,” he said. At nearby Dr. Sardjito Hospital, bodies were lined up in the hallway and some family members were taking them home before they could be added to the official toll. “We have hundreds of injured people, our emergency care unit is overwhelmed,” said Heru Nugroho. The quake cracked the runway in Yogyakarta’s airport, closing it to aircraft until at least Sunday while inspections take place, Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa said. Officials said Borobudur temple, a 9th century Buddhist structure considered one of the seven wonders of the world, was not affected in the quake. In hardest hit Bantul district, Subarjo, a 70-year-old food vendor, was sobbing next to his dead wife, his house destroyed. “I couldn’t help my wife ... I was trying to rescue my children, one with a broken leg, and then the house collapsed. I couldn’t help my wife,” he said weakly. “I have to accept this as our destiny, as God’s will,” he added. Volcanic eruption The quake’s epicenter was close to Mount Merapi, which has been rumbling for weeks and sending out large clouds of hot gas and ash. Activity increased on Saturday, with one eruption that came soon after the quake sending debris some 2 miles down its western flank, but Bambang Dwiyanto of the Energy and Mineral Ministry said the two events did not appear to be directly related. Almost all people had already been evacuated away from the volcano’s danger zone, and there were no reports of injuries as a result of the eruption. Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. A magnitude 9.1 earthquake on Dec. 26, 2004, under the sea off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island triggered a tsunami that killed more than 131,000 people in Aceh province, and more than 100,000 others in nearly a dozen other countries. © 2006 MSNBC Interactive
Death toll in quake region still rising, over 5,000 http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/05/28/quake.scene.ap/index.html 'Her last words were "Daddy, Daddy'' ' Villagers mourn loved ones lost to quake, salvage belongings Sunday, May 28, 2006; Posted: 10:40 p.m. EDT (02:40 GMT) JAMPRIT, Indonesia (AP) -- Poniran's daughter was breathing when he dug her from the ruins of his house. But 5-year-old Ellie died in his arms as they waited for treatment at a hospital overflowing with injured. "Her last words were 'Daddy, Daddy,'" said Poniran, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. He took a break from searching the rubble of his village for salvageable items. "I have to start my life from zero again." Some 24 hours after Saturday's 6.3-magnitude earthquake, tens of thousands of survivors faced an uncertain and grief-scarred future. (Watch tearful survivor tour destruction -- 2:36) In less than a minute, the quake collapsed houses in village after village in this rice-growing district in the heart of Indonesia's densely populated Java Island, killing more than 4,900 people, injuring thousands more and leaving 200,000 homeless. (Full story) Most of the dead were buried within hours in accordance with Islamic tradition. "The important thing is that we gave her a quick burial," said Subagir, leading a reporter to the grave of his grandchild, marked for the moment with a green coconut. By Sunday morning, little -- if any -- aid had reached most of the survivors. Groups of villagers who spent a rainy night outdoors made soup Sunday with whatever vegetables and meat they could find and put up signs asking for money, food and tents. A few cars bearing logos of local Islamic groups were seen offering some food and medicine, and one carried an injured 75-year-old women to the hospital. With insurance uncommon in Indonesia, especially in rural areas, most people lost everything. Villagers crawled over the brick, wood and tile rubble of their homes to salvage whatever they could -- a hammer, tins of tuna, family photographs. "We're short of everything. Clothes, food, water. All are gone. We are poor people, but our lives still matter," said Budi Wiyana, 63, whose house was destroyed. The quake is the latest in a string of deadly natural disasters in the world's most populous Muslim nation, including the 2004 tsunami that killed more than 130,000 Indonesians. Many in this deeply religious region saw God's hand in the disaster. "Allah is angry with his people and the country's leaders" said one villager, Wagiran. "This was a warning."
When I read the U.S. donate 2.5 millions, it makes me sick. It will probably cost more one day in Iraq than the this much.....
That is just a start, it is an automatic donate, I am sure the US will donate more than everyone else....as usual. DD
Dude, give it some time. That's probably the most money that came into Indo as aid so quickly. That was instant aid.
Australia and Japan donated more when the tsunami hit Indonesia. Also, Iran promised the most money to Afghanistan I believe after the fall of the Taliban. If I remember correctly, American foreign aid only makes up around .5-1% of the total federal budget, most people think it's a lot more than that.
Has anyone heard anyword if the US military is going to move in to help out like during the tsunami and Pakistan Earthquake? I know the US uses Singapore for fleet operations and still has naval assets in the Indian Ocean helping with Afghanistan so it wouldn't be too hard to move resources there.
I started a thread in the D & D on compassion fatigue where an argument about how much aid countries have given could be moved too. I was more looking at this thread as a way to get the word out about the event.
Your silly analysis doesn't take into account the very generous American public. You have to look at more than just the government gifts. I love y'alls anti-American agenda, by the way. Chinese and Iranians apparently have pretty big inferiority complexes.
but there are way more americans. it just depends on the public. the quake isnt even top news here, so people may not give more.
Bottom line is that America is the world's largest donor. Here's an article for you inferiority complexed Chinese and Iranians on the board: American Generosity is Underappreciated by Brett D. Schaefer WebMemo #630 December 30, 2004 The tragic loss of life from the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean now exceeds 100,000 and may eventually double that, due to disease, civil unrest, and other factors. In response, the United States and other nations have pledged millions of dollars in humanitarian assistance to aid the survivors and assist affected nations in recovering from the disaster. Unfortunately, some in the international aid business cannot seem to shake their reflexive criticism of America despite ample evidence of its generosity. The U.S. government initially announced that it would provide $15 million in humanitarian aid and send experts to help affected nations recover. Jan Egeland, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, criticized the U.S. commitment as “stingy” despite the fact that the U.S. pledge far exceeded those of all European nations. He quickly apologized and said that he did not mean to single out the United States, but the transcript of his comments clearly identifies the U.S. as the primary target. Rhetoric vs. Reality Mr. Egelund’s criticism was based on his belief that America is not providing enough development assistance—specifically, aid as a percentage of its gross national income (GNI). According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. is dead last in aid as a percent of GNI at 0.15 percent.[1] Mr. Egelund’s native country of Norway has a ratio of 0.92 percent. There are several problems with this approach: * Actual dollar contributions reveal that the U.S. is the world’s largest donor. The OECD calculates U.S. development assistance (based on bilateral assistance, humanitarian assistance, and contributions to multilateral institutions like the International Development Association of the World Bank) in 2003 at $16.2 billion—more than double the amount given by France, Germany, or any other European nation.[2] Japan is second at $8.9 billion. * Private aid is ignored. These numbers do not include private assistance. This is not a major factor for most other nations because private charity is not large in most countries. It is a gigantic oversight when calculating America’s aid ratio, however, because the U.S. Agency for International Development estimated that private assistance was $33.6 billion in 2000.[3] Therefore, the calculations upon which Egelund based his criticism severely shortchange the generosity of the United States. *It demonstrates an inappropriate focus on inputs rather than outputs. Development assistance should help recipients develop, but the evidence demonstrates that many recipient nations are actually becoming poorer. This is particularly true for sub-Saharan Africa, which is the region of the world most desperately in need of development. Despite hundreds of billions in development assistance, sub-Saharan Africa has performed dismally. Of the 45 sub-Saharan African countries for which per capita GDP data are available from 1980 to 2002, most experienced zero or negative compound annual growth in real per capita GDP (constant 1995 U.S. dollars).[4] Sub-Saharan Africa as a region saw a decline in per capita GDP from $660 in 1980 to $577 in 2002 (in constant terms).[5] Instead of focusing on the amount of assistance, donors should focus on maximizing results through economic freedom, bolstering the rule of law, and adopting strong institutions. Foreign aid cannot replace domestic will to adopt good policies, without which long-term development is impossible. * America’s central role in humanitarian efforts is ignored. Egeland’s criticism becomes patently ridiculous after an examination of U.S. assistance for disaster and humanitarian relief—the type of aid needed in the Indian Ocean. Data from the OECD reveal that the U.S. gave nearly $2.5 billion in emergency and distress relief in 2003.[6] All other countries combined gave $3.4 billion, including $475 million from France and $350 million from Norway. Moreover, the U.S. contributed nearly 70 percent of all food assistance. * America is a key donor to U.N. relief organizations. The United States is a major donor to international relief organizations, including the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which Egelund oversees, to which the U.S. is second largest donor (nearly 14 percent in 2003).[7] America is the largest contributor to the U.N. budget at 22 percent, or $317 million, in 2004. It gives over 56 percent of the World Food Program budget and $72 million and $94 million to the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, respectively.[8] Conclusion The United States is the world’s largest source of humanitarian aid. By nature, humanitarian aid must be tailored to individual crises: Every single famine, earthquake, flood, or other disaster is unique and requires different types of aid and different strategies. As death tolls climbed in the wake of the disaster in Southeast Asia and the needs of the survivors became clearer, the United States upped its humanitarian aid commitments to the region to $35 million, and expectations are that total U.S. contributions will continue to increase. Criticisms of America’s generosity, such as those made by Egeland, fly in the face of reality. International aid experts do their organizations no credit to criticize American largess—especially since following through on their good intentions would be impossible without it. Brett D. Schaefer is the Jay Kingham Fellow in International Regulatory Affairs in the Center for International Trade and Economics at The Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/Research/TradeandForeignAid/wm630.cfm
I didn't really hear much about this and when I saw blurbs, I didn't think that much about it but the death toll has just jumped so high in just a few short days.
[ I love y'alls anti-American agenda, by the way. Chinese and Iranians apparently have pretty big inferiority complexes.[/QUOTE] how did y'all redneck mind come up with that conculsion?
I think the per capita deal is a horrible way to judge statistics, if one million people give a dollar, that is 1 million dollars. If 20 people give 5 bucks, they have a 5 times greaters per capita contribution, but the effected area only gets 100 bucks. The USA is by far and away the biggest contributor to charitable organizations in the world, bar none. Creepy, using GDP is so screwed up it is not even funny, the USA has the highest GDP by a LONG shot......that is just silly for you to post that. DD
