Shattering Earthquakes Hit Sumatra

On Wednesday evening, September 30^th, the island of Sumatra in Indonesia was hit by a devastating earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale. A mere sixteen hours later, on Thursday morning, a second quake of 6.8 struck near Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, a province on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

At least 1,100 people have died, but the Indonesian health officials predict thousands of more deaths. One of the worst disasters was the collapse of a school in Padang, along with a destroyed hospital leaving medical staff to work outside in the mud. Many buildings, homes, and bridges have crumbled and now resemble layer cakes. Much of the region still suffers from a lack of power, down telecommunications, and road blocks.

There have been warnings of a major earthquake for quite sometime, but the Indonesian government said it did not have enough funds for disaster-preparation measures. Aid is beginning to reach the displaced, but recovery will take some time due to a lack of heavy machinery. Recovery will definitely take some time and more casualties are bound to appear.