If Not For Sumatra.......

If Not For Sumatra, we will probably see the same devastation inflicted by thetsunami in Bandar Aceh and Padang on the west side of Penang island. Thousands will perish, buildings crumbled, injured by the thousands.

The whole stretch of Teluk Kumbar, Bedong Island and Balik Pulau will probably be washed away by four to ten meter high tsunami created by the recent strings of earthquake at Padang, Sumatra. From the view of Bukit Genting, half of the west coast of Penang island will be flooded.

On the east side of the island, the smaller waves invade the industry area, destroying factories at the Bayan Lepas industrial zone and not forgeting the residential areas where condominiums and shopping malls are built ridiciuosly near to the shores. One will also see the destruction of a resort at Pulau Jerejak.

The bridge which connects the mainland to Penang island will also be partly destroyed due to the massive waves created by the earthquake. Will we be able to rebuild Penang in such a short time? Will Penang survive? Will the coastal towns on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia survive such devastation?

The death toll in the Padang earthquake disaster in Indonesia rose to 603 while hundreds more are believed to be trapped in collapsed buildings in the west Sumatran city and mudslides that swept through entire villages in its outskirts.

According to official figures released by West Sumatra’s Disaster Management Agency recently, 785 people were seriously injured with some requiring surgery while those with non-life threatening injuires exceeded 3,400 people.

EnterinG the fifth day since the magnitude 7.6 quake struck on Sept 30, the stench of death overhung the city of Padang while rescuers tried in vain to find people still alive.

Clean water supply, electricity and telecommunication facilities were reported to be partially restored in Padang.

If not for Sumatra, we could have been heavily punished by mother nature twice in a time frame of 5 years. So far, Sumatra has been protecting the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia…respect her as she has been our saviour for centuries….