Indonesian TV news is more raw than the American variety. They charge right into people's hospital rooms. Last night at work, the TV to my left was set on a local channel, and there were protracted periods of screaming and chaos pouring into my left ear while I edited stories of screaming and chaos on my computer screen. CNN, on another TV straight ahead of me, was somewhat more decorous but still chilling.
I can't claim any close ties to Yokyakarta. I was only there for three or four days. But it was so recent, and Yogya is such a charming little city, it's terrible to see the images and think of the people and the place I remember.
In newsrooms, as in baseball, there's no crying. It would have been especially inappropriate for me to cry, when surely there are people at the Post who have family or close friends in Yogya. On the other hand tears would clearly have been the only sensible response.
Chad is on his way there. He'll be updating on his Merapi blog. I may head down tomorrow for a couple of days. One irony is that everyone in Yogyakarta has been focused on the danger from the Merapi volcano just to the north. Nobody expected this terrible blow from the south.
If you want to donate, a couple of organizations helping are Relief International and of course the Red Cross/Red Crescent.
6 comments:
Take care of yourself and take care of Chad. You guys are defintitely on our minds and in our hearts.
peace,
j
Hi Trish,
So, not to sound like my mother, but are you ok? I can't help but wonder about your well being when i see reports about hot lava, communicable diseases and 6.3s. On the otherhand, this is the best place for a great journalist.
Not to make light of a tragedy...I was very sad to pick up the paper this morning. Can't imagine how horrible it must be in person. Best to you if you go see for yourself.
Love,
Shay
Yeah, I'm definitely fine. The quake really reminded me of New Orleans. So, best to you and your family. I've been thinking about you a lot for these last couple of days.
Hi, Trish -- thinking of you, too -- constantly. Be very safe, please. Love, Ruth xxoo
Since I don't have a television, I'm relying on you, Chad, BBC and NPR for my earthquake coverage. Heard Chad doing an NPR spot Saturday and that made me feel good. The situation seems pretty bad. Let's hope the world steps up to the plate and does the right thing. Take care.
I think the world is trying to do the right thing, and so are the vast majority of Indonesians, but there are problems now, and there are sure to be problems in the future. Some of these towns are really hard to get to. They were poor before the earthquake, and now they've got a whole new set of challenges. Add in a lack of infrastructure and endemic corruption, and you can see bumpy times ahead.
That being said, we're told the government has learned some things from the tsunami, and is doing a better job of tracking aid. There seem to be plenty of people and supplies coming in, and we've heard things in Bantul are looking better. Keep your fingers crossed, and whoever can spare a few dollars, consider tossing them into the relief effort ...
Trish
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