In catastrophes like this, it is imperative to come together as humans and look to a greater good beyond our differences.
A tragedy hit closer to home last year when Hurricane Katrina devastated the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. But an even greater tragedy was witnessed with the slow response to the needs of people in areas like New Orleans.
It is relieving to see that Indonesia is receiving the necessary aid at a quicker and more efficient rate than victims of Katrina.
After striking close to the former Javanese royal capital of Yogyakarta, the 6.3-magnitude earthquake has so far killed more than 5,000. And the Indonesian government has estimated that 200,000 people are homeless.
Although the government is working to coordinate assistance for those left homeless and the countless number of those awaiting hospital care, there is still hope.
The principal airport was damaged, but there are two other regional airports intact. In addition, few roads were damaged, which has been making it easier for international aid workers to reach those who need help.
These workers, who began to arrive Sunday, are a huge source of hope for the victims. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is preparing a field hospital with 200 beds and can provide health services for up to 150,000. The United Nations' World Food Programme is bringing in 200 tons of food from Jakarta and other local cities. Oxfam — a relief organization that works to end poverty and suffering — has already distributed 600 tents and 6,000 hygiene kits.
Hope, like it has been in our most recent natural disasters, is in the hearts of those nonprofit agencies that never seem too tired to stop working.
In preparation for the predicted eruption of Mount Merapi, the Indonesian Red Cross Society had 400 volunteers trained. Seventy-five percent of these volunteers were reassigned to assist victims of the earthquake.
Hope, like it was in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, comes from those living within the country who offer help not because they have to, but because they want to.
As a country still recovering from the 2004 tsunami, Indonesia serves as an example for countries around the world — where there is an effort of help and assistance, there is always hope.
