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A
Kidsfreesouls Report to
Talkcity Friends during the
Earthquake in India
 
From Ilaxi (subinHTCC) to Hagsie - Team
Leader, Talkcity Home Team
Minutes before the Earthquake, the Republic day
celebrations marked the early morning with Indian flags raised in town and sadly within no
time, the Earthquake has changed the look of the city left many aghast that it would
rather take months to be back to normal in Ahmedabad and most parts of Gujarat.
As we experience a traumatic situation, the
earthquake has wrecked terrible havoc and stranded many a thousands of people homeless to
battle against the fate. With God’s grace, we are fine here but shocked to see the
horrifying deathbeds and shattering homes leaving people homeless stranded on the roads.
The situation is very very bad over here with uncertainty still hanging with the unknown
fate. The whole city is gloomy and people full of fear and anxiety over here. Many flats
and buildings have fallen flat to ground and parts of many buildings hanging loose to drop
any time. There has been cracks in many walls and almost all people staying in Flats have
vacated and shifted to safer places. Many lives are lost in Ahmedabad and people are still
found alive from the debris. The hospitals are all flooded with patients for treatments
and rescue operations are doing their best at all places. It has been difficult to face
such a horrifying situation as there is lack of proper emergency teams and no know how of
such disaster. Lack of equipments affected the rescue operations. Many people are still on roads staying in open in
garden areas, common plots and open places. The buildings that haven’t flattened have
developed cracks and numerous after shocks continues to generate uncertainty and people
are restless with fear gripped all around. Rumours also arise which scare people that a
bigger earthquake is coming and they rush on roads keeping awake for more than 2/3 hours. However, it is expected still that within 48 hours
after shocks are likely more as announcements are made on television by keshubhai. These
after shocks will be of lesser intensity, it is said. However , today morning at 6.40 a
tremor was felt which had a scale of 4.9 in Ahmedabad and all people were out on roads but
this tremor was felt much less than the first one on 26th Jan morning at 8.46
a.m. that we all face which was worst. It was horrifying that the earth was shaking
terribly with rumbling sounds beneath and as we all ran on the road, the around 2 mins
quake was shattering that we could feel our feet moving off the ground. The cars parked on
the road were shaking bouncing up and down and animals running helter skelter as birds
flew away swirling in air.
The rescue teams from Switzerland with
sniffer dogs arrived today and as shown on television (channel aaj tak), the dogs sniffed
at Mansi complex building near sambhaav, satellite and as soon as they sniffed, the team
cut a big hole with their equipments within few seconds and were successful with their
first operation to save a madam Mona sanghvi and a girl who we saw were pulled out from
the hole and taken for emergency treatment. They were lying beneath the debris since 26th
morning quake. Japan is also sending special team for rescue operations and mobile vans
for medical aid. A man and another lady who had cell phone rang for help from under debris
and after difficult searching them, were found alive and saved. Some buildings have fallen
sideways and two buildings clashing down against each other. Volunteers are active and
kitchens set up for food, funds being raised in groups too and help provided to all
stranded victims. A great unity is found in families and friends and also unknown ppl.
Many people have left the city and some pouring in. All workers have left for their
villages. Bad elements are also found everywhere and one can never know of their
intentions as many buildings are fallen and almost all flats vacated. Everything is so
uncertain and its not going to be possible for a routine life within next fifteen days to
a month, it is feared as there has been cracks in many buildings and without inspection
nobody would go out of house who are safe.
Thousands have died in bhuj, the worst hit
with over 70 vllages and towns still wait for rescue workers. There is mass cremations
there. The rescue operations find very difficult there and the hospitals are in open with
military treating the patients. It is a cut off area almost for two days and the kutch bhuj and surroundings are destructed.
Morbi, surat, kapadvanj areas are also affected a lot. Baroda is not much affected though.
The wrath of gods seems to engulf humans
bringing disaster. Let’s pray for the heavenly peace for the departed soul and wish
the fury of nature keeps calm once again.
Me, my family, friends and relatives and
people around me all okay.
Hi SubinHTCC,
Wow, my jaw just dropped when I read your story!You are an excellent writer
subinHTCC! I would like to suggest you add a web page to your HTCC crew page and
write a story about this. A very tragic story but very interesting.
I find it amazing you even have the ways and means to send out e-mail as
messed up as everything must be. I would like to see you share your story
with our team cluster.I'm sure they would be interested and concerned as well.
Let me know if I can help in any way! my thoughts and best wishes certainly
go out for you people!
Thank you subin for sending the story:-)
Take Care :-)
hagsHCCC
Team Leader
Talkcity HomeTeam
From Subinhtcc :
A week after the Earthquake, its now time to pray, heal and move on with an
unforgettable experience. Nature has cast a bad spell and as Gujarat passes through a
phase of the worst calamity that has struck upon in India, there has been a mass support
of people from all over the country and world offering their generous help for the
humanitarian cause. Flattened dreams now came apart for many homeless people in Ahmedabad
who are grief stricken and gripped with panic of the continued ‘After Shocks’ of
the earthquake. Light after shock tremors are still felt with a scale of 4.7 and 5.8 in
Ahmedabad, Bhuj and surrounding areas. These tremors are very light and one feels its
dizzy effect for a few seconds. However, they are now after shocks and possibly not to
bring in the terror as it left earlier. People are emotionally caught up with ‘Fear syndrome’
scaling to heights as even slight tremors
make people rush on roads. Rumors are spread that a bigger calamity will strike wherein
two third of the world will face wrath of gods. Geologists say that there is danger
towards North east of India now, probably the Himalayan areas.
A newspaper carried an
article in November with the predictions of quake on 26th Jan and the same
astrologer has now predicted another earthquake on 3rd February and coming days
for which he is put behind bars for spreading rumor and fear among people. The whole of
city is out with different stories of rumors and a great fear and anxiety is popping up
from the minds of people who prefer to stay indoors at home that something might happen!
Nothing happens except a few tremors of light intensity relax human minds by 4th
noon making them prepared to re-start a routine from Monday, 5th. The
newspapers are full of tales of survivals, relief and rescue operations. Inspirations and
tales of courage speak strengths of victims who survived and people who lost their
families, body parts and everything, show amazing acceptance of their fate with faith
strong build within themselves. Quake fear has driven a man to commit suicide whereas a
man jumped from second floor with an after shock tremor injuring himself. Even after eight
days, People staying in high-rise flats are yet staying on roads or ‘shelter
camps’ arranged by Relief operation camps and they would not go to their houses out
of fear. The rumors are adding more fuel to fire and each one has a different say and
logic thinking of own. Some of the building owners are filed offences for using sub
standard material for buildings, which crashed. The
astrologers blame the culprit ‘Saturn’ the planet of sorrow and suffering and
the common factor in all the four conjunctions (Jupiter, Saturn, mars-saturn, venus-saturn
and sun-Saturn) that play a role in this catastrophe. The govt. has also failed in
coordinating relief and rescue work. There is sheer callousness as relief measures are not
reaching the victims. Foreign aid and support is very welcoming and even Pakistan has sent
help across for victims.
Demolition of buildings
is being carried out in Ahmedabad for quake affected buildings and relief operation groups
are engaged in relief work with volunteers fund raising and helping out the quake affected
people. From cash to kind, all helps are given, child adoption also finds a way of doing
it as well as homes are given to the affected victims, the relief operations carried out
by big Companies in India.
It is amazingly seen that
one village Chopwadia is totally destroyed and one village Haripur is totally unaffected
with the attack. With the massive rehabiliation process, the Haripur villagers (all
farmers) came forward with their hard toiled stock of food of two years and many litres of
milk supported and rendered help to neighbouring affected villages. Villages like Anjar,
Bachao, Halvad, Ratnal Lodhai, Gandhidham and many others are devastated. As far as the affected building is the ancestral
home of Father of nation Gandhiji & Kasturba Gandhi in Porbandar. The 500 year old
temple of Dwarka is demolished in quake but surprisingly remains the statue of god and
praying hall! This temple is the religious one with Dwarka as kingdom of Krishna where he
stayed with his queen and many other queens, (As per religious books, it is said
that Dwarka was drowned in ocean by Krishna himself once upon a time)
Food poisoning, water
borne diseases, psychological traumas, epidemic are feared which are normal threats of
after quake effects. Though slow for any action related to emotional problems, the other
factors are given priority to prevent diseases. There are still victims found alive after
eight days and many are still crumbled below the debris. The equipments, Doctors,
medicine, etc. shortages still pose problems in Bhuj and nearby villages.The killer
earthquake marks the scars of the day that shows the huge crater and wide eye like slits
opened by monster quake marking the spots in Bhuj. Nature gives a glimpse of bounty and it
is believed that Indus river is changing its course and in Kutch region, people have
noticed a gush in the desert. Fresh water is flowing in some regions and people are
surprised to find sweet water flowing on the surface. Villagers are spell bound to find
this miracle.
It is reported that the Black Friday 26th Jan’s jolt clocked 8.1 on the
Richter scale. In the aftermath of the killer quake, a wave of religiosity is sweeping
across Gujarat. Temples, mosques and other places of worship are suddenly overflowing with
humanity. People have seen the fury of god and now praying for mercy and repenting for
their sins. Citizens show exemplary compassion in crisis. Many individuals have offered
their voluntary help for a humanitarian cause helping out the victims. This kind of
selfless gesture is also observed in students who have joined as volunteers to serve in
affected areas distributing food packets and other daily requirements.
It is expected that
from this coming week, things would settle and offices might open, the buildings which are
not affected but fear and uncertainty still remains as almost all flats are vacated and
people fear to go back to their homes.
The above email report is published online
with a view to give a gliof the earthquake fury to students who are with the
Project/Essay Writing on 'Earthquake'
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- ilaxi patel
