FREE ESSAY ON EARTHQUAKES

EARTHQUAKES

Colombian Fear
Have you ever lived through an earthquake? "Earthquakes are among the most destructive
and powerful forces in nature"(McNally 33). Just recently, people in Colombia lived and
many died in an earthquake. This earthquake overwhelmed and literally shook up the people
of Armenia.
First, the unexpected earthquake shocked the people with its high magnitude. For example,
authorities said, "Monday's quake measuring 6.0 on the open-ended Richter scale, also
destroyed buildings and triggered landslides"("Colombian Earthquake" 1). This shows that
for such a big earthquake people need time to prepare, but the Colombians had no warning.
The innocent people of Armenia thought that day was going to be an ordinary day but they
were unfortunately wrong. In addition, "Earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 or above are the
ones that usually do damage"(Fradin 27). The word "damage" is an understatement; the
earthquake left most of the people buried under rubble. The damage that was done by this
force of nature was too much for these people to handle. The number 6.0 seems like a
little number, but when you see the damage that was done it doesn't seem so little.
Next, many people's lives were greatly affected by this sudden tragedy. "There are more
than 1,000 dead, perhaps more than 2,000 in Armenia alone"(Whitbeck 2). Many people lost
their family members and friends that they deeply cared about. One minute people are
happy and enjoying life and the next minute 2,000 of those happy people are dead. "It
left over two-thirds of Armenia in total ruin, and rural village decimated in addition to
the loss of life, the injuries and the damage to the infrastructure"(Moreno 20). There
was practically none of the towns left. It all was demolished by the quake. This left
many people homeless without safety and warmth. This disaster made people lose their
lives and homes; it left so many people empty-handed.
Finally, the government's effort to aid the situation at hand lacked merit. Henry Gomez,
the governor said,"We don't have enough coffins to bury the dead"(Whitbeck 3). The
government needs to provide the dead with coffins because it is just disrespectful not
to. The deceased people deserve a proper burial to end their lives right. In addition,
"...there was little coordination between the Red Cross, Civil Defense and firefighters,
and accused each group of operating like a separate club"(Whitbeck 1). All the rescue
teams needed to work together because the unorganization caused chaos. It is ridiculous
that when citizens are really in need of help, other people have to be stubborn and
unhelpful. The government should have done their job and been there for their people.
Colombia was shocked when the earthquake rocked their country and affected so many
people. Since the quake, Colombia is trying to recover from this tragedy that has greatly
impacted their lives. Hopefully, the victims can pick up the pieces left of their lives
and put them back together.