Last Friday, a devastating earthquake of about 7 and a half magnitudes struck Indonesia, resulting in about a thousand deaths, and counting. Several villages have been wrecked, leaving people without food, water, electricity, and even proper heat. Nearby, Japan was also hit by a natural disaster: Typhoon Trami, killing four and injuring nearly 2002 people; causing a wide range of blackouts and cancelled trains and flights.

The earthquake was described as causing “The earth to flow like a river” by survivors, as “it turned houses into swamps.”

The government is currently planning an agenda for recovery; two months of emergency aid, followed by a full push reconstructive effort. Many families will reportedly  be moved because of the destruction, as houses have been effectively buried rendering the ground unstable and rough to build stable houses on.

Meanwhile, Japan’s typhoon has caused heavy flooding. The earth may not have been flowing like a river, but water flooding through the streets certainly were. Power lines were knocked down, and cars were washed away by the heavy rains, and trees fell from the cumulative power of wind and water. However, few areas have been subject to permanent ruin due to the generally less destructive nature of the typhoon.

With the magnitude of the earthquake comes natural fear of a similar event happening here, in California. Sophomore Alan Nehk speaks about how “There’s a giant fault line running through our state,” which worries him, but he also say that “I believe there would be hope for recovery (here) even with this weakness.”

Aid is certainly required in both situations, but as it stands, Indonesia has borne a much more heavy brunt of it than Japan, and requires much more emergency efforts and rebuilding. Overall, it’s been an eventful and destructive time for both countries, and both deserve any aid and messages of hope we can give.