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Cover Story

Grades 4-6

Nature's Fury

A powerful earthquake rocked western Indonesia last Wednesday. The magnitude 7.6 quake struck off the coast of Sumatra island at 5:15 p.m., sparking fires, collapsing buildings and destroying roads.

As of October 1, at least 777 people had been killed and 440 others seriously injured. Rescue crews were working to find the thousands of residents believed to be buried in the rubble. "We will do everything we can to help the victims," said Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

A second quake jolted the Southeast Asian island nation again the next day, causing more damage but with no reported injuries.

Last Wednesday's tremor hit a day after another deadly quake shook the Samoa islands in the South Pacific. The quake hit between the islands of Samoa and American Samoa, causing 15- to 20-foot tsunamis to crash ashore. At least 150 people have died.

Meanwhile, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia are still dealing with the destruction caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana on September 26. The storm brought about the worst flooding seen in the region in 40 years, and killed more than 300 people.

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