Natural Disasters in Penang: “It Is Still Not About Me”

Daniel Go

“It is really unfortunate, and my heart is with those who lost their families. It makes me think how our bodies are temporary and how our lives can end in an instant,” answered a senior as I asked him about the natural disasters that happened recently in Penang.

These past few weeks have been a devastating time for people in Penang. The theme of beautiful yet unforgiving nature that I learned in English class showcased itself right before my eyes. The landslide swept the construction site at Tanjung Bungah and took away twelve innocent workers’ lives; and following week, the sudden and merciless storm struck Penang, paralyzing Georgetown with five feet of floodwater. A few days after, a newly-built set of luxury homes and roads in my neighborhood collapsed due to a landslide caused by a heavy rain, and huge trees fell powerlessly in the middle of the road. My heart shattered at the sight of all this misery.

Though I wasn’t personally affected by this catastrophe, encountering things like this in real life made me realize that Penang is no longer a safe place to live. Whether one lives near the ocean, up on the hill, or even in the middle of the town, everyone has the potential to be in danger. It is hard for me to accept the fact that this kind of natural disaster is inevitable and so many innocent people may have to suffer, unfortunately.

“We can take this as an opportunity to serve our community rather than worry and fear about what is going to happen in the future,” answered Tommy Han (12) when asked about his thought of the matter.

I think that despite natural disasters’ cruel and unexpected characters, God allows them to happen so that we can be thankful for what we have and help those who are in need.