George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 251

The Great America of George W. Bush – Episode 250

Christmas.

While not universally celebrated, Christmas is a significant holiday observed in many countries worldwide.

Regardless of its commercial aspects, or the fact that some may view it as a day for revelry rather than religious observance, it remains a prominent cultural event.

If procreation is considered sacred, then it could be argued that many people globally perceive Christmas as a holy day.

This occurred on December 26th at 0:58 AM, immediately following Christmas Day.

West of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, a massive earthquake struck the Indian Ocean seabed. Registering a magnitude of 9.3 due to a vertical fault movement, it ranked as the third-largest earthquake ever recorded using scientific methods.

The energy released was immense, far exceeding human comprehension. However, because it originated on the seabed, the immediate direct damage was minimal.

The vibrations were detected globally, impacting the Earth’s rotation and shortening the day by 2.28 microseconds.

And then, the most devastating tsunami of the 21st century was unleashed.

“Mr. President, we have an emergency.”

The Chief of Staff approached President Bush, his face unusually grim, a document in hand. Bush, in contrast, appeared calm and composed, as if anticipating the nature of the “emergency.”

“I know.”

The Chief of Staff, observing Bush, relaxed slightly, his expression shifting subtly.

His gaze drifted to the small, 20cm Christmas tree the President had decorated. Why did this crisis have to occur the day after Christmas?

“Have we finally developed the capability to trigger earthquakes?”

“Ah, the power to cause earthquakes. If that were true, the nation possessing such power would be like Eden, and its leader would wield godlike authority. I wish that were the case, but I simply had a feeling something like this was imminent. Let’s allocate relief funds to other countries and release the surplus relief supplies we’ve been stockpiling.”

In fact, the President’s insistence had led to an overabundance of relief supplies. After all, goods require proper storage to prevent spoilage and theft. Simply covering them with vinyl wouldn’t suffice.

However, constructing additional warehouses was also costly, leading to a compromise of using containers. But even those containers were expensive and had reached their capacity.

“Oh, and what’s the status of our troops stationed near India?”

“As per your orders, Mr. President, they were not docked at port and were conducting exercises in the Timor Sea, so they sustained no damage.”
Tsunamis are devastating on coastlines, but virtually undetectable in the open ocean. The troops were engaged in 24-hour training exercises in the Timor Sea, north of Australia, under the guise of a joint defense exercise with Australia.

“Good. At least that aspect is proceeding smoothly. While it’s framed as humanitarian aid, I doubt we’ll receive nothing in return.”

It’s not uncommon for someone rescued from drowning to later demand their belongings back, so why couldn’t the reverse occur? The moment of greatest desperation is the ideal time for negotiation.

It’s not unreasonable to request a fair price for assistance.

This is, after all, a capitalist society. Of course, given the “humanitarian” label, we won’t make direct demands, but they will ultimately pay the price.

Relief supplies, massively stockpiled near the port of San Francisco, began their journey to Indonesia.

For East African coastal nations like Somalia, transportation was prioritized using the fastest available means. While most supplies were transported by sea, the destruction of docking facilities presented significant challenges.

The situation on the western coast of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, which took a direct hit, was catastrophic. Water was everywhere, yet drinking water was scarce. Debris and ruined goods floated on the surface, tantalizingly out of reach. It was a modern-day Tartarus of Tantalus [a mythological figure punished with eternal thirst and hunger, unable to reach the water and fruit just beyond his grasp].

While the earthquake and tsunami were not powerful enough to destroy Indonesia, the disaster struck while the nation was undergoing military modernization, setting back its progress by at least a decade.

‘I’m going crazy.’

Megawati Sukarnoputri, the fifth president of Indonesia, sighed deeply, concealing her despair.

She felt overwhelmed by the situation. Although her re-election prospects were initially bleak, Saudi Arabia’s decision to lower oil prices had stabilized public sentiment, allowing her to maintain her position.

What was the point of being Indonesia’s first female president if fate was against her? She had always known that an earthquake would eventually strike somewhere in Indonesia.

By tempering idealistic dreams with rational analysis and heeding the warnings of scientists, some disasters could be anticipated.

Earthquakes were not uncommon in Indonesia.

Indonesia’s archipelago of approximately 1,500 islands made it geographically vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis.

However, she had not anticipated the scale and destructiveness of this particular event. The simulations she had witnessed, based on scientists’ assumptions, depicted the destruction of small, digital polygons within a computer.

But when the disaster manifested in reality, all Indonesians instinctively turned to God, including herself.

Anyone who witnessed the devastation firsthand could not help but seek divine intervention. She now understood why ancient civilizations attributed tsunamis to the wrath of gods and offered sacrifices to appease them.

If it were possible to artificially prevent such a catastrophe, even tens of tons of gold, let alone human sacrifices, would be a worthwhile price. However, as science had not yet reached that level, the only option was to focus on post-disaster recovery.

‘Was Aceh the most damaged?’

Aceh, a province in the northernmost part of Sumatra, held special administrative status, signifying its relative wealth within Southeast Asia. The devastation there was akin to a major disaster in Busan, South Korea, with far-reaching consequences for the entire nation.

The immediate priority was providing food, clothing, and shelter. While food and clothing could be addressed relatively quickly with sufficient funding, shelter was a more complex issue.

Constructing new housing was a lengthy process. Furthermore, the flooded areas required either redevelopment or adaptation, but budget constraints hindered large-scale redevelopment efforts. Only areas completely obliterated by the tsunami could be rebuilt.

The port’s infrastructure needed to be rebuilt, and the navigation system updated. The latter would likely be addressed automatically.

At least six months would be needed for rescue operations and addressing basic needs, two years for restoring public services and administration on Sumatra Island, and five years for a full recovery.

During this period, the central government should prioritize the opinions of local authorities in Sumatra, not because the central government lacked power, but because such an approach would likely be a condition of receiving aid.

Long-term imports would be essential for reconstruction, as Indonesia’s domestic capacity was insufficient to meet the demand. The range of imported goods would be vast, encompassing not only food, clothing, and shelter, but also home appliances.

Mobile phones, often overlooked, were now essential items, not mere consumer goods.

In modern society, they were indispensable. While life was possible without them, their absence would signify a disconnect from the modern world.

Construction would require vast quantities of cement, wood, and rebar, along with essential wiring. Heavy equipment would also be needed for transportation and operation.

Meeting these needs in a timely manner would necessitate significant imports. Furthermore, beyond basic necessities, medicines were crucial. Existing stockpiles were insufficient to treat the victims.

And then there were consumer goods. Even in dire circumstances, people would continue to consume, with demand for items like alcohol, cigarettes, and sugar increasing significantly.

These provided a temporary escape from the harsh reality. Fortunately, domestic production could address some of this demand.

But simply knowing what to import was not enough. A thorough assessment of the damage and losses was necessary to determine the specific needs for restoration and reconstruction.

And even that was not the end.

Nature also needed to be restored.

It was paradoxical that humans had to repair the damage caused by nature, but failure to do so would have dire consequences.

Intensive restoration of coral reefs was crucial to prevent ecosystem collapse, which would jeopardize the livelihoods of fishermen and destabilize Indonesia.

The same challenges likely faced other affected countries, such as India.

In India, investigations were still underway, but an estimated 120,000 homes in Tamil Nadu had been destroyed.

‘Now that they’ve been severely impacted, various states will clamor for tsunami warning systems and debt relief… I can only hope that the debt will be alleviated on humanitarian grounds.’

“Your Excellency, President, we have received this document from the United States.”

The document stated that a large quantity of Islamic relief supplies with halal certification [meeting Islamic dietary requirements] would be sent on humanitarian grounds. The cargo ship had already departed, and the US was seeking approval for it to dock and deliver the supplies.

“Support from the United States?”

After hearing the scale of the aid in numerical terms and visualizing it, Megawati Sukarnoputri found herself unexpectedly admiring the distant foreign flag of the United States.