TREMORS 1. __________ buildings in Singapore at about 6.15 pm on Wednesday, shortly after a powerful earthquake 2. _________ (strike)off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center 3. _______(issue) a tsunami alert for Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Thailand.
The Indonesian agency said the 4. _________(tremor) had a magnitude of 7.6. Its epicentre was just 5. __________ the coast of Sumatra.
The US Geological Survey put the 6. _________(strong) at 7.9.
The shaking could be 7. _________(feel) in high buildings in Jakarta, several hundred kms away and in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia.
In Singapore, residents from Toa Payoh, Woodlands, Bukit Timah, Simei and Kembangan in the eastern part, reported tremors 8. __________(shake) their buildings.
A spokesman from National Environment Agency said it has received calls from 15 members of the public from Red Hill, Choa Chu Kang, Changi, Toa Payoh, the city area, Punggol, Sengkang, Sembawang and Pasir Ris who 9. __________(experience) the tremors.
Shahida Ariff, 32, from Simei, told the straitstimes.com: 'My sister felt her chair 10. ____________(sway) for a moment and my mom felt very dizzy. I felt a light vertigo too but thought nothing of it till my maid pointed out that the mirror was shaking. That scared me for a bit and I thought there must have been a quake somewhere.'
Ms Kee Ya Ting of Woodlands thought her flat was going to collapse.
'I was scared. I live on the 12th floor. I was sitting at my desk when the flat shook and I felt myself swaying from left to right. I thought my flat was going to collapse.'
Some people said the tremors lasted for two to three minutes.
Ms Lim Woan Ying, a consultant whose office is on the third floor of the Sime Darby building in Bukit Timah, said: 'We literally felt the earth move under our feet. The whole building shook for about a minute. We heard the glass panes 11. ________(rattle).
'We were all so surprised. I asked my colleague, 'I'm not feeling giddy right? The whole building shook?''
A resident who lives in The Trumps, a condominium in Kembangan, said she felt the entire 11th floor shaking.
The aftershocks were also felt somewhere in town.
Said newcastle on Straitstimes.com's discussion board: 'Over a minute's worth of shakes in the Killiney Road location. On the ninth floor, the earth really moved. Neighbours were really worried.'
Added altruist: 'I was at my 6th floor office in Ang Mo Kio and suddenly, the cubicles started to shake for a few seconds, stopped, and shook again. We all came down using the stairs.'
ANSWERS
1. shook 2. struck 3. issued 4. tremor 5. off 6. strength
7. felt 8. shaking 9. experienced 10. swaying 11. rattling
Monday, October 5, 2009
Article: Singapore Feels New Quake Tremors, Straits Times, 1 Oct 2009.
S'pore feels new quake tremors
A second earthquake, less intense than Wednesday's, hits off southern Sumatra
Straits Times 1 Oct 2009 Earthquake in Padang
MORE tremors were felt in Singapore yesterday as a second major earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck off the coast of southern Sumatra.
The authorities received over 60 calls from the public, who reported feeling tremors in parts of the island, including Beach Road, Woodlands, Ang Mo Kio, Marine Parade and Jurong West, at 9.52am.
The second round of tremors felt here was much less intense than the tremors on Wednesday evening, and lasted for only a few seconds.
Police said inspections at 74 buildings yesterday evening showed no signs of structural cracks.
The checks are in addition to the 234 buildings inspected on Wednesday evening.
A senior executive engineer at the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Mr Stephen Mok, said more than 40 engineers had been deployed by the BCA to private residential homes, commercial buildings and schools island-wide since the first tremors were felt here, after a quake of 7.6 magnitude rocked the west Sumatra city of Padang.
Tremors were also felt in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor.
Experts said aftershocks were a common occurrence after a major quake but would have a minimal impact on Singapore.
Professor Kerry Sieh, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University, said more aftershocks could be expected over the next few days and even months, although anything below a magnitude of seven was not likely to have any major impact here.
Singaporean Norlailah Kadola, who has more than 20 relatives living in Padang, has been frantically calling, but has not been able to reach anyone.
The administrative clerk, 54, said: 'We keep calling but there's no response. The lines are cut off. If we can reach one, we will at least know what's happening.'
Indonesian Junaidi Muhamad Zen, 43, who works here as an engineer, managed to contact his family in Padang only after multiple tries. Only his sister's mother-in-law remains uncontactable so far.
'Most of them were at home. They ran out of the house then went back inside when the conditions were more stable,' said the Singapore permanent resident.
With the airport in Padang closed to commercial flights, Tiger Airways flights to and from Padang have been suspended until further notice.
Those affected included an Indonesian couple, who did not realise their flight had been cancelled until reaching Changi Airport yesterday morning.
Ms Ira, 36, said she wanted to be with her relatives in Padang even though they were all safe.
AMRESH GUNASINGHAM, TEH JOO LIN & CAROLYN QUEK
A second earthquake, less intense than Wednesday's, hits off southern Sumatra
Straits Times 1 Oct 2009 Earthquake in Padang
MORE tremors were felt in Singapore yesterday as a second major earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck off the coast of southern Sumatra.
The authorities received over 60 calls from the public, who reported feeling tremors in parts of the island, including Beach Road, Woodlands, Ang Mo Kio, Marine Parade and Jurong West, at 9.52am.
The second round of tremors felt here was much less intense than the tremors on Wednesday evening, and lasted for only a few seconds.
Police said inspections at 74 buildings yesterday evening showed no signs of structural cracks.
The checks are in addition to the 234 buildings inspected on Wednesday evening.
A senior executive engineer at the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Mr Stephen Mok, said more than 40 engineers had been deployed by the BCA to private residential homes, commercial buildings and schools island-wide since the first tremors were felt here, after a quake of 7.6 magnitude rocked the west Sumatra city of Padang.
Tremors were also felt in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor.
Experts said aftershocks were a common occurrence after a major quake but would have a minimal impact on Singapore.
Professor Kerry Sieh, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University, said more aftershocks could be expected over the next few days and even months, although anything below a magnitude of seven was not likely to have any major impact here.
Singaporean Norlailah Kadola, who has more than 20 relatives living in Padang, has been frantically calling, but has not been able to reach anyone.
The administrative clerk, 54, said: 'We keep calling but there's no response. The lines are cut off. If we can reach one, we will at least know what's happening.'
Indonesian Junaidi Muhamad Zen, 43, who works here as an engineer, managed to contact his family in Padang only after multiple tries. Only his sister's mother-in-law remains uncontactable so far.
'Most of them were at home. They ran out of the house then went back inside when the conditions were more stable,' said the Singapore permanent resident.
With the airport in Padang closed to commercial flights, Tiger Airways flights to and from Padang have been suspended until further notice.
Those affected included an Indonesian couple, who did not realise their flight had been cancelled until reaching Changi Airport yesterday morning.
Ms Ira, 36, said she wanted to be with her relatives in Padang even though they were all safe.
AMRESH GUNASINGHAM, TEH JOO LIN & CAROLYN QUEK
Survivors and Victims, Straits Times, 1 Oct 2009
Straits Times 1 Oct 2009, Earthquake in Padang
'I will heal, and work'
Ms Ike Desmayanti, also known as Desi, had to have a third of her right leg amputated so that she could be freed from the rubble.
Her face was also badly wounded, reported the Jakarta Globe yesterday.
The building in which her company, Suzuki Finance, was located had collapsed in the aftermath of the massive earthquake, trapping the 26-year-old data entry clerk.
Desi said she had tried to run after she felt the first tremors, but could not make it outside.
She was found at around 10pm on Wednesday night by a search and rescue team.
The team decided to amputate part of her leg so she could be taken to hospital.
'I just let them do it,' she said. 'I rely on God.'
She has maintained a positive outlook, despite her ordeal.
'I don't care about my leg any more, as long as I still have my life. And I don't want to be pessimistic about my future. I will heal and work again.'
Daughter under rubble
Her reddened eyes darting back and forth across the wreckage, Ms Andriani waited in front of the crumbled school in which her teenage daughter had been taking a class when disaster struck.
The 49-year-old mother stood crying as rescuers dug with their hands through rubble turned to mush by heavy rain in the devastated city of Padang.
'I've been waiting here since yesterday. I haven't been home yet and keep praying to God my daughter is alive,' she said.
The 14-year-old girl was one of dozens of children feared killed during classes at the school.
Metro TV showed heavy equipment breaking through layers of cement slabs in search of students. Shouts from inside the wreckage helped rescuers pull nine to safety, but the bodies of eight children were also retrieved.
Another mother, who identified herself only as Imelda, feared the worst for her daughter, aged 12.
'My daughter's face keeps appearing in my mind. I cannot sleep, I'm waiting here to see her again,' she told TVOne, tears rolling down her face.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
'I will heal, and work'
Ms Ike Desmayanti, also known as Desi, had to have a third of her right leg amputated so that she could be freed from the rubble.
Her face was also badly wounded, reported the Jakarta Globe yesterday.
The building in which her company, Suzuki Finance, was located had collapsed in the aftermath of the massive earthquake, trapping the 26-year-old data entry clerk.
Desi said she had tried to run after she felt the first tremors, but could not make it outside.
She was found at around 10pm on Wednesday night by a search and rescue team.
The team decided to amputate part of her leg so she could be taken to hospital.
'I just let them do it,' she said. 'I rely on God.'
She has maintained a positive outlook, despite her ordeal.
'I don't care about my leg any more, as long as I still have my life. And I don't want to be pessimistic about my future. I will heal and work again.'
Daughter under rubble
Her reddened eyes darting back and forth across the wreckage, Ms Andriani waited in front of the crumbled school in which her teenage daughter had been taking a class when disaster struck.
The 49-year-old mother stood crying as rescuers dug with their hands through rubble turned to mush by heavy rain in the devastated city of Padang.
'I've been waiting here since yesterday. I haven't been home yet and keep praying to God my daughter is alive,' she said.
The 14-year-old girl was one of dozens of children feared killed during classes at the school.
Metro TV showed heavy equipment breaking through layers of cement slabs in search of students. Shouts from inside the wreckage helped rescuers pull nine to safety, but the bodies of eight children were also retrieved.
Another mother, who identified herself only as Imelda, feared the worst for her daughter, aged 12.
'My daughter's face keeps appearing in my mind. I cannot sleep, I'm waiting here to see her again,' she told TVOne, tears rolling down her face.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Article: Padang Turns Into A City of Rubble, Straits Times, 1 Oct 2009.
Padang turns into city of rubble
Numerous buildings collapse; bridges topple, power lines cut
A man carries an injured person in front of a collapsed university building during an evacuation after an earthquake hit Padang. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
PADANG: As night fell, Padang appeared to be a city in ruins and in shock.
Piles of rubble covered places where buildings had stood, fires were still burning and thousands of residents swarmed on the streets, afraid to return to what was left of their houses for fear of aftershocks. Massive traffic jams clogged up the roads, many of which had cracked.
It had taken just a moment to turn the the city of 900,000 people into a scene of devastation.
When the quake struck at 5.16pm, it took down numerous buildings, from houses and hotels to hospitals and malls, and toppled bridges across the city, pinning many under the rubble and starting fires.
Television reports expressed fear over the possibility of thousands of people trapped in collapsed buildings or buried under the rubble.
'For now I can't see dead bodies, just collapsed houses. Some half destroyed, others completely,' resident Adi told Indonesia's Metro Television.
'No help has arrived yet. I can see small children standing around carrying blankets. Some people are looking for relatives but all the lights have gone out completely.'
Said another resident: 'Hundreds of houses have been damaged along the road. There are some fires, bridges are cut and there is extreme panic here.'
Television footage showed flattened buildings, with at least one person trapped underneath, a foot sticking out from beneath the debris.
Thousands more were likely trapped when a major city hospital collapsed, said Mr Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Health Ministry's disaster centre.
Other buildings were destroyed by fires, including Plaza Andalas, one of the larger malls. 'The shops were ruined,' one resident Anton told VIVAnews.
Andalas University campus was also badly damaged. Malaysian medical student Murtaza Mohamad Mustaffa, 23, said all 330 students at the university were safe.
His own house had almost collapsed, he told The Straits Times, while about 15 of the students' houses had collapsed.
They were waiting in the campus grounds, many staying out in the open in the belief that it was safer, he said, adding: 'It's very dark, and it's raining now.'
Another student, second-year medical student Fashareena Nazir, 23, was woken up by the quake. Grabbing her belongings, she ran out of her rented house and walked 5km to seek shelter.
'There were rumbles and a loud noise, like a bang,' she said, recalling what she saw on the way: houses on fire, the ground caving in and some houses disappearing before her eyes.
Among the destroyed hotels was the three-star Hotel Ambacang, at which aircrew regularly stayed. A pilot told detiknews.com that several Lion Air crew members had gone missing.
Padang Industrial Technic Academy lecturer Erwinsyah Sipahutar said students rushed out of the campus when the quake broke most of the windows. 'We were shaken like matchsticks,' he told Tempo Interactive.
Although Padang lay at the epicentre of the quake, the damage extended far beyond the city. Many buildings collapsed in the resort town of Bukit Tinggi, 150km north-east of the city, TVone said.
The quake also triggered a landslide that cut off land transport to the provincial town of Padang Pandang, 70km north of Padang, where a steep, sloping riverbank collapsed, toppling houses and starting fires.
Vibrations could be felt up to North Sumatra and even to Pekanbaru, Riau.
As night fell, the city was plunged into darkness, the result of cut power lines. Damaged telecommunication lines also made it hard for officials to determine the extent of the damage and death toll.
The quake also caused widespread panic across the city, as residents, fearing a tsunami, fled to higher ground.
'The earthquake was very strong,' said resident Kasmiati. 'I was outside, so I am safe, but my children at home were injured,' she said before her cell phone went dead.
According to detiknews.com, scores of people who had descended onto the streets looked set to camp outside overnight, fearful of aftershocks.
Added resident Mr Adi: 'People are standing around, too scared to go back inside. They fear a tsunami.'
REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BERNAMA
Straits Times , 1 Oct 2009.
Numerous buildings collapse; bridges topple, power lines cut
A man carries an injured person in front of a collapsed university building during an evacuation after an earthquake hit Padang. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
PADANG: As night fell, Padang appeared to be a city in ruins and in shock.
Piles of rubble covered places where buildings had stood, fires were still burning and thousands of residents swarmed on the streets, afraid to return to what was left of their houses for fear of aftershocks. Massive traffic jams clogged up the roads, many of which had cracked.
It had taken just a moment to turn the the city of 900,000 people into a scene of devastation.
When the quake struck at 5.16pm, it took down numerous buildings, from houses and hotels to hospitals and malls, and toppled bridges across the city, pinning many under the rubble and starting fires.
Television reports expressed fear over the possibility of thousands of people trapped in collapsed buildings or buried under the rubble.
'For now I can't see dead bodies, just collapsed houses. Some half destroyed, others completely,' resident Adi told Indonesia's Metro Television.
'No help has arrived yet. I can see small children standing around carrying blankets. Some people are looking for relatives but all the lights have gone out completely.'
Said another resident: 'Hundreds of houses have been damaged along the road. There are some fires, bridges are cut and there is extreme panic here.'
Television footage showed flattened buildings, with at least one person trapped underneath, a foot sticking out from beneath the debris.
Thousands more were likely trapped when a major city hospital collapsed, said Mr Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Health Ministry's disaster centre.
Other buildings were destroyed by fires, including Plaza Andalas, one of the larger malls. 'The shops were ruined,' one resident Anton told VIVAnews.
Andalas University campus was also badly damaged. Malaysian medical student Murtaza Mohamad Mustaffa, 23, said all 330 students at the university were safe.
His own house had almost collapsed, he told The Straits Times, while about 15 of the students' houses had collapsed.
They were waiting in the campus grounds, many staying out in the open in the belief that it was safer, he said, adding: 'It's very dark, and it's raining now.'
Another student, second-year medical student Fashareena Nazir, 23, was woken up by the quake. Grabbing her belongings, she ran out of her rented house and walked 5km to seek shelter.
'There were rumbles and a loud noise, like a bang,' she said, recalling what she saw on the way: houses on fire, the ground caving in and some houses disappearing before her eyes.
Among the destroyed hotels was the three-star Hotel Ambacang, at which aircrew regularly stayed. A pilot told detiknews.com that several Lion Air crew members had gone missing.
Padang Industrial Technic Academy lecturer Erwinsyah Sipahutar said students rushed out of the campus when the quake broke most of the windows. 'We were shaken like matchsticks,' he told Tempo Interactive.
Although Padang lay at the epicentre of the quake, the damage extended far beyond the city. Many buildings collapsed in the resort town of Bukit Tinggi, 150km north-east of the city, TVone said.
The quake also triggered a landslide that cut off land transport to the provincial town of Padang Pandang, 70km north of Padang, where a steep, sloping riverbank collapsed, toppling houses and starting fires.
Vibrations could be felt up to North Sumatra and even to Pekanbaru, Riau.
As night fell, the city was plunged into darkness, the result of cut power lines. Damaged telecommunication lines also made it hard for officials to determine the extent of the damage and death toll.
The quake also caused widespread panic across the city, as residents, fearing a tsunami, fled to higher ground.
'The earthquake was very strong,' said resident Kasmiati. 'I was outside, so I am safe, but my children at home were injured,' she said before her cell phone went dead.
According to detiknews.com, scores of people who had descended onto the streets looked set to camp outside overnight, fearful of aftershocks.
Added resident Mr Adi: 'People are standing around, too scared to go back inside. They fear a tsunami.'
REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BERNAMA
Straits Times , 1 Oct 2009.
Article: Tremors Shook Singapore, Straits Times, 1 Oct, 2009
TREMORS shook buildings in Singapore at about 6.15 pm on Wednesday, shortly after a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert for Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Thailand.
The Indonesian agency said the tremor had a magnitude of 7.6. Its epicentre was just off the coast of Sumatra.
The US Geological Survey put the strength at 7.9.
The shaking could be felt in high buildings in Jakarta, several hundred kms away and in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia.
In Singapore, residents from Toa Payoh, Woodlands, Bukit Timah, Simei and Kembangan in the eastern part, reported tremors shaking their buildings.
A spokesman from National Environment Agency said it has received calls from 15 members of the public from Red Hill, Choa Chu Kang, Changi, Toa Payoh, the city area, Punggol, Sengkang, Sembawang and Pasir Ris who experienced the tremors.
Shahida Ariff, 32, from Simei, told the straitstimes.com: 'My sister felt her chair swaying for a moment and my mom felt very dizzy. I felt a light vertigo too but thought nothing of it till my maid pointed out that the mirror was shaking. That scared me for a bit and I thought there must have been a quake somewhere.'
Ms Kee Ya Ting of Woodlands thought her flat was going to collapse.
'I was scared. I live on the 12th floor. I was sitting at my desk when the flat shook and I felt myself swaying from left to right. I thought my flat was going to collapse.'
Some people said the tremors lasted for two to three minutes.
Ms Lim Woan Ying, a consultant whose office is on the third floor of the Sime Darby building in Bukit Timah, said: 'We literally felt the earth move under our feet. The whole building shook for about a minute. We heard the glass panes rattling.
'We were all so surprised. I asked my colleague, 'I'm not feeling giddy right? The whole building shook?''
A resident who lives in The Trumps, a condominium in Kembangan, said she felt the entire 11th floor shaking.
The aftershocks were also felt somewhere in town.
Said newcastle on Straitstimes.com's discussion board: 'Over a minute's worth of shakes in the Killiney Road location. On the ninth floor, the earth really moved. Neighbours were really worried.'
Added altruist: 'I was at my 6th floor office in Ang Mo Kio and suddenly, the cubicles started to shake for a few seconds, stopped, and shook again. We all came down using the stairs.'
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert for Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Thailand.
The Indonesian agency said the tremor had a magnitude of 7.6. Its epicentre was just off the coast of Sumatra.
The US Geological Survey put the strength at 7.9.
The shaking could be felt in high buildings in Jakarta, several hundred kms away and in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia.
In Singapore, residents from Toa Payoh, Woodlands, Bukit Timah, Simei and Kembangan in the eastern part, reported tremors shaking their buildings.
A spokesman from National Environment Agency said it has received calls from 15 members of the public from Red Hill, Choa Chu Kang, Changi, Toa Payoh, the city area, Punggol, Sengkang, Sembawang and Pasir Ris who experienced the tremors.
Shahida Ariff, 32, from Simei, told the straitstimes.com: 'My sister felt her chair swaying for a moment and my mom felt very dizzy. I felt a light vertigo too but thought nothing of it till my maid pointed out that the mirror was shaking. That scared me for a bit and I thought there must have been a quake somewhere.'
Ms Kee Ya Ting of Woodlands thought her flat was going to collapse.
'I was scared. I live on the 12th floor. I was sitting at my desk when the flat shook and I felt myself swaying from left to right. I thought my flat was going to collapse.'
Some people said the tremors lasted for two to three minutes.
Ms Lim Woan Ying, a consultant whose office is on the third floor of the Sime Darby building in Bukit Timah, said: 'We literally felt the earth move under our feet. The whole building shook for about a minute. We heard the glass panes rattling.
'We were all so surprised. I asked my colleague, 'I'm not feeling giddy right? The whole building shook?''
A resident who lives in The Trumps, a condominium in Kembangan, said she felt the entire 11th floor shaking.
The aftershocks were also felt somewhere in town.
Said newcastle on Straitstimes.com's discussion board: 'Over a minute's worth of shakes in the Killiney Road location. On the ninth floor, the earth really moved. Neighbours were really worried.'
Added altruist: 'I was at my 6th floor office in Ang Mo Kio and suddenly, the cubicles started to shake for a few seconds, stopped, and shook again. We all came down using the stairs.'
Cloze passage: Massive Tsunami killed 113, Straits Times, 2 Oct 2009.
APIA (WESTERN SAMOA): Towering tsunamis churned up by a huge
1. _______________slammed into the Samoan islands on Tuesday, killing at least 113 people as they 2. ____________ out entire villages and flattened tourist resorts.
Monster 3. ___________ that witnesses and officials said measured 3m to 7.5m in 4. ____________ pounded the remote Pacific islands of Samoa and American Samoa after an 8.0-magnitude undersea quake 5. ___________ in the early morning.
While the quake toppled buildings and 6. ____________ thousands fleeing to high ground as the tsunami 7. ____________, many others were hit by the walls of 8. ____________ that swept people and cars out to sea and destroyed 9. ___________ settlements.
Samoa, an island nation of 180,000 people, is located about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. Neighbouring American Samoa is a US territory that is home to 65,000 people.
US President Barack Obama called the situation in American Samoa a 'major disaster' and vowed 'aggressive' action to 10. __________ survivors.
'I am closely monitoring these tragic events, and have declared a major disaster for American Samoa, which will provide the tools necessary for a full, swift and aggressive response,' he said.
Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said he was 'shocked beyond belief'.
'So much has gone. So many people are gone,' he told the Australian news agency AAP.
The tsunamis swept 11. __________ the Pacific, battering Samoa, where hospital workers said at least 84 people had been killed, American Samoa, where 22 were felled, and Tonga, where at least seven 12. _____________ died.
As Australia, New Zealand and the United States led with immediate pledges of aid, scores more people were missing or feared 13. ___________in the chaos.
'Entire villages have been wiped out,' local journalist Jona Tuiletufuga said, adding that up to 70 villages had stood in the way of the waves in the worst-hit area and that each had housed from 300 to 800 people.
Nine members of one family were killed in the village of Lalomanu on the south-east of Samoa, a relative said.
'My family own the Taufua Beach Fales and we have confirmation that nine members of our family have 14. ____________, four of them children, and many more are missing,' the bereaved relative told Australia's public broadcaster. 'The tourists haven't been accounted for either.'
Amateur video footage showed villages that had been obliterated, homes reduced to metal and wood, and cars stuck in treetops, where they had been hurled by the force of the 15. _____________.
Samoa's Deputy Prime Minister Misa Telefoni said his tiny country's tourism hot spot had been 'devastated'.
The tsunami left residents and holidaymakers with little time to flee.
'We've heard most of the resorts are totally 16. ____________ on that side of the island. We've had a pretty grim picture painted of that coast,' said Mr Telefoni.
Australia said at least two of its citizens, including a six-year-old girl, were dead, while Seoul said two Koreans had also been killed. One person from New Zealand was also feared 17. ____________.
Apia, the capital of Samoa, was evacuated as officials scrambled to get thousands of residents to higher ground.
Officials in American Samoa, about 100km from Samoa, said the death toll of 22 was expected to climb.
In the capital of Pago Pago, the streets and fields were filled with ocean debris, mud, overturned cars and several boats as a massive cleanup effort continued into the night. Several buildings in the city were flattened.
The eastern part of the island was without power and water supplies after the devastating earthquake, which 18. __________ at 6.48am on Tuesday (1.48am yesterday Singapore time) at a depth of 18km, 195km south of Apia.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami 19. __________ over a vast swathe of the Pacific, as far as Hawaii, which was later cancelled. The walls of moving water were so 20. ____________ that small tsunami waves were able to reach the shores of Japan thousands of kilometres away.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Straits Times, 1 Oct 2009.
ANSWERS
1. earthquake 2. wiped 3. waves 4. height 5. struck
6. sent 7. approached 8. water 9. coastal 10. help
11. across 12. people 13. dead 14. perished
15. water 16. devastated 17. dead 18. struck
19. alert 20. powerful
1. _______________slammed into the Samoan islands on Tuesday, killing at least 113 people as they 2. ____________ out entire villages and flattened tourist resorts.
Monster 3. ___________ that witnesses and officials said measured 3m to 7.5m in 4. ____________ pounded the remote Pacific islands of Samoa and American Samoa after an 8.0-magnitude undersea quake 5. ___________ in the early morning.
While the quake toppled buildings and 6. ____________ thousands fleeing to high ground as the tsunami 7. ____________, many others were hit by the walls of 8. ____________ that swept people and cars out to sea and destroyed 9. ___________ settlements.
Samoa, an island nation of 180,000 people, is located about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. Neighbouring American Samoa is a US territory that is home to 65,000 people.
US President Barack Obama called the situation in American Samoa a 'major disaster' and vowed 'aggressive' action to 10. __________ survivors.
'I am closely monitoring these tragic events, and have declared a major disaster for American Samoa, which will provide the tools necessary for a full, swift and aggressive response,' he said.
Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said he was 'shocked beyond belief'.
'So much has gone. So many people are gone,' he told the Australian news agency AAP.
The tsunamis swept 11. __________ the Pacific, battering Samoa, where hospital workers said at least 84 people had been killed, American Samoa, where 22 were felled, and Tonga, where at least seven 12. _____________ died.
As Australia, New Zealand and the United States led with immediate pledges of aid, scores more people were missing or feared 13. ___________in the chaos.
'Entire villages have been wiped out,' local journalist Jona Tuiletufuga said, adding that up to 70 villages had stood in the way of the waves in the worst-hit area and that each had housed from 300 to 800 people.
Nine members of one family were killed in the village of Lalomanu on the south-east of Samoa, a relative said.
'My family own the Taufua Beach Fales and we have confirmation that nine members of our family have 14. ____________, four of them children, and many more are missing,' the bereaved relative told Australia's public broadcaster. 'The tourists haven't been accounted for either.'
Amateur video footage showed villages that had been obliterated, homes reduced to metal and wood, and cars stuck in treetops, where they had been hurled by the force of the 15. _____________.
Samoa's Deputy Prime Minister Misa Telefoni said his tiny country's tourism hot spot had been 'devastated'.
The tsunami left residents and holidaymakers with little time to flee.
'We've heard most of the resorts are totally 16. ____________ on that side of the island. We've had a pretty grim picture painted of that coast,' said Mr Telefoni.
Australia said at least two of its citizens, including a six-year-old girl, were dead, while Seoul said two Koreans had also been killed. One person from New Zealand was also feared 17. ____________.
Apia, the capital of Samoa, was evacuated as officials scrambled to get thousands of residents to higher ground.
Officials in American Samoa, about 100km from Samoa, said the death toll of 22 was expected to climb.
In the capital of Pago Pago, the streets and fields were filled with ocean debris, mud, overturned cars and several boats as a massive cleanup effort continued into the night. Several buildings in the city were flattened.
The eastern part of the island was without power and water supplies after the devastating earthquake, which 18. __________ at 6.48am on Tuesday (1.48am yesterday Singapore time) at a depth of 18km, 195km south of Apia.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami 19. __________ over a vast swathe of the Pacific, as far as Hawaii, which was later cancelled. The walls of moving water were so 20. ____________ that small tsunami waves were able to reach the shores of Japan thousands of kilometres away.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Straits Times, 1 Oct 2009.
ANSWERS
1. earthquake 2. wiped 3. waves 4. height 5. struck
6. sent 7. approached 8. water 9. coastal 10. help
11. across 12. people 13. dead 14. perished
15. water 16. devastated 17. dead 18. struck
19. alert 20. powerful
Cloze Passage: Quake killed 1,100 UN, Straits Times 2 Oct 2009
PADANG (Indonesia) - ACROSS this coastal provincial capital, hardest hit by the latest earthquake to 1. ________________ Indonesia, mourners, survivors and 2. __________ workers alike clawed through the rubble.
Some, like Malina Utami, had already realized the worst. She was just looking for the shoes missing from her dead daughter's body, found in the 3. __________ of a four-story school that was 4. ___________ within seconds.
As the death 5. ___________ climbed on Thursday - to 1,100 by one UN estimate - others looked for 6. ____________, with thousands of people missing and feared 7. ____________ in the wreckage of shattered buildings.
When search efforts were suspended for the night, an eerie quiet 8. __________ over the city of 900,000.
'Let's not underestimate. Let's be prepared for the 9. __________,' President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in the capital, Jakarta.
Wednesday's 7.6-magnitude earthquake started at sea and quickly rippled through Sumatra, the westernmost island 10. __________the Indonesian archipelago.
Government figures put the number of dead at 777, with at least 440 people 11. ______________ injured. John Holmes, the UN's humanitarian chief, set the death toll at 1,100, and the number was expected to 12. ________________.
President Barack Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, pledged to support earthquake recovery efforts there, as well as provide assistance to the South Pacific countries 13. ___________ Samoa and American Samoa, which were 14. _________ by a deadly tsunami on Tuesday.
Most of the confirmed deaths in Indonesia were reported in Padang, where more than 500 buildings were severely 15. _________ or flattened.
Where a mall once stood was a heap of concrete slabs layered like pancakes with iron rods jutting 16. ________. Police and army rescue teams used bulldozers, backhoes and electric drills to clear the 17. ___________ in intermittent rain, or climbed the hills of rubble to dislodge pieces of concrete with 18. _________ hands.
Relatives of the 19. _________ gathered outside ruined buildings, hoping to hear 20. ________ news. But mostly, the rescuers found bodies. -- REUTERS
ANSWERS
1. devastate 2. rescue 3. rubble 4. flattened 5. toll 6. survivors
7. trapped 8. fell 9. worst 10. in 11. seriously 12. grow
13. of 14. hit 15. damaged 16. out 17. wreckage 18. bare
19. missing 20. good
Some, like Malina Utami, had already realized the worst. She was just looking for the shoes missing from her dead daughter's body, found in the 3. __________ of a four-story school that was 4. ___________ within seconds.
As the death 5. ___________ climbed on Thursday - to 1,100 by one UN estimate - others looked for 6. ____________, with thousands of people missing and feared 7. ____________ in the wreckage of shattered buildings.
When search efforts were suspended for the night, an eerie quiet 8. __________ over the city of 900,000.
'Let's not underestimate. Let's be prepared for the 9. __________,' President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in the capital, Jakarta.
Wednesday's 7.6-magnitude earthquake started at sea and quickly rippled through Sumatra, the westernmost island 10. __________the Indonesian archipelago.
Government figures put the number of dead at 777, with at least 440 people 11. ______________ injured. John Holmes, the UN's humanitarian chief, set the death toll at 1,100, and the number was expected to 12. ________________.
President Barack Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, pledged to support earthquake recovery efforts there, as well as provide assistance to the South Pacific countries 13. ___________ Samoa and American Samoa, which were 14. _________ by a deadly tsunami on Tuesday.
Most of the confirmed deaths in Indonesia were reported in Padang, where more than 500 buildings were severely 15. _________ or flattened.
Where a mall once stood was a heap of concrete slabs layered like pancakes with iron rods jutting 16. ________. Police and army rescue teams used bulldozers, backhoes and electric drills to clear the 17. ___________ in intermittent rain, or climbed the hills of rubble to dislodge pieces of concrete with 18. _________ hands.
Relatives of the 19. _________ gathered outside ruined buildings, hoping to hear 20. ________ news. But mostly, the rescuers found bodies. -- REUTERS
ANSWERS
1. devastate 2. rescue 3. rubble 4. flattened 5. toll 6. survivors
7. trapped 8. fell 9. worst 10. in 11. seriously 12. grow
13. of 14. hit 15. damaged 16. out 17. wreckage 18. bare
19. missing 20. good
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