Indonesia

Joie Henney says his pet, Wally, likes to give hugs. Henney told reporters that his doctor gave him approval to use the five-foot-long alligator for emotional support rather than go on medication for depression. He frequently takes Wally to senior centers and minor-league baseball games. “He’s just like a dog,” he told a woman recently. “He wants to be loved and petted.”

At least 430 people are dead following the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano Sunday night which triggered a massive tsunami in Indonesia.

Captain Icoze Mafella, a Christian airline pilot, told a Jakarta church that he was moved by the Holy Spirit to depart from the Palu airport early on September 28, the day Indonesia was struck by an earthquake and tsunami.

Police in Jambi, on Indonesia’s island of Sumatra, last week escorted members of a Methodist church congregation out of their building and sealed the door shut.

On Friday, Indonesia was hit with a massive 7.5 magnitude earthquake that triggered a tsunami with waves reaching up to 20 feet. As of Tuesday, the death toll is around 1,350 people and climbing.

Wednesday afternoon October 3, Indonesia was struck with yet another disaster as a volcano on Sulawesi, one of the Indonesian islands, erupted. According to the Associated Press, Mount Soputan started spewing ash nearly 20,000 feet into the sky. Experts are saying this could be a direct result of the earthquake that happened last week.

As a result of this recent string of disasters on the Indonesian islands, thousands of people have either died or been displaced. The government is now calling for international aid as they race the clock to save lives and honor religious traditions. Incredibly, this story has received relatively little mainstream coverage in the Western hemisphere.

Here are five things you need to know about Indonesia and the Earthquake/Tsunami, including details, demographics, and what you can do to help!

Authorities found some 34 bodies of children in an Indonesian church after an earthquake and tsunami pummeled an Indonesian island Friday.

A deadly 7.5 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami with waves as high as twenty feet, struck Indonesia on Friday, leaving at least 840 people dead and thousands homeless.

A 19-year-old boy who was stranded at sea for seven weeks said, he survived by reading his bible and heeding the advice of his parents to pray.

This earthquake struck the tourist island of Lombok, killing 98 people and injuring hundreds. Though very popular with visitors, those killed in the earthquake, Sunday, were Indonesian nationals. Officials are still searching for missing people among the rubble and estimate that the number of dead and injured persons will climb.

Nearly 700 hikers, tourists and villagers remain trapped on a volcano following an Indonesian earthquake that killed more than a dozen people.