This picture was taken from our wrap-around roof after the second explosion and gives some perspective as to the massiveness of this event. Part of the first cloud can be seen to the right and the Congo River is right beyond the trees. This mushroom cloud is tens of thousands of feet high. Imagine the power it would take to push matter up that far. There were five or six blasts which were very strong. Each of the first three major blasts were progressively louder and more powerful. The building shook quite hard & swayed with each explosion and the windows rattled and bulged so much I was sure they would break any second. The U.S. Embassy was sending out alerts for all Americans to stay in their quarters until it could be determined what had happened. But, when we felt calm about doing so, we drove to Church with the Staggs, arriving just a couple minutes before start time. Once we felt safe, my heart turned to the loss of life which I knew must surely have accompanied this terrible event. During Church, for the next three hours, we could still hear and feel smaller explosions. Here is a report on the tragedy.
http://m.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/04/congo-brazzaville-arms-depot-explosions?cat=world&type=article
and another article that explains why the we and the Staggs felt the power of these blasts more than most of the rest of Kinshasa....
http://www.africareview.com/News/Panic+in+Kinshasa+over+Brazzaville+blasts/-/979180/1359844/-/dk5cwpz/-/
and another article that explains why the we and the Staggs felt the power of these blasts more than most of the rest of Kinshasa....
http://www.africareview.com/News/Panic+in+Kinshasa+over+Brazzaville+blasts/-/979180/1359844/-/dk5cwpz/-/
Grabbed my phone to check the recent polls in politics and when the browser came up it read, "hundreds dead from explosion in the Congo". I ran all the way across the house so I could get on the main computer and get more information/see if you had emailed. THANK YOU for emailing! It's now been 20 minutes and I still have a headache and racing heart! Love you and I'm glad you safe and wish something could be done to comfort all the people who lost loved ones.
ReplyDeleteWell, you know the answer to that.. we can pray for them to have peace, be strengthened and be comforted. That is all we can do, but it is a lot.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Janice...although I just heard the news I was so glad to see your quick response that you were ok.
ReplyDeleteNate and I were busy all morning getting lessons/ talks/ and singing times ready for the day, so we did not hear of the explosions until we read your email saying that you were safe. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't quite wrap my brain around the situation until we were in sacrament meeting and sang the first lines to our opening hymn and I immediately thought of you ... "press forward saints, with steadfast faith in Christ". I pretty much sobbed for the duration of sacrament meeting. Thank you for your example of steadfastness.
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrifying experience! Thank you for posting so promptly so that we all knew you and George were ok. On the upside of things however, your photos are great and speak volumes. It’s like a spiritual National Geographic tour. Love to you. Bev-Annie & Dixon
ReplyDeleteIt makes me happy that our experiences, as expressed in word and pictures, help friends and family feel as if they are experiencing all these things, too. Thank you all for YOUR good examples to us and for your support. We feel your prayers.
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