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[Stephanie]

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From Heart of Indonesia's Disaster, a Cry for Help
By JANE PERLEZ

Published: January 2, 2005

MEULABOH, Indonesia, Jan. 1 - A dozen towns that once thrived near here are gone. Some 10,000 people have been buried, local officials say, and the effort to collect bodies cannot keep up.

For seven days, the scale of the natural disaster that swallowed coastlines in southern Asia last Sunday has slowly unfolded, with death tolls doubling almost daily. But Meulaboh, just 90 miles from the earthquake's epicenter, remained almost beyond description since no one could get here and the destruction could be only imagined.
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On Saturday, the president of Indonesia flew in briefly and the examination finally began. It is a picture of grief and devastation beyond that of any other in the dozen countries hit. Apart from a few sturdy mosques and buildings, there is simply nothing left under the mountains of black mud and debris. The people the president met wept as they spoke. - NYT


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Survivors huddle in clearings without food or shelter above the water-damage line all along the tsunami-ravaged coast of Indonesia's Aceh province, and corpses float miles out to sea. A week after giant waves swamped parts of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, the water is only just beginning to drain off to reveal the full extent of the horrific destruction and yet more bodies to count. This photo shows an aerial view of Meulaboh town on January 1, 2005, following recent quake-triggered tidal waves. (Stringer/Indonesia/Reuters) - link


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U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) chats with cheerleaders from Crawford High School as he prepares to depart Texas State Technical College Airport, January 2, 2005 in Waco.

link: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050102/ids_photos_ts/r2781803893 .jpg
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