South-East Asia was recently the victim of yet another natural disaster in the form of a tsunami that has so far claimed the lives of at least 435 with another 100 thought to be missing.
More than 23,000 people have been displaced by the tsunami in a region where in the shadow of Mt Merapi, central Java, people are only just returning to their villages to check if homes and farms are still there following volcanic activity that killed 36 people last week.
Many homes were destroyed by waves after the 7.7 magnitude quake, which struck 20km (13 miles) under the ocean floor near the Mentawai islands. Ten villages on the islands were completely swept away by the tsunami reported to have been between3-6 metres high.
Rhys Hook's Environmental Blog 