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sktwelfareuk · 2 years

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Afghanistan Earthquake Crisis - Donate to Afghanistan

On June 22, a 6.1 magnitude quake struck eastern Afghanistan, killing over 1,000 people, though the death toll is forecast to expand in the coming days. Homes have been utterly obliterated, and families are presumed to be crushed beneath the wreckage. Hundreds of people have been hurt. When the earthquake strikes, many people sleep. Other essential infrastructure, such as roadways and power grids, has been significantly damaged.

An SKT Welfare response team is on its route to Paktika province, the worst-affected area, to supply emergency food assistance and cash so that people can procure essentials. People who have lost their houses require emergency refuge as well. The worst hit regions are remote rural villages, many of which are hard to contact.

Please donate generously and help save lives.

Donate to Afghanistan today

Millions of Afghans are on the verge of destitution, and their lives are at stake. Afghanistan is battling from one of the worst droughts in 27 years, preparing a meal, water, and resources extremely short. Donate to the Afghanistan Emergency Appeal today to assist our teams on the ground in reaching the most vulnerable.

The World Food Programme's chief has termed the situation in Afghanistan as "the biggest humanitarian calamity on the planet."

The issue is exacerbated by a falling economy, increased poverty, and the onset of a harsh winter season - the situation is becoming increasingly dire by the day.

In the next three months, 22 million people — more than half of the population – will face extreme food insecurity.

SKT Welfare is on the ground, giving essential food packs, water storage kits, and winter apparel, as well as providing medical care to displaced families through health centres. Please help save lives by donating to SKT Welfare's Afghanistan Emergency right now.

The crisis in Afghanistan

Years of continuous fighting, the influence of Covid-19, the consequences of climate change, and now the present political uncertainty have driven Afghanistan into one of the world's greatest catastrophic events. Millions of lives are on the line, and children are already malnourished. Donate to help with disaster preparedness and response in Afghanistan.

In the next three months, 22 million people — more than half the population – will face extreme food insecurity.

With widespread unemployment and food costs spiralling out of control, current forecasts suggest that 97 percent of Afghans will be impoverished within a year. More than 8 million people are on the verge of starvation, 3 million children under the age of five are anticipated to be malnourished, and 1 million of these children are at risk of dying.

Family have resorted to selling whatever of value they have left, and children as young as five are being forced to labour more than twelve hours a day to provide a supper for their families.

Afghans are sinking deeper into poverty, and as the severe winter season approaches, the lives of millions of Afghans are at risk. There is a serious possibility of famine in the coming year if nothing is done now.

We are in a race against time, and contributions are urgently required to assist needy families by giving life-saving relief ahead of winter. Your donations are vitally required to help offer emergency aid in Afghanistan; please Donate Now.

How will your donations help people in Afghanistan?

We have a responsibility to not turn our backs on the people of Afghanistan, in addition to maintaining them in our prayers. You can assist the Afghan people bear the burden of this disaster by giving to our life-saving work in communities for displaced families across Afghanistan.

A relocated household can receive hygiene and water storage kits for £50.

£150 can give a month's worth of food for a displaced household.

A displaced family can get emergency housing for £650.

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said:

“Whoever relieves a Muslim of a burden from the burdens of the world, Allah will relieve him of a burden from the burdens on the Day of Judgement.” (Tirmidhi)

Afghanistan Appeal: SKT Welfare is on the ground

For nearly 20 years, SKT Welfare, a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), has been operating in Afghanistan.

We also manage eight mobile health teams, which provide the only source of healthcare for many Afghans living in the country's most distant rural districts. Hygiene and water storage kits are included to assist prevent the spread of illness and disease.

As Afghans prepare for the hardship of the winter season and everything it will bring, including a threat to their own existence, we are on the ground, giving heaters and fuel, blankets, clothing, and shelter supplies to thousands of families.

The psychological toll of the developing catastrophe, as well as years of violence, is being felt by Afghan communities. We are also offering clients with home visits to help support their mental health during this difficult period.

Our UK colleagues have also assisted Afghan refugee families by providing hot meals and critical hygiene products.

Donate Now and help us continue our life-saving work.

How your donations are making a difference to the people of Afghanistan

With food insecurity at an all-time high in Afghanistan, many people are yearning for help – about 45 percent of the population is impacted. Our volunteers on the ground have given food packets to hundreds of people thanks to your kind donations to the Afghanistan Emergency Appeal.

Donate to Afghanistan Emergency Appeal and help save lives.

Donate to our Afghanistan Emergency Appeal: https://www.sktwelfare.org/our-work-causes/emergency-appeals/afghanistan-emergency/

#Afghanistan Earthquake Appeal Donate to Afghanistan

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rudrjobdesk · 2 years

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Over 900 killed in Afghanistan after massive earthquake in eastern region

At least 900 people were killed and hundreds were injured after an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 jolted Afghanistan on Wednesday. The quake struck about 44 km from the city of Khost (Photo: Twitter) HIGHLIGHTS Over 900 people have been killed as earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan Hundreds of people were injured and the death toll is likely to rise The quake struck about 44 km from the city of…

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fabulousairpirate · 3 years

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September 11th is always a very confusing day for me. I never quite know what to say, because I’ve heard so much from so many different people. People saying to not care about the 9/11 attacks because they were 20 years ago, or the death toll of Covid is 60 times higher than that of the attacks, how we should focus on the Afghan and Pakistani victims, how we should only talk about the victims of Islamophobia. Politicians bank on 9/11, making it into this… monumental thing. For kids who were educated and grew up after 9/11, we were told so much about it that it almost became this myth, like a legend in American lore. Like it didn’t actually happen, and that there weren't actual consequences from it. It was kind of like those fables where the storyteller is trying to explain why earthquakes happen or volcanos erupt. “The reason you have to get checked at the airport is because of 9/11.” “The reason we’re fighting in Afghanistan is because of 9/11.” It was like someone telling you “That’s just the way things are.” I never knew a life before it. So on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, with the Taliban having an iron-clad grip on the Afghanistan people and the world still crippled from a pandemic, I’m more confused than ever. I’m not quite sure what I should be feeling. Obviously I want to remember the dead, but how can I when so many people used their deaths as an excuse to shed innocent blood? How can I, when I know how persecuted Muslims were after that horrible day? How can I be patriotic and say “Never Forget” when I never even knew what it was? I was one year old. Maybe two. It feels so far removed and yet such a major facet of my life, but I have to have an opinion on it because it’s such a big deal. I’ve decided on this: Today, I will remember everyone who died because of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. The passengers, the workers, the first responders, and the victims of Islamophobic attacks in the aftermath. Today, I will honor them.

On a much more personal note, I’d like to talk to you all about my mother’s cousin, Gerard. I never really knew Gerard, but my mom spoke about him often and fondly. Gerry would play racecar with her when she was little, and read stories and do all the voices. Gerry was sassy to a woman in the movie theatre, and Mom still laughs thinking about it. Gerard died sometime ago, after a very, very long battle with a specific type of blood cancer. (I forgot the name, I’m so sorry). We believe that the reason Gerry developed the cancer was because he was living in the blast zone of 9/11, and was thus forever changed because of it. Today, I want to remember him as well. I never really knew Gerry, but I loved him because my mom loved him.

May all their memories be a blessing.

#9/11

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news-of-the-day · 3 years

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8/16/21

Corona news:

Current cases are ~208.1M, current deaths are ~4.4M. (Worldometer)

A federal judge said the new eviction moratorium can remain in place, and it's probably going to be appealed to the Supreme Court. However the Supreme Court blocked part of NYC's own eviction moratorium. It allowed renters to say they cannot be taken to court because of COVID-related financial problems, which the court determined allows the tenant to judge their own case and is not allowed. (Bloomberg, Jurist)

Texan governor Abbott issued an executive order forbidding localities on mandating masks. In response several school districts said they would not listen and even sued, and the Texas Supreme Court sided with the governor and temporarily halted some of the mandates (Texas Tribune)

Other news:

Afghanistan has fallen to the Taliban. Thousands, including Afghanis who do not want to live under the Taliban, have converged upon Kabul airport in an effort to leave, and five have died in the panic. There are reports of people rushing the runway to get to planes and being run over. US troops are at the airport helping with the evacuation. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. (Hill, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, BBC, Foreign Policy)

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, killing 1,300 people and injuring thousands. Unfortunately there are not enough doctors in Haiti to handle all of the patients, and the death toll will undoubtedly rise. Storms are also on the way, which will increase the damage. (NYT)

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau announced a snap election, about two years early. Election Day is September 20th. (Globe and Mail)

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin resigned. During his entire tenure there has been difficulties; his predecessor also resigned and his sudden ascension was seen as a power grab without enough support. People were also upset at his handling of the pandemic. After he lost support in parliament, he announced today his decision to step down. (Reuters, Al Jazeera)

Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema won the presidential elections against incumbent Edgar Lungu. (Africa News)

Israel did a raid into the West Bank and killed four Palestinians in the process. Rockets then were fired from the Gaza Strip. It's the first flare up since May. (Al Jazeera)

There were flash floods in Turkey, killing 70. (Al Jazeera)

#news #coronavirus #covid-19 #afghanistan #eviction moratorium

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Monday, August 16, 2021

U.S. Air Force veteran comforts children plagued by gun violence (Reuters) Like many cities across the United States, Washington has seen a spike in shooting-related deaths during the pandemic. Homicides were up 19% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department. This month’s data shows that the city has already clocked more cases than at the same time last year. “It’s like a war zone. It’s like being in the military,” Jawanna Hardy said. Frustrated by the senseless loss of life, Hardy, an Air Force veteran and now a 34-year-old high school English teacher, launched ‘Guns Down Friday,’ an outreach program to support neighborhoods plagued by gun violence—including the one she has lived in since childhood. She has raised money for shooting victims’ gravestones, advocated for more streetlights, and trained people how to treat bullet wounds themselves. She drives her van—adorned with photos of young gun violence victims—through the streets to greet youngsters. On a recent Friday, she arrived with water balloons. “Put your guns down and pick your water balloons up!” Hardy cried through a megaphone as children outside an apartment complex in southeast Washington laughed and scrambled to drench one another. She knows her Friday night street parties will not stop gun violence but hopes they can at least provide children a brief respite from the constant fear in which many live.

Haitians scramble to rescue survivors from ruins of major quake (Reuters) Haitians labored overnight to pick through shattered buildings in search of friends and relatives trapped in the rubble after a devastating earthquake struck the Caribbean country on Saturday, killing 1,297 people and injuring at least 5,700 more. The 7.2 magnitude quake flattened hundreds of homes in the impoverished country, which is still clawing its way back from another major temblor here 11 years ago, and has been without a head of state since the assassination of its president last month. Churches, hotels, hospitals and schools were badly damaged or destroyed, while the walls of a prison were rent open by the violent shudders that convulsed Haiti. Access to the worst-hit areas was complicated by a deterioration in law and order that has left key access roads in parts of Haiti in the hands of gangs, although unconfirmed reports on social media suggested they would let aid pass.

Want to stay long term in France? First come the classes on how to be French. (Washington Post) In France, la vie en rose comes wrapped in red tape. Foreigners hoping to stay here long term must sign an “integration contract” and agree to uphold French values. The contract requires four days of civic education, yet what’s taught is more akin to a government crash course in how to be French. There are discussions about Marianne—the symbolic embodiment of the French Republic—and about classical culinary dishes, such as duck confit and escargot. France 101 covers both the cultural (how to visit museums) as well as the practical (how to navigate the national health-care system). The classes, plus language lessons for anyone whose fluency doesn’t measure up, help determine whether an applicant gets a multiyear visa. Every year, an average of 100,000 people take the courses, in cities across the country. The contemporary agreement explicitly states that receiving an extended residency visa is conditional on abiding by its terms, a key one being deference to French values. After an applicant signs the document, the language test is administered and 24 hours of classes scheduled.

Taliban sweep into Afghan capital after government collapses (AP) The Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country. Heavily armed Taliban fighters fanned out across the capital, and several entered Kabul’s abandoned presidential palace. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman and negotiator, told The Associated Press that the militants would hold talks in the coming days aimed at forming an “open, inclusive Islamic government.” Kabul was gripped by panic. Helicopters raced overhead throughout the day to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents, and the American flag was lowered. Several other Western missions also prepared to pull their people out. Fearful that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated women’s rights, Afghans rushed to leave the country, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. The desperately poor—who had left homes in the countryside for the presumed safety of the capital—remained in parks and open spaces throughout the city. Many people watched in disbelief as helicopters landed in the U.S. Embassy compound to take diplomats to a new outpost at the airport. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected comparisons to the U.S. pullout from Vietnam.

From hubris to humiliation: America’s warrior class contends with the abject failure of its Afghanistan project (Washington Post) Twenty years ago, when the twin towers and the Pentagon were still smoldering, there was a sense among America’s warrior and diplomatic class that history was starting anew for the people of Afghanistan and much of the Muslim world. “For you and us, history starts today,” then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage told his Pakistani counterparts. Earlier this month, as the Taliban raced across Afghanistan, retired Lt. Col. Jason Dempsey, a two-time veteran of the war, stumbled across Armitage’s words. To Dempsey, the sentiment was “the most American thing I’ve ever heard” and emblematic of the hubris and ignorance that he and so many others brought to the losing war. “We assumed the rest of the world saw us as we saw ourselves,” he said. “And we believed that we could shape the world in our image using our guns and our money.” Both assumptions ignored Afghan culture, politics and history. Both, he said, were tragically wrong. Michèle Flournoy, one of the architects of President Barack Obama’s troop surge in Afghanistan in 2010, said, “In retrospect, the United States and its allies got it really wrong from the very beginning. The bar was set based on our democratic ideals, not on what was sustainable or workable in an Afghan context.” Flournoy acknowledged in hindsight that the mistake was compounded across Republican and Democratic administrations, which continued with almost equal fervor to pursue goals that ran counter to decades—if not centuries—of the Afghan experience.

Afghanistan’s collapse leaves allies questioning U.S. resolve on other fronts (Washington Post) The Taliban's stunningly swift advances across Afghanistan have sparked global alarm, reviving doubts about the credibility of U.S. foreign policy promises and drawing harsh criticisms even from some of the United States' closest allies. And many around the world are wondering whether they could rely on the United States to fulfill long-standing security commitments stretching from Europe to East Asia. "Whatever happened to 'America is back'?" said Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the Defense Committee in the British Parliament. "People are bewildered that after two decades of this big, high-tech power intervening, they are withdrawing and effectively handing the country back to the people we went in to defeat," Ellwood said. "This is the irony. How can you say America is back when we're being defeated by an insurgency armed with no more than [rocket-propelled grenades], land mines and AK-47s?" As much as its military capabilities, the United States' decades-old role as a defender of democracies and freedoms is again in jeopardy, said Rory Stewart, who was Britain's minister for international development in the Conservative government of Theresa May. "The Western democracy that seemed to be the inspiration for the world, the beacon for the world, is turning its back," Stewart said. Rivals of the United States also have expressed dismay. Among them is China, which fears that the ascent of an extremist Islamist government on its western border will foster unrest in the adjoining province of Xinjiang, where Beijing has waged sweeping crackdowns on the Uyghur population that have been denounced by the West. The United States' Arab allies, which have long counted on the U.S. military to come to their aid in the event of an attack by Iran, also have faced questions over whether they will be able to rely on the United States.

Torrential rains lash wide areas of Japan, three feared dead after landslide (Reuters) Torrential rain lashed much of Japan on Sunday, flooding roads and buildings in the western part of the country, while three people were feared dead after a landslide in central Nagano prefecture. Large parts of Japan, particularly the southernmost main island of Kyushu, have seen record levels of rainfall, causing rivers to overflow and triggering landslides. While the rain had stopped in much of Kyushu as of Sunday morning, Tokyo and other parts of the country were pounded by the downpour. Japan “will continue to face conditions in which a large-scale disaster could occur at anytime, anywhere,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said at a ministerial meeting on Sunday. He called on local municipalities and relevant organisations to cooperate and act with speed on rescue missions and aid.

More military personnel deployed to enforce Sydney Covid restrictions as entire state locks down (CNN) Additional Australian military personnel will be deployed to enforce tighter Covid-19 restrictions in the greater Sydney area next week, authorities announced Saturday, as the entire state of New South Wales (NSW) prepares to go under lockdown. Stay at home orders will be applied across the country’s most populous state, with people only permitted to leave home to shop for essentials, receive medical care, outdoor exercise with one other person, and work if residents cannot work from home. Schooling will also be moved back online. Sydney, the capital of NSW, has been under lockdown measures for more than seven weeks now, and they will likely be extended further; they were set to end on August 28 but the state government has indicated restrictions will remain through September.

Fuel explosion in Lebanon kills 28, wounding dozens (AP) A warehouse where fuel was illegally stored exploded in northern Lebanon early Sunday, killing at least 28 people and injuring 79 more in the latest tragedy to hit the Mediterranean country in the throes of a devastating economic and political crisis. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion near the border with Syria. Fuel smuggling operations have been ongoing for months. The Lebanese Red Cross said a fuel tanker exploded and its teams recovered 28 bodies from the site in the border village of Tleil. In a statement, it said it evacuated 79 people who were injured or suffered burns in the blast. Hours after the blast, Lebanese Red Cross members were still searching the area for more victims as Lebanese soldiers cordoned the area.

'Once the best in the Middle East,' Beirut hospital pleads for fuel as it faces shutdown (The Week) A once-famed Beirut hospital is now pleading for international aid to avoid running out of essential resources. The American University of Beirut Medical Center in Beirut, Lebanon, is making an urgent appeal to the United Nations and its specialized agencies, the World Health Organization and the U.N. Children's Fund, to supply the hospital with fuel before it's forced to shut down by Monday. Lebanon is mired in an economic and political crisis, and the nationwide fuel shortage is currently the most dire consequence. That's perhaps most clearly reflected in the plight of AUBMC, which said 40 adults and 15 children living on respirators would die immediately and many other patients will be at great risk if the shutdown is not avoided. The medical center said it's been rationing fuel and electricity for weeks, but is running out of both. Liz Sly, The Washington Post's Beirut bureau chief, notes that the American University hospital "was once the best" in the entire Middle East region; the announcement shows that the country is "truly heading to disaster," she writes.

#headlines #news

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lamalefix · 4 years

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Shockwave - 1/5

[Buddie fic, angst with happy ending; hurt/comfort; explosions; I don’t even know]

When a bomb explodes, the area around the explosion becomes over pressurized, resulting in extremely compressed air particles that move faster than the speed of sound. A wave that annihilates space and time and yet exists only for a handful of milliseconds. The initial damage of the wave is what deals the majority of the damage. Even if it lasts only a blink of an eye, the destruction is numbing. And that’s exactly what is happening in Eddie’s chest. Or, a bombing attack strikes a quite smooth shift, and Buck and Eddie really need to have a break.

[read it on ao3]

Eddie is used to it.

He has heard that ominous noise so many times, so many that he gets sick on New Year’s Eve, even on the 4th of July, when those sounds are distant and lost in the night, and are accompanied by colours.

It isn’t that raging roar, the boom, the thing that makes his blood freeze in his veins, it’s never the roar. Of course, that’s a good trigger, at the beginning, when he had just returned from his last tour, those noises, those bangs in the distance, were enough to make his brain hypervigilant, overstimulated. But at some point, he understood, with therapy, he got to know it. It’s not that raging roar, the boom. But that whistle, that whooshing sound afterwards.

On his first tour, his companions in Afghanistan, a little more experienced than him, explained to him that it is that vacuum left by the explosion that causes that noise.

At the explosion site, a vacuum is created by the rapid outward movement of the blast. This vacuum nourishes of the surrounding atmosphere, refilling itself again and again. It creates a very strong pull on any nearby person or structural surface after that already massive push effect of the blast.

That’s how he handled it: fireworks and gunshots don’t produce that vacuum, so, yeah somehow, he managed to de-trigger his triggers. Having a bigger, scarier trigger, that whirlpool of noise and horror.

And it helped, a lot, he lived a normal life, as much as you can call it that. But then a kid decided to blow up a ladder truck.

And then came the noise of showering shattered glass and screaming.

And if Eddie stops to listen, even without warnings or triggers, he might still hear Buck crying for help, in pain, his weak whimpers clear and loud. That sound entered under his skin, and won’t ever leave. But he can manage this, he can manage this because Buck is always there, watching out for him.

As for today, it was a quiet day. It had begun as a quiet day. The two of them had breakfast with Christopher; and work went by in a fairly smooth shift, some rescues, a couple of accidents that resulted in minor scratches, nothing too demanding or gruesome. Nobody said a thing about it, trying to ignore how smoothly their 18 hours shift was going, because usually shifts like this are the calm before the storm.

And a couple of hours before the shift ended, the siren rang and they were already on the stairs, ready to jump into action.

And while they were in the truck Eddie heard it, that roar, and then that whirlwind of silence, dust and wind howling in the distance.

Eddie raised his head just enough to meet Buck’s eyes and exchange a knowing look.

If we get out of this alive─ he remembers thinking.

Of course, there were people in panic on the scene, but the silence, the disturbing silence of a city suddenly immobile was bleaker.

There was a shiny red car across the street, brand new, it must have cost an arm and a leg. The bodywork now covered in dust, the glass shattered from what looked like a piece of flesh.

In front of the building, a building quite anonymous, probably all offices, bureaucratic or insurance things that Eddie had not particularly paid attention to, there was a bus, a double-decker one, for tourists. The top of it was blown off. The seats and the passengers had been thrown out about seven or eight meters. Some bystanders sat on the ground, holding people’s hands. Some passengers were clearly dead, motionless, their bodies in unnatural positions, others were shouting out in pain, in fear.

Some waiters and a chef from a restaurant at the corner of the street, were distributing plastic gloves: to limit the damage to the people who were there and helped, not real first responders, but everyday people. Doorkeepers and security guards delivered blankets and sheets, even towels to stop the bleeding.

Some young policemen, who perhaps had just finished the academy, wanted to be told what to do, Athena was there barking orders, face stern and eyes fierce. But still, and this must have hit Eddie a little too close to home, there was not much panic in that unnatural silence.

The majority of the injuries, from a first rapid analysis, were compound fractures, lacerations, burns and blast injuries. The least lucky had serious brain trauma.

There were stains of blood and oil on the walls of the surrounding buildings, stains of smoke and dust, and flames, which made the grey outlines of skyscrapers look like ugly imitations of some of Pollock’s works.

When the explosion hits a surface, there is a very specific thing that happens: after the bomb blows off, there are like stress waves, shockwaves, that continue to travel within the surface. These waves move the energy within the thing they pass through. In a human body, they pass through the tissues and organs. Supersonic, like a Star Wars jet. They carry far more energy than sound waves, and in some cases security measures to ensure that a building doesn’t collapse amplify the already destructive effects. And when you enter a building hit by one of these shockwaves, it’s like walking in a building during, or in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake.

Eddie didn’t have time to even think about what the effects of the shockwaves or the fragmentation, could have irreparably damaged the building, he and Buck were entering. Hen and Chim stayed behind with Bobby, ready for the two victims, that two security guards that hadn’t made it out. The rest of the 118 was still a couple of blocks away. They didn’t have time, they needed to move fast. And as much as you can assess the damage from the outside, you can’t know for sure if you don’t go in.

This Eddie remembers, his head spinning as his ears whistle, that loud yet deep whistle that makes his thoughts cloudy and his eyes foggy. The air that seems kicked out from his lungs.

Could this be death?

He found himself thinking about it many times, the red sand of Afghanistan in the bed of his fingernails, muddy and sticky with blood, as he struggled to catch a breath, the air drawn away from the heat and the noise, from how the bullets rang in the immediate vicinity and resonated in his chest.

But now it’s so palpable. Scary.

He has to concentrate and gather his thoughts: first thing first, he has to understand if he can move, if he can move from there.

And then a flash, that dangles in the back of his head.

Buck.

All that time wasted, all that time gone, and Buck was still waiting on him.

Eddie is someone one who runs away and now that instead he has found the courage to stay, to ask. Now that he has found someone else who wants a Diaz package deal, had the courage to take his feelings in his hands, his heart on his lips… now it’s late.

And he had so little time to be happy with Buck, to make him happy.

If we get out of this alive, he remembers thinking, back on the truck, I have to ask you to marry me.

Here, this is what he remembers and also now he remembers that another bomb exploded while they were on the stairs. While Buck was with him on the stairs.

Buck. Where the hell is Buck?

When the second bomb blew off, on the other side of the building, Buck was a few steps away from him, on the staircase between the sixth and the seventh floor.

He can’t even remember Buck’s voice, how it sounded like all caught up in that deep whistling sound that drums in his ears. He was suggesting one of his plans to bring out the victims they were looking for. The plan included a kind of sled for the stairs, the two victims on a desk or a door and the two of them would direct it after having harnessed it. It was the only way to be quick if the ladder truck hadn’t been available.

Buck was behind him, a couple of steps away, and when Eddie heard that sudden rustling, the calm before the storm ─ or maybe he imagined it, maybe it had been more a feeling ─ , he had thrown himself on Buck in an attempt to save him.

Maybe it’s because Eddie is used to that noise, that he perceived before it even happened.

Let’s just stick with calling it a sixth sense. Or maybe he just saw some debris falling from the ceiling, and sensed the imminent collapse.

Realization is like a punch in the face. Buck isn’t there, in what Eddie would call a kind of bonded area.

It’s true, everything is in a very bad shape, battered, the stairs had crumbled with the second explosion, but somehow the entablature held up the impact, and the majority of the floors above are still in their places. The concrete and the debris all around him, but miraculously, apart from being precipitated on the lower floor, Eddie doesn’t seem to have many debris on him, not massive ones at least, nor he has serious wounds.

Now that he is somehow more conscious, awake, he needs to function a bit more. Before even getting up, he looks for the words at the bottom of his throat and tries to reach the radio to ask for help or at least to report his position. But he can’t hear, that damn background noise in his ears is so frigging loud and yet it’s all so quiet around him. He knows that sound, he’s sure he knows that sound, it’s like that scream that hoovers in his worst nightmares. He feels his lips moving against the speaker, he hears himself talk, his voice like a distant echo that murmurs in the back of his skull, but no, he can’t hear what they say. If they say anything to him, or if those are just those muffled sounds that their radios make when communications are cut off.

He then decides to get up and decipher the damage he has accused, and more importantly he need to asses if he can move and find a way out. They were between the sixth and the seventh floors. Maybe he can find a way, a small tunnel that can take him out. Or at least let him catch up with Buck.

He manages to roll on his side, and then on his stomach, the oxygen tank pressing against his shoulder blades was clearly the reason he couldn’t breathe well, when he woke up. With his legs aching, his neck and shoulders asking for mercy, he drags himself to the first wall that seems to have held up the blow. It must be reinforced concrete, or, even better a pillar. He sits up and puts a finger of the glove between his teeth and pulls away, freeing his hand to rub his face, and he discovers that no, at least there are no open cuts on his head and that noise he hears, maybe it’s just a whistle due to the very near explosion, more than a first sign of a serious brain damage.

He doesn’t seem to have broken bones, even if his legs don’t seem very reactive, he puts on the oxygen mask to inhale deeply twice, maybe three times, and regain a minimum of self-awareness. Oxygen reinvigorates his thoughts. He decides to switch on his flashlight to at least try to orient.

He moves slowly, his flashlight blinks a couple of times the light becoming more and more faint, a soft orange. But it makes enough light to see it, in the semi-darkness of that damn place, there’s a helmet a couple of feet away, near a pile of debris and cement and glass shattered.

He needs a moment to re-adjust his visual acuity, winking away the dust from his eyes: the white numbers finally flickering back at him.

118.

And it’s like some slow-motion scene in that big budget movies. And Eddie could swear he can actually see his own body moving, even before his very mind catches up. He drags himself there, near the helmet, his dying flashlight left forgotten on the concrete floor. Panic washes over him. Only Buck was there with him. And if his helmet is there, it’s enough to assume that under that horrendous amount of debris, and cement, and god knows what else, there is Buck.

He can think straight. He knows he can, he does that under pressure, has done that in stressful situations years before joining the LAFD, but he can’t. He just can’t. Not now. Not if Buck is under a ton of debris and cement, possibly heaving his last breath any minute now.

And that’s exactly what is happening in Eddie’s chest.

He needs to call for help, he needs to do something. He can’t possibly move all those debris without making it worse. He could actually smash the whole fragile equilibrium of the remains of the stairs and pillars, make it all collapse on him and Buck and, and he can’t do that.

He needs to move, he needs to seek any source of light, find a damn way to ask for help.

He can’t lose him.

All that time wasted, all that time gone, and Buck was still willing to love him. He can’t lose him.

He hears his own voice echoing in the back of his head, threading through his skull. He even knows the name of this specific physiological event, but the only thing he can think of, now, is help.

Help. Help. Help.

That’s what his voice is saying, that familiar noise in his ears so loud and deep that make his vision blurry. But he is sure he’s crying out for help.

But now he really needs to move, to find a goddamn source of light or whatever, everything. A way to get help, a way to get Buck, Evan, out of there.

He needs to focus, to function, he really needs to do his best now.

The stairs were on the left of the entrance, so the only reasonable thing to do is reaching the stairs and try to find a way out.

There’s a tunnel, on the right, like twelve feet away from the helmet. Maybe grovelling in there, he can reach Buck, maybe he can help him.

So, he moves, he crouches and tries to crawl under the tunnel made of broken pillars and collapsed cement.

And he really tries not to think. And the only thing that flashes in his mind, aside of Evan, Evan, Evan – like a mantra – is Christopher. And the blood freezes in his veins, now that he thinks about his son, who perhaps will lose at least one of them today.

No. No. Christopher can’t lose them, neither Buck nor Eddie. They will return to Christopher, should he dig the way to the exit himself, with his bare hands.

He sees a golden light crackling in the middle of the collapsed beams and concrete, he must go towards that light.

The debris blocks part of the tunnel, but he can actually stand at some point, the overlying corridor caved in and part of Eddie’s way is blocked, he will have to crawl with his back to the wall, and carry the oxygen tank by hand, otherwise he won’t pass. But he must go, he must continue.

To help Buck. he tells himself. Evan. Evan. Evan. he repeats like a mantra.

And maybe he anticipated a fire. Maybe Eddie anticipates elevated temperatures, it is to be expected when there are such explosions, especially if so close one another, but it is clearly a flashlight, the light that glimmers there at the bottom of his way.

Eddie shouts out. The way his ears ring, his head spinning with the echo of his words while he drags himself between the debris, the shoulder that threatens to yield, while tagging along the oxygen tank.

But he comes to the brink of the tunnel, at the edge of another free zone: there are debris everywhere, but there is a person who seems is looking for someone, who moves the flashlight in search of something in the piles of debris.

There is someone as battered as he is dragging himself around.

Eddie can’t assess his features, his face, his expression. It’s like a silhouette that person, and maybe it’s just a ghost of Eddie’s imagination.

But as soon as the light hits Eddie’s face and forces him to close his eyes for a moment, that person runs towards him, limping in a way that seems decidedly painful, but is on him in a matter of seconds.

And it is unmistakable that strong embrace, bone-crushing hug, yet so warm and delicate at the same time, tender, that it anchors him to reality, to life. The familiar scent, sweat, dust and that stupidly good oatmeal shampoo (“My hair are this fabulous due to oat, Eds!”), fills Eddie’s nostrils. And it feels like coming home.

He is alive. Buck. Evan. Evan is alive. He is alive. He is alive. He needs to repeat himself again and again, gasping, swallowing back a sob.

Now that they are together, now that they are together, everything will be fine.

“Evan!” Eddie croaks, or at least he is convinced to call his name, or maybe it’s his mantra. The whistle is gone all together. He nuzzles in the crook of Buck’s neck, tugging at his turnout coat like his own life depends on it.

Buck tightens his grip on Eddie, straightening them both. “I found you” he says.

And Eddie could swear that he hears Buck’s words in his chest, his voice that echoes stentorian and hoarse all together, even before it reaches his ears.

“Bullshits,” Eddie replies. “I found you”. His head spinning and his legs no longer holding him. And he’d like to say other words to him. He’d like to ask him now, of all moments, right here, this seems the perfect moment, now that they are both alive, he must ask him.

Now that they are together, everything will be fine.

But darkness starts to slip at the corners of his eyes, blurring his vision and he may have the feeling of his body giving in, collapsing in Buck’s arms.

Or maybe he is simply out of it even before realizing it. [Continue to ch.2]

#buddie fic #my writing? oh I couldn't help it #angst with happy ending #hurt/comfort #9-1-1 fic #evan buck buckley #eddie diaz #lamalefixwrites

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aymanmatnews · 2 years

Photo

Deadly earthquake in Afghanistan .. Almost 1,000 people have died from the 6.1 magnitude #earthquake that struck Afghanistan today. Officials in the country revised the death toll to at least 950 & said more than 600 have been injured with significant damage to property, The quake struck early on Wednesday morning local time with its epicentre near the town of Khost south of the capital, Kabul, the US Geological Survey reported. https://www.instagram.com/p/CfGi8jyoS6A/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#earthquake

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importanttigercreation · 2 years

Video

youtube

Welcome to the news channel of the Angry Nature, Today we will tell you about Afganistan and Pakistan Earthquake,, A powerful earthquake has killed at least 250 people and left scores injured in Afghanistan, a local official has told, Pictures shared on social media showed people on stretchers, rubble and ruined homes in Paktika province. A local government official told the BBC the death toll of more than 250 was likely to rise, and that more than 150 others had been injured. The quake struck about 44km (27 miles) from the south-eastern city of Khost. Tremors were felt across more than 500km of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre, quoted by Reuters. The centre said that witnesses had reported feeling the quake in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, as well as Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. Unfortunately, last night there was a severe earthquake in four districts of Paktika province, which killed and injured hundreds of our countrymen and destroyed dozens of houses," government spokesman Bilal Karimi tweeted. "We urge all aid agencies to send teams to the area immediately to prevent further catastrophe." The earthquake - which hit during the early hours as many people slept - was a magnitude 6.1 quake at a depth of some 51km, according to the US Geological Survey. #Afghanistan_earthquake #Pakistan_earthquake #angry_nature #earthquake_2022 #earthquake

#IFTTT #YouTube

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cksmart-world · 3 years

Text

SMART BOMB

The completely unnecessary news analysis

by Christopher Smart

August 17, 2021

THE STUPIDITY CYCLE — THE U.S. IN AFGHANISTAN

Well, Wilson, there we went again. For you and the guys in the band this must seem like Vietnam Redux: We invade a country for reasons that require pretzel logic. We have little understanding of the people but assume they'll act like American suburbanites. We prop up a corrupt regime. Throw hundreds of millions of dollars at it. Assemble an army that doesn't really want to fight. And then bolt, leaving those who helped us caught between the Taliban and a hard place. After 9-11, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld et al went after Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, who were camped out in the remote mountains near the Pakistani border. But instead of sending in Special Forces, as we eventually did to get him, we dispatched tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military hardware. Al Qaeda was soon routed from Afghanistan so we had to have another reason for staying. But no one could say exactly what that was. In any event, we were bound, sooner or later, to get out of Dodge. In Rolling Stone, Matt Taibbi sums it up succinctly: “This stupidity cycle is the hallmark of American foreign policy.” To date, 2,448 Americans have been killed there and 20,722 wounded. Luckily we declared victory or more would have died.

COUNTY COUNCIL ON KIDS AND COVID — QUE SERA SERA

You've got to hand it to 'em, the Salt Lake County Council knows the old song and dance routine — “whatever will be will be, the future's not our to see, que sera sera.” A salivating mob crowded into the government center demanding the council rescind it's own health department's mask order for elementary schools or they would shoot them with squirt guns. So, after careful and prayerful consideration, in a 6-3 vote along party lines, the council's Republicans sang a chorus of “Que Sera Sera” and noted that parents should be free to choose whether their kids die of the Delta variant, which is at least three times as contagious as the initial virus. Triumphantly, the crowd chanted USA, USA...freedom, freedom... Previously, the Utah Legislature had blocked school districts from making mask rules and left the decision to counties. There have been more than 37 million Covid infections in this country and more than 636,000 deaths. Hospital ICUs are now at capacity again. But Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton said this: “[N]one of us have a crystal ball to see how our decision today will impact the future.” WTF. No, you don't need a crystal ball, just stack 636,000 bodies on top of each other, climb to the top and jump off. Que sera sera.

PSYCHIC OLGA PREDICTS TRUMP'S FUTURE

What will happen now that we know Trump tried to employ the Department of Justice to overturn the election? No one seems to know, so we turned to Psychic Olga, who has proven time and again that she can see what no one else can.

Smart Bomb: What's going to happen to Donald Trump?

Psychic Olga: As I gaze into the future, I see that he will continue to grift hundreds of millions more from his MAGA droids, who believe he is their savior.

Smart Bomb: OK, but what about the New York tax fraud case and fallout from new evidence of a botched coup?

Olga: Trump's chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, and his sons will mysteriously disappear, crippling the D.A.'s case. The FBI will search the bottom of New York Harbor for people with cement shoes.

Smart Bomb: Well, what about treason charges?

Olga: Evidence will mount that Trump conspired with Rudy Giuliani to take over America. Rudy will go down, but Trump will escape on a Chinese billionaire's yacht and plot a comeback with a new reality TV show called “I, Me, Mine,” which will co-star porn stars in leopard-skin bikinis and the The Pillow Guy in a Tarzan outfit.

Post script — That's gonna do it for another fun-filled week here at Smart Bomb, where we keep track of tragedies in Haiti so you don't have to. If you've planned a beach vacation in Haiti you might want to reschedule. Sources close to Albany say Andrew Cuomo may book a discount Air B&B on the Dominican Republic-side of Hispaniola to avoid reporters covering the earthquake and tropical storm Grace that have ravaged Haiti. Laws against sexual harassment are lax there, we're told. And speaking of water, it may be up to the Utah Legislature to save The Great Salt Lake — in which case we are totally screwed. The West's largest remaining wetland ecosystem has been sucked dry by growth and drought and is in danger of crashing in the coming months. It's a critical habitat for 8 million migratory birds. Meanwhile, everyone along the Wasatch Front has a green lawn, drought or no drought. Although the Bear River is a crucial water source for the lake, the state is looking to move forward with a project that would divert 220,000 acre feet of the Bear for new development. And if we know anything about our lawmakers, it is that they love progress, which for them is synonymous growth. Oh yeah, and they love the color green. Fore!

Well, Wilson, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Still, for some, the Vietnam War-era produced better music. Seems like the Pentagon forgot the painful lessons learned in Southeast Asia, so maybe you and the guys in the band can take us back for a little refresher:

Well, come on all of you, big strong men Uncle Sam needs your help again He's got himself in a terrible jam Way over there in Afghanistan So put down your books and pick up a gun We're gonna have a whole lotta fun And it's one, two, three What are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn Next stop is Afghanistan And it's five, six, seven Open up the pearly gates Well there ain't no time to wonder why Whoopee! we're all gonna die

(“I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag”

— by Country Joe and the Fish

— modified by The Smart Bomb Band)

PPS — During this difficult time for newspapers please make a donation to our very important local alternative news source, Salt Lake City Weekly, at PressBackers.com, a nonprofit dedicated to help fund local journalism. Thank you.

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