Basically….nerga3 bel zaman kda 7aga zy 17.5 years wa ta7deedan youm October 12th, 1992…..el youm da 3omry ma hansah fe 7ayaty..…kan awel youm leya a3raf ya3ny eh zelzal!! Zelzal?? Aiwa Zelzal…..el kelma fe 7ad zat-ha te7’awef….tefla baree2a 3andaha 8 years a3da mestanya 7ad yeegy ya7’odha men el madrasa we ma3aya my 2 older sisters….we fag2a 7aga 7asalet and I found people panicking (makansh feh nas keteer 3ashan kan ma3ad el 7’oroog 7’eles ba2alo keteer) we ebtado el teachers to ask us to go to the fields….ya ged3an maho ana aslant fel 7oosh beta3 el madrasa haro7 fel 7oosh ezay tany aslan? Howa eh el bey7sal? And then I knew the word, its an earthquake! Ya3ny eh zelzal? ya3ny el ard betet7arak men ta7tena…aiwa ya3ny betet7arak ezay ya3ny mish fahma? we saboony men 3’eer ma afham ya3ny eh zelzal…kol el fehemto eno it’s a big deal we en I should panic when it happens we agry 3al 7oosh…7aga zy el fire drill kda! We tab3an I was eager to know more….i am only a kid hungry for information (da 3’eer eny kont hungry lel akl tab3an tool el wa2t) gebt el ma3lomat ba2a men 3al television el masry el 3azeem (tab3an makontsh ba2ra el garaneen wa2taha wala delwa2ty 7ata ba2rahom…we makansh feh internet to google whatever term i have in mind) we lama fehemt we 3ereft eh el bey7sal ……aw mafhemtsh awi bas shoft el 3omarat el we23et wel nas el matet….la2eet el mawdoo3 kebeer awi 3ala tefla 3andaha 8 years!
Actually the earthquake counted as my first encounter into the political world….hates2alony ezay el zelzal 3arafek bel seyasa? A2oloko ana ezay…..la2eet 7’aly beyzorna we beytkalem ma3a mamty 3an el zelzal we ely 7asal we ana tab3an mar3ooba….we la2et-hom they were talking 3an el tawabe3 beta3et el zelzal el hate7sal we eno lazem ne7’aly balna…..we en America (el heya henaaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkkkkkk fe a7’er el donia) is predicting for us another earthquake within the coming days and that we should take care and be prepared! Fa tab3an fehemt en America bet3raf kol 7aga we en e7na lazem nesma3 kalam America we en kol 7aga America bet2olha lazem nesad2aha 3ashan heya America we 3omraha ma bet3’lat……we la2eet ba2a el nas are in great panic….el media bet2ool el mawdoo3 kebeer kebeer kebeeeeeer we America bet2ool eno feh zelzal tany gai fel taree2….fa el nas ya 7aram te3mel eh??? Te3mel as follows:
- Feh nas kanet betbat fel 3arabya beta3et-ha….bas el 3arbya markoona feen ba2a??? fel garage beta3 el 3omara aw ganb el 3omara!!! Yanhar abyad 3al zaka2!! El howa mamotsh law el 3omara we23et 3alaya wana fel sereer…bas amoot we ana fel 3arabya beta3ty we labes hodoomy we met2antek! asl el 3arabya gaia ba3d ta3ab seneen…..bas el sara7a law 7ad beybat fe 3arbya marceedes wala bmw mish moshkela….bas fewh nas kanet betnam fe 3arabeyat yadobak tekafy el sawa2 we beykoon maznoo2 kaman.
- Nas tanya kano beynamo we ta7t el ma7’ada beta3et-hom 3elebet el dahab wel feloos….fa awel lama ye7sal zelzal….ya7’do el 3elba we yegro 3alatol….bas mish moshkela el 3eyal ely nayma lewa7daha fel 2oda el tanya….el mohem el cash-at ya ma3alem heya el hatenfa3…..maho rabena katab el “mal” abl el “banoon”….we aho bardo el 3eyal newafar masarefha fel zaman el a7’bar dah we neraya7hom men el hayshofooh fel donia el 7elwa de!
- Feh nas ba2a….kararo eno kol 7aga beta3et rabena…we e7na nenam fel beit 3ady we awel lama ye7sal 7aga negry no2af ta7t el “kamar” beta3 el bab!!!! We da so2al bey7ayarny awii…..leh el “kamar” is the strongest part in the house??? We hal law el 3omara we23et ba3d el shar ya3ny…el kamar da will support me men ay 7aga enaha to2a3 fo2 dma3’y? 3ala asas eno el 3omara beto2a3 men 7awaleeen el kamar bas mish beteegy ta7to??? Bgad it was an automatic drill that my family taught me we 3omry ma fehemt leh momkin nekon sakeen fel first floor we fe sanya anzel el share3….bas instead we stay inside ta7t el kamar that will “support” us law 7asal 7aga ba3d el shar!! Bas my family tab3an are like the media and amreeka and I have to trust them fe whatever they say.
Bas ya3ny el Media el sara7a 3amalet sho3’l 7elw awi fe mawdoo3 el zelzal dah…it hushed people from all the disasters that went on….it overrated whatever it wanted to overrate…..it made people think about the upcoming earthquake (el tawabe3 el 3omraha ma gat) ….instead of making them think fel 3omarat el we23et 3ashan mabnya 3’alat….asl el nas mish na2sa ka2aba ya3ny…..we 7ata law feh 3omara we23et 3ala dema3’ so7abha, they managed to make it sound like a miraculous story…we eno al hamd lelah en el 3omara we23et fo2 so7abha 3ashan ne7es be 2eradet rabena…..for example, 3omry ma hansa el story el ma3roofa beta3et el 3omara el we23et fe masr el gedida we heya lisa mabneya gedida novy….we sob7an Allah….badal ma afakar fel 3omara we ezay 3omara gedida to2a3….la2 they made us see the bright side fe en 3omara be 7alha we23et…..we despite el nas el matet wel balawy el 7asalet….shofna mo3gezet el sama2…we 2eradet Allah el fo2 el gamee3…we seme3na 3an 7akayet the most famous person in this earthquake and this building…..Aktham….el ragel el tala3ooh men ta7t el ankad bta3et 3omaret masr el gedida ba3daha be 7aga zy 1 week….and he was alive and his heart was pumping like never before…..we tala3ooh men ta7t al ankad we howa masek 2edeen merato we bento (they were dead)….walahi el dam3a kanet hatfer men 3enaya..…we manensash o7’to who was a little bit luckier than him 3ashan her apartment kanet a couple of floors higher than him fa heya makansh feh 7agat keteer we23et fo2 dma3’ha fa they managed to get her out alive men badry…..bas bardo tetkarar mo3gezet el sama2….3ashan el set awel lama 7aset bel zelzal….nata2et el shehada we a7’adet ebnaha ta7taha we a3adt fe wad3 el sogood….sob7an Allah…..Allaho Akbar……La Ellah ela Allah……bardo el dam3a hatefer men 3enaya.
Heeeeeh donia…..al hamd lelah 3ala kol 7al we al hamd lelah that I am blessed with such a beautiful country and lets point out the facts that most probably none of us do remember…yet most of us remembers quite well Aktham’s story (walahi although I was only 08 years old….bas lisa fakra shaklo we howa a3ed fel sereer 3al mostashfa wel television beysawar ma3ah) bas below are very quick facts to show what really happened:
· 550 dead
· 10000 injured
· 1000 schools badly damaged/destroyed
· 40000 left homeless
· It was "discovered" that 10,722 floors in Cairo were built without license
· The Ministry of Housing concluded at the time that all in all, 96 % of the buildings in Cairo and 85 % of the buildings in Giza violated the building codes one way or another.
· LE 4 billion worth of damage
· Prime Minister Atef Sedki appealed calmly in a televised news conference stating that: "The government is acting according to a plan and with wisdom; Problems are not solved by pressing a button." I am sure he forgot to mention how they managed to save Aktham (ne3meloko aktar men kda eh ya3ny…bentala3 nas sa7ya men ta7t el ard….mafeesh 7okooma bet3mel aktar men kda!!)
wa la 3aza2 lel sha3b el masry
More Media Posts to follow............
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