Ma Belteshazzar Mawilis ( 4 Alpha )

The landslide occurred at 6 a.m. just as we were getting ready for school. We heard a loud rumbling sound coming from the direction of the hill slopes. Although we rushed to the balcony of our apartment on the tenth floor., we could not see anything. The whole area was enveloped in break darkness. I knew that the heavy rain during the past week must have its toll on the hill slopes. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and went about having my breakfast.
By the time we got ready for school, dad called out to us. We rushed to balcony where dad standing. The sun was already up and in the dazzling brightness we could see boulder, the size of bulldozers resting at the foot of the slopes. A neigbour informed us that a major landslide had occurred. We rushed to the basement. We saw that rescue workers were already there and were removing buried vehicles from the rubble. The landslide had also cut off the only access road to town.
Since the only access road could not be used, office workers and school children were left stranded. We were not allowed to go anywhere near the area where the rescue work were in progress. We could not do anything but stand and watch helplessly. There were aso a power failure which meant that we could not watch television.
During the initial stages, we were told that the resident from the two apartment block may be evacuated. This caused resident a great deal of anxienty. Later, when the police, firemen and various authorities met, they decided against the evacuation. Everyone was relieved. We spent the whole day just watching the rescue workers at work. We prayed silently that the episode would soon be over. We were told to go back to our apartment and remain there until further notice. Later that night we were told that the access road had been cleared and that there were no casualties or massive damage to property. We all heaved sighs of relief when we heard this. Mum led us into saying a thanksgiving prayer. We had a lot to be thankful for. As I got ready to go to bed that night I recollected the event that occurred that day. I was glad the day had come to an end and I will always remember it.