Review: Fortunate To Be Alive
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 27, 2014
The book is easy to read and short. Kate and Rudy both share the true story of the eruption of Mt. Merapi, in Java (Indonesia). They are eyewitnesses to the devastation and destruction of an active volcano occurring in November of 2010. Villagers were being evacuated from an area 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the crater itself. The authors lived in what was known as a safe zone, meaning the volcano normally did not touch that area."Many people just ignored both the warning sounds from Merapi and the sirens." It seemed foolhardy for people to not heed the warnings given way ahead of time. They lived with a false sense of security until it erupted. I saw poor judgment and bad excuses prevail, to the extent that people risked their very lives for belongings."Statics about the November eruption vary from one source to another, but the death toll of that eruption was around 350, comprised mainly of people who had not evacuated for one reason or another." Kate and Rudy survived and are fortunate to be alive to tell their story, many others did not. They returned to an intact house with some damage, again many others did not. It was an interesting story mostly because it was a true account.