– We have an expression called that time heals all wounds. It is not quite true, but time does something to us, says Jonas Gahr Støre.
Former Secretary and head of the Red Cross, Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor), current Foreign Minister Brende (H) and Crown Prince and Princess are among those in the afternoon attending the commemoration in Paradisbukta at Bygdøy.
Both Støre and Brende speeches at the ceremony, which will honor the memory of the 84 Norwegian lives lost in the tsunami disaster ten years ago.
– You are not alone. We see you and we are together. Share grief half, part pleasure double.
– I wish that this moment and will primarily be for you who carry the largest missed, that you know the care of people who are around you, says Minister in his appeal.
spoken to those who survived
Seaman’s priest Stein Vangen said in his obituary that those who survived the disaster also should be allowed to to be excited about it, while we mourn all the lives that were lost.
– Had another ten years to meet us and make us even fuller and richer life and love, so that death forces of the tsunami did not get as much space in our lives, he says.
Foreign Brende admitted that Norwegian authorities were not well enough prepared for such an event, that they lacked the necessary emergency organization to handle the disaster, and that foreign ministry subsequently worked painstakingly to strengthen their preparedness.
– The wave took 230,000 people into death. Whole communities were blamed away. The same was hundreds of thousands of hopes, dreams and future plans. Among the victims were 84 Norwegians, 26 children. Like so many other tragedies lacks meaning.
– Most of us are looking to able to grasp the scale of the grief and loss that still feels among you among us who lost the dearest in life, says Brende.
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette Marit laid flowers at the memorial in Paradisbukta. It also made and the leader of the support group, Trond T. Kallenberg. Then there was lit a candle for each of the Norwegian victims, while all the 84 names were read aloud.
Trumpeter Arne Kollandsrud stood for marking musical performances. He also played as the coffins with tsunami victims came home ten years ago.
– Hope we are prepared
– We have an expression called that time heals all wounds. It is not quite true, but the time doing something with us. We are not in the violent mood we were in, during Christmas 2004, but ten years after. It gives us time to think about what grief does to us, and that people grieve in different ways, says Jonas Gahr Støre told VG.
As Secretary General of the Red Cross from 2003 to 2005 he was involved in starting a support group that opened doors and helped with the practical. Red Cross also had people in the field in the countries concerned, and experienced a tremendous mobilization and donor willingness in Norway.
– I experienced that we stood in the middle of it, and it gave very meaningful to allowed to help, says Minister.
– How well prepared we were on a disaster of this magnitude?
– It came forward that we were not well enough prepared. I want to emphasize that people did their very best, but UD was not set up for it. My predecessor Petersen started an important work as I continued when I became Secretary, he says and continues:
– Today I hope we are prepared for the unthinkable. Now we have an emergency 24 hours a day, we have teams that are prepared to scramble and we have a completely different technological layouts, so that we can follow the action.
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