Fort Atkinson woman waits to hear from exchange student in Indonesia

FORT ATKINSON -- An earthquake and aftershock rocked Indonesia Wednesday, April 11th, raising fear in a region that is still recovering from a 2004 tsunami that killed 170,000 people.

Those shock waves caused panic for a woman from Wisconsin, who feared the worst had happened to a former exchange student she considers a daughter.

It was back in 1998 that Linda Mann and her family welcomed Angie Wulandari into their home. Wulandari was an exchange student from Indonesia. They have stayed in touch through the years, and when Mann heard about the earthquake, she instantly began to panic.

"I turned on the news and heard Indonesia and then my ears popped because it's like what happened in Indonesia?" Mann said.

Mann immediately went to the computer to try to find out whether Wulandari was safe. "I love her as a daughter, so we're very close, and wanting to know she's okay and her parents are okay. Then it branches out to know her best friend and her best friend's parents - are they okay?" Mann said.

After about two hours of waiting, Mann finally got ahold of Wulandari through Skype. "The first thing she always knows to say is 'we are fine' and so I was relieved," Mann said.

Wulandari happened to be in London on business at the time of the quake. Although her family is also safe, Wulandari said she is concerned about many of her friends, especially after the earthquake and tsunami in 2004. "She did lose a couple friends last time that they didn't find, so this time I'm sure she's devastated again," Mann said.

Mann said good news continues to pour in that everyone is alright, and she says she'll continue to hope and pray for the best.