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Asian Tidal Waves kill thousands


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Here's the last post we got from him.....he's a pretty resiliant young guy, so he may be alright...but as you can imagine, communications, electricity may be off where he's at.......

 

From: "Abhay Gopaldass Adhikari"

Date: Sat Dec 25, 2004 8:02 am

Subject: Joyeux Noel

 

Joyeux Noel et Bonne Annee!

 

Thought i'd try a spot of French since I am in Pondicherry right now :)

 

Slan,

Abhay

 

The destiny we share

Is a dream come true

Now is HERE... here is NOW (Clannad)

Living' in the shadow,

of someone else's dream....

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John, they're saying now that it was a 9.0 quake. With a quake that large, a tsunami is expected... and I thought there were systems in place for tsunami warnings now... from what I'm hearing, it was about two hours from the time the quake hit until the tsunamis hit... I would think that was enough time to get the warnings out, even to third world nations, but maybe not. :(

 

Wayne, I hope your friend is okay. :(

 

We've got a frequent poster on the PS forum who lives in India, but I think he's on the West coast... but he may have family and friends who were effected. I hope not. :(

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This is just unimaginably tragic. Not to minimize the disaster from the hurricanes in Florida this fall, but, it seems like when events like that hit a third world country, the loss of life is staggering. The earthquake in Iran, countless other disasters, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and the like. I remember the hurricane that hit Bangladesh right after or during their civil war...back in the early seventies...(part of what the George Harrison concert was for)...and seeing pictures of hundreds and hundreds of bloated corpses floating in the water...

 

I lived in Valdez, Alaska in the early 90s. Valdez is basically a port, situated on a fjord. There's a stretch of land just outside town where the old town was. Nothing remains, save some old building foundations. An ancient rusting forklift sits derelict, the only reminder that anything was ever there. On Good Friday, 1964, the town of Valdez was there...most of the residents were down at the dock welcoming a steamship into port. The largest earthquake to hit the North American continent hit. The bulk of the damage was caused by an underwater landslide, which first sucked water out into the bay, and then slammed back in a tsunami, killing over 50 people waiting at the dock.

 

Further down the Alaskan coast, near the village of Yakutat, is Lituya Bay. An underwater landslide in 1958 there triggered a tsunami that washed fishing boats completely over two barrier islands, and left a splash mark 1700 feet up the side of the surrounding mountains! Here's the link...

Lituya Bay Tsunami

 

Nope. Mother Nature is a force to be reckoned with. I'm not sure what any of us could do to ease the suffering, except to give generously...

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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Kinda' odd...

 

...I just flipped through the news channels, and only found one that did a 30 second sound byte on the disaster.

 

I don't get it...

 

100 people get killed by a gunman...it's all over the news 24/7.

 

Over 11 thousand get killed by a tidal wave...and it's just another 30 second news piece...???

miroslav - miroslavmusic.com

 

"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."

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WHen the earthquake hit Iran last year I donated a little money to the Red Cross and was extremely impressed with the feedback they gave on where the money went. The internet / email has made feedback a more viable option which is great.
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from CNN

 

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/world/0412/gallery.asia.quake2/sri.0.waves.ap.jpg

 

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/world/0412/gallery.asia.quake2/sri.5.waves2.ap.jpg

 

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/world/0412/gallery.asia.quake2/india.1.car.ap.jpg

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Originally posted by Salyphus:

Most Americans don't really care what happens over there, it's just a curiosity to them....

Maybe some, but I wouldn't say "most". America is still THE single most "giving" country in the world, and many of us DO care a great deal when disaster befalls anyone, anywhere in the world. If you'd care to debate that, we should probably take it to the Political Forum. :)

 

FWIW, I've been seeing regular news reports on the disaster at least every thirty minutes since it happened on cable TV.

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Hey folks...devastation is quite big on the areas right near the coast. I was in another city not on the coast over the weekend to do a gig, but am back in chennai, which is on India's south eastern coast.

Lot of boats have been washed ashore and death toll figures are varying @ this moment.

Vinay Vincent,

BASE Studios

 

"Live Jazz friday nights at The Zodiac Bar"

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I have a friend who lives in Indonisia and i am pretty worried about him and his young family.

He lives in a place called Bandung in the Java district but i'm not sure if that is on the coast or in the hills as a another friend suggested who has a neice on holiday there and thank goodness that she's ok and taken refuge in a monestary and flys home today.

Its really sad to see this happen at such a special time of year but I guess nature isn't one for judging when these things happen, only man can do that!

My prayers go out to all those who have families and friends in the region and also those who are out there on holidays.

Vinay, I am so glad your ok as you came into my head this morning.

I also have family in India but they are in Bombay so i guess I have nothing to worry about.

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Originally posted by Salyphus:

Most Americans don't really care what happens over there, it's just a curiosity to them....

I don't think that's necessarily it. I think Americans care. Let's put it another way...

 

Two headlines...

 

"Gunman kills 10 in standoff in (insert American city far away from you where you don't know anyone)"

 

and...

 

"Gunman kills two in standoff in your hometown"...

 

Which one grabs your attention?

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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Originally posted by Salyphus:

neither really to be honest

But, I think that most people's attention would be gotten by the one with, although fewer deaths, the ones closest to home. Especially if the standoff occurred at, say, a factory where you knew people that worked there, possibly had former classmates or something.

 

The Florida hurricane thing applies. Most people here in the U.S. don't know anyone who lives in, say, Bangladesh, but Uncle Ernie and Aunt Lucy have a house in Vero Beach, and despite the fact that thousands were killed halfway around the world, it's eclipsed by the fact that Uncle Ernie and Aunt Lucy lost their house.

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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Scientists said the death toll might have been reduced if India and Sri Lanka had been part of an international warning system designed to advise coastal communities that a potentially killer wave was approaching. Although Thailand is part of the system, the west coast of its southern peninsula does not have the system's wave sensors mounted on ocean buoys.

 

:cry:

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There is no Tsunami warning system here in India, like Hawaii and the states. Even the waves that hit Indian beaches normally are quite small and not event the huge ones famous with surf beaches. So, this was all the more unexpected.

Devastation here in INDIA is bad cause, there are a lot of fishing hamlets that are situated right on the beach, meaning literally a few meteres away from the sea. Pre dominantly fishing communities. And so these are the worst hit, as there was no hope for survival.

Vinay Vincent,

BASE Studios

 

"Live Jazz friday nights at The Zodiac Bar"

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