Asian Tidal Waves kill thousands

[Gabriel E.]

Just really tragic.

 

When Krakatau blew in the 1880s, the tsunamis killed 40,000 people. Looks like this may end up being as bad. I hope not.

 

In this case, people in Somalia 5000 kilometers away were killed. That's insane!

[Tedster]

Oh, definitely. Those waves travel basically until they hit a landmass. If an earthquake is centered in Alaska, they have tables that will time the arrival of a tsunami all the way across the Pacific...even into the southern hemisphere.

 

I have friends in the Seychelles and Mauritius. I seriously hope they weren't injured.

[djwayne]

A little good news, my internet buddy checked in and says he's alright, but the area of town where he's at, the fishing section, was hit hard. He said the sea receeded about 150 feet then came back with a vengence. Many people were gathering fish and crabs for their meals....the restaurants are full of tourist, and the road traffic is heavy as everyone wants to go look at the damaged area's. But he seems to be in good spirits.

[Tedster]

Originally posted by djwayne:

A little good news, my internet buddy checked in and says he's alright, .

That's good to hear.

[djwayne]

Here's an e-mail from my friend in Pondicherry.......

 

Hello Folks,

 

We are indeed in Pondicherry (the Union Territory near Tamil Nadu).

 

The earthquake hit around 6:30 a.m. The quake went unnoticed by most people

here. As we are staying in the ashram guesthouses we are far far away from

Radio/TV/Newspaper and didn't realise the impact of the quake until my cousins

(who live in Chennai and were with us) got a call from their friends.

 

The sea receded 50 meters in half an hour and then came back with a vengeance.

Some incredibly stupid people rushed in to collect fish/crabs for their

evening meals. This is when the policemen wisely cordoned off the entire

2 Km Promenade.

 

There have been severe casualities, unfortunately it is only the fishing

communities in the low lying areas that have been affected.

 

By the evening most of the townsfolk were driving down to the promenade

for a peak at the sea. Families, babies, children, women were treating it

as a Sunday outing and were dressed in their Sunday best. Our guesthouses

are very close to the seaside and we were struggling to cross the streets

as there was so much traffic.

 

I went to the Samadhi at night, lit some incense sticks and prayed for all

the people who lost their lives.

This morning we went to the promenade which is open to the public again.

The sea is more brown than blue. Everyone is going about their life, the

french restaurants are full of foreign tourists, the motorcyclists are still

trying their best to run down unsuspecting pedestrians and so on.

 

All of us received many phone calls from all across India and a few other

countries inquiring about our wellbeing. Thank you for your concern folks.

 

Regards,

Abhay

 

The destiny we share

Is a dream come true

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

[Gabriel E.]

djwayne,

 

Really glad to hear your friend's ok. That's a relief!

 

G

[fantasticsound]

Originally posted by Salyphus:

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

Always ready with an ignorant, insulting comment so long as it's against Americans.

 

It's incredibly sad that this happened and my condolances go out to the victims and survivors.

 

I marveled at the PBS documentary about Tsunamis Ted mentioned in Alaska. In fact, they interviewed a man who, along with his father, had their canoe thrown over a small mountain by a Pacific Northwest Tsunami that, thankfully, hit in a secluded area in which the population was on the other side of an inlet. (Protected by the mountain they were tossed over.) Both father and son survived, unsure what had just occured to them.

 

Unfortunately, that kind of luck (both the secluded area landfall and survival of someone in the path) is uncommon. Weather agencies have warned that these rogue waves are capable of more death and destruction than Hurricaines because of the stealth with which they can assault areas thousands of miles away from the earthquakes that spawn them. And many of those earthquakes occur far from land, unlike this one, making warnings difficult. It's sad the Indian government made such a poor choice not to put a warning system in place.

 

Locally, we just endured an ice storm and in Kentucky, heavy snow. Neither the areas of Kentucky nor those here in Nashville, despite previous ice related emergencies, has proper emergency service plans in effect. This cause a 40 mile backup over 40 hours on I-24 in Western Kentucky. Of course, the loss of life, damage and injury are a drop in the bucket compared to these tsunamis.

 

My point is, whether it's first world or third world, governments often ignore potential disaster warning systems and emergency services as too costly or difficult to implement until it's too late. Unfortunately, in the third world the potential for massive devastation and loss of life is increased by the poor quality of construction and ignorance of the populace due to abject poverty.

[Chris.]

23000 people dead so far.

 

i've been down the coast of sri lanka and its plain just how vunerable life is down there. Down in Gaulle, the beautiful fort standing for centuries i doubt will be there any more. but anyways, i have friends a little farther up the coast, between gaulle and columbo, i hope are ok.

[Tedster]

Neil, not to mention the fantastic speeds at which they travel. These aren't "objects traveling through water" but rather propagating waves. They can move at hundreds of miles per hour. The good thing is that there are vast expanses of uninhabited ocean for them to traverse, in most instances giving time for warnings. But, if the warning systems are not functional, no amount of lead time can prepare someone for the onslaught.

 

Oh, yeah, BTW...check your PM's...

[Gulliver]

On the same night before the tragedy I saw a strange dream... like I was swimming in a sea and teaching other swimmers how to surf on their stomachs (when I was a kid I used to play with waves near the shoreline (on a shoal) "surfing" on my belly).

But suddenly one huge wave appeared of nowhere and took me into the open sea. The last thing I remember before waking up was a helicopter that was sent to rescue me...

Next morning I learned about these horrifying news... My thoughts are with all those who suffered in this tragedy. This is an apocalyptic event.

[Tedster]

Wow...

[Shars]

This picture says it all.

A man from India whos holding the hand of his son who was 8 and who just perished in the disater!

I have shed a few tears over this today and my heart really goes out to all those people who lost loved ones and friends.

Lets hope help can be sent ASAP to help these people out.

 

http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/xp/reuters_molt/1113447273.jpg

[Tedster]

That pic is like the one of the fireman carrying the little girl's lifeless body from the wreckage of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. One can't look at it without being moved. It's photographs like this that put a human element on the clinical side of news reporting.

[nursers]

So is anyone thinking of making a donation to the Red Cross (who now guarentee a minimum of 90% goes toward direct aid not admin) or some other organisation like CARE?

 

Web donation links:

 

CARE USA

International Red Cross / Red Crescent

[Chris.]

nursers thanks, I think i will donate. Every penny will help, and something even small is a contribution to aid the people affected in this tragic event.

[nursers]

Thanks Chris (love the heilan' coo avatar pic - I do believe we own a t-shirt with that exact pic on it from our travels through Scotland and Orkneys).

 

You know, with the musical talent on here we could easily come up with lyrics and music for a song and sell it online with proceeds going to the effort in Asia......

[nursers]

I have created a thread on Collab Corner if anyone is interested in writing a song

 

Mr Sayers - surely we could come up with something? I have some good media contacts down here and you have the industry contacts....

[Shars]

I'm going to donate to.

I think these people really need us now!

[Chris.]

that is a great idea nursers , i'll check out the thread now.

 

Yeah i just found the pic tonight and decided to have a play with a gif animator. Most amusing!! Hope you liked your trip to scotland!

[flyscots]

Originally posted by Philip O'Keefe:

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,

Can I please make a controversial and un-verified post?

 

I read a couple of days ago that the penguins in the Antartic were lucky because they had survived the world's biggest Earthquake in 40 years. (I don't remember the richter reading, as I said, this post is un-verified)

 

Now we have this tragic tsunami and there is no mention of the Antartic earthquake.

 

Please excuse me, but, EH?

 

I really do feel for those affected though, please do not discredit me with having no sympathy because that is not the case.

 

Secondly, Phil & others, you know how much I love your country so again I do not mean to put you down. I heard, albeit on British news, that aid was being sent from Great Britain, Italy, France, Germany & Sweden. No mention of the US, 'the single most giving country in the world' apparently. Maybe not. From my own experiences, I agree with Sal.

 

Also, a friend of mine has a son in Jakatta, Indonesia. My friend called his son as soon as he heard the news. Strangely his son had heard nothing. So the Western News works much faster than the Eastern.

 

John Scotsman

[Philip OKeefe]

John, I don't want to put down the media in Europe, but I do think there is some bias there aganst the USA. Yes, we've stated we plan on helping in significant / substantial ways - that probably just hasn't been reported over there yet.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/26/quake.bush.ap/

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/quake.aid/

 

As far as the USA being the most giving nation in the world, I believe the USA still gives away more money annually than any other nation, but if you have figures that dispute that, I'd be happy to look at them.

 

Again, if we go too far OT with this, it should go to the poli forum.

[nursers]

Hey Phil - you interested in writing a song? Check Collab corner for details - could use someone of your calibre - am too scared to ask Bruce Swedien to help out even though it would ensure a successful song

[John Sayers]

Now we have this tragic tsunami and there is no mention of the Antartic earthquake.

there was an earthquake south of australia a few days ago that registered 8.1 on the richter scale. It was a horizontal shilft in the plate so a Tsunami wasn't created.

 

cheers

john

[Dan South]

It's a staggering, shocking, horrible tragedy. 22,000 lives lost is almost impossible to comprehend.

 

Of course, to put it in perspective, it's about ONE FIFTH of the number of civilians killed so far in the Iraq war (80 percent women and children). So please pray for THEM, too.

[popstar]

Originally posted by Dan South:

It's a staggering, shocking, horrible tragedy. 22,000 lives lost is almost impossible to comprehend.

 

Of course, to put it in perspective, it's about ONE FIFTH of the number of civilians killed so far in the Iraq war (80 percent women and children). So please pray for THEM, too.

You are soooo right on Point #1. I can't believe the sadness, the sense of loss, the grief. It makes me wonder if there's actually a God watching us and if so, what is the purpose of such suffering?

 

Point #2 is also interesting. I hadn't heard totals of the civilians killed in Iraq, and if your figure is correct, it makes me feel all the more ashamed that we are there in the first place. I really don't agree with the Bush policy here and it makes me a bit sad to be an American.

 

ps

[Gulliver]

"I heard, albeit on British news, that aid was being sent from Great Britain, Italy, France, Germany & Sweden."

 

I think from Japan too...

[nursers]

On news tonight it said US had sent $20 million and Australia 10 million plus three C-130's

[Prague]

Originally posted by popstar:

Originally posted by Dan South:

[qb]... it makes me a bit sad to be an American.

 

ps

We aren't bragging about you being an American, either.

 

Both of you need to keep your politics where it belongs.

[Shars]

I hope more people are going to help Nursers do a track for this disaster?

 

Lets not drag politics into this one guys as its a human issue not one for the puppets we have ruling our countries.

We ALL have to care not just sit on the fence as it could so easily have been our coasts affected and our children dieing.

Its about being human and reacting in the way we all should be with feeling and compassion and that is something we all need to think about at this time.

[popstar]

Has anyone read anything about how far onshore the tsunami came? Are we talking, say, one block or one mile? I haven't really seen any data on that yet.

 

ps