Indonesian Quake Kills 7,000 Plus

[Sonar5 3]

Pictures tell a story better than wordsA Terrible tragedy, that could have been averted, but when it happens every 100 years or so, the call to action sometimes comes too slow.I found these pics through another site I hang out at.Thought you all might find them interesting, since it views the Tsunami as it hits with a $7999 camera, a canon EOS 1DS Mark II.http://www.pbase.com/isselsTwo Galleries, high res.During, and after. Shows surge. His pictures are appearing at many places, and he has been contacted by many newspapers for permission to print them.******************ALSO: I would be very WARY of new places setting up Donation Sites. There will be plenty of time to donate for rebuilding, and the initial aid is already flowing. BEWARE of fake organizations you have never heard of. Stick to specific ones you are familiar with an dthat have the expertise to handle the money.Tragedy breeds greed and opportunity for scammers.******************Regards,Joe

[Guest]

>>******************>ALSO: I would be very WARY of new places setting up Donation>Sites. There will be plenty of time to donate for rebuilding,>and the initial aid is already flowing. BEWARE of fake>organizations you have never heard of. Stick to specific ones>you are familiar with an dthat have the expertise to handle>the money.>>Tragedy breeds greed and opportunity for scammers.>******************Well said Joe.If you want to donate donate directly to well known agencies like the Red Cross or Medicines sans Frontiers.In the Netherlands there's a dedicated bank account accepting donations which is run jointly by several organisations (including the Red Cross), Giro 555.Other countries may have something similar.

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

As Bruce states, there is a fallacy about Tsunamis in the open ocean. The truth is that a ship at sea would not notice a Tsunami. In the open ocean, you might see a six inch "wave", but that's about it. Think of a Tsunami in the open oceans as a very very large vertical compression wave traveling near 600 miles an hour, all under water. It doesn't start to transfer energy into wave height until the water depth decreases near land mass. The energy of the compression wave, the degree of slope, the type of bottom and whether there are "funnels" like harbors, will determine how large and damaging the Tsunami is.

[Guest joea]

>What sickens me most of all is that the treehuggers are>already claiming it's all because of global warming... Will>they never stop there lies? Jeroen, you are kidding right??? Where did you read this? The illogic of that statement boggles the mind, how could these people conect plate tectonics with global warming???Oh heard from my friedns over there...they were in Bangkok.

[Guest]

they're not blaming the tsunami itself on global warming (at least what I read in a paper) but the effects on the coastal communities.It's complete bollocks of course, even if their figures of sealevels having risen a few centimeters since the start of the industrial revolution (of course according to them all due to human action) are right it would hardly matter given the 10+ meter waves, but treehuggers will use any excuse to get publicity for their agenda.

[Guest ENZV]

I have been watching the news regarding this catastrophe since it occured, and I am absolutely terrified and overwhelmed by its massive consequences. This is catastrophe has indeed affected people from all parts of the world, an example is about 20 Norwegians dead, and still 800 unaccounted for. Nationality is not an factor in such a catastrophe though, I feel equally sorry for all the ones affected. Reading the latest analysis, I will not be surprised if the total death toll will surpass 100 000... Thanks for this thread btw. , it is very interesting reading other users comments regarding this issue.

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

It could get far worse:http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/200...-who041228.html

[Bob Scott 7,716]

Only the UN would think that the way to elicit broad international support is to lift their leg on the United States.I want the US to help, and I hope we will do so in ANY way other than giving another dime to the UN. The UN's ability to steward humanitarian aid money is already seriously in doubt.Bob ScottATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-V L-300Washington, DC

[Guest Voodoo]

Hello,I have been to Thailand in april this year and especially enjoyed my stay on Ko Phi Phi Island, where most of the cottages, bars etc are located close to the beach and I still can't believe that most of the buildings are destroyed and the people simply got killed. I really wish I could fly down to the countries which got hit and help by giving medical aid or cleaning up no matter what. At least I am just trying to get a refund for my latest purchased FS product and donate the money plus a little more to one of the aid organisations.My condolences to all people and their families in Southasia or who were affected by this catastrophe.best regards,

Christian

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/chrismo/sigsky.jpgVacation: wasted time between 2 flights!

[John_Cillis 2,406]

I remember after the Crescent City Tidal wave (caused by the 64 Alaska Quake) where many were killed, an education campaign was organized to teach people how to recognize signs of an impending tidal wave.One thing in common with Crescent City and at least one of the eyewitness reports I read of this disaster was a sudden withdrawing of the tide creating an unusually low tide situation. Anyone witnessing that anywhere should immediately head for higher ground. In the case of Crescent City and some reports I've read of the Asian disaster, people were attracted by the low tide and went closer to the shore. Waves of this magnitude have an amazing ability to draw the water in from the shore as they approach. In the case of something of this magnitude, seconds lost looking at this effect can make a difference. Sadly, many places were so close to the source of the Sumatra earthquake that there was no time. I'm afraid the toll will rise to over 100,000 over the coming days given all the coastline that was exposed. I read on another site that Burma, which was also in peril, has such a closed media that reports of damage and lives lost there may never be tallied. It was also noted that the wave eventually made it across the Pacific, and Manzanillo, Mexico reported an 8-foot surge in the tide. Under Sea geography certainly can make a difference.I noted Jeroen's comment about those claiming Global Warming increasing the damage from this. I can readily believe there's some who would use this as an excuse to trumpet an agenda, but there've been Tsunamis of even greater magnitude. Here's an interesting link, which suggests that global warming or not, when nature wants to put us in peril, we have little we can do other than stand by and watch:http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2000/mega_tsunami.shtml Here's a link with a couple of photos from the Crescent City tidal wave:http://crescentcity95531.com/tsunamis.htm-John

[Guest EasyEd]

Hey All,A couple comments.First. John I had no idea that Crescent City was hit by a tidal wave and I used to live in Arcata and Eureka for 8 years - mid 70s to early 80s. When I think of Humboldt County in 1964 I think of the flood of 64. They weren't connected were they (I don't think so)? It never ceases to amaze me when I drive highway 101 and look UP through the windshield at the high water marks from the 1964 flood clearly marked on trees along roads beside the mad, eel and van duzen rivers. I do know that my folk dance teacher from Humboldt State was pressed into service flying relief supplies to the then "island nation" of parts of Humboldt County. She was an amazing woman - a ferry pilot in WWII she flew every kind of fighter the US ever put in the air in WWII. IIRC the P38 was her favorite. She was also the first woman to ever fly an American military bomber. My major Prof on my MS degree at Humboldt flew fighters in WWII - P40s for Claire Chenault's Flying Tigers in fact. Thanks for reviving some wonderful memories of Humboldt County even in the face of the devastation in the Indian Ocean basin.Second. As someone else pointed out global warming has absolutely nothing to do with plate tectonics. That said anthropogenic (human) contribution to global warming is a virtual certainty. The issue is not global warming per se (in fact we have passed the halfway point in going toward the next great iceage) but the fact that our human societies (just like past documented societies) are based upon stable reasonably predictable climates. If climates change then water supplies, agricultural, land values and a host of other things change. The issue is can a human population of what well over 6,000,000,000 withstand these changes without big perhaps bloody societal turmoil. Likely not IMO. OTOH I've heard people say climate change - bring it on - it'll give me economic opportunity that likely would not have existed in a stable climate. The question IMO comes down to how do you want 6,000,000,000+ people to live on this earth peacefully. Third On a lighter - sorta - note - the girl on the cover of the 2003 SI Swimsuit issue survived the tsunami's by hanging onto a palm tree for about 8 hours even with a broken pelvis and internal injuries. Her boyfriend has not yet been found. So fans of SI Swimsuit edition may have a lot to look forward to (pun intended). Seriously though I hope she recovers well and that her other half is OK.Take Care! -Ed-

[Guest]

yes it could. Thailand has advanced medical facilities in the region, maybe so do the Maldives.But the other countries (except maybe a few places in India and Sri Lanka) don't and that there is in any of the countries will likely be completely overwhelmed and unable to give more than token assistance.I've heard of one hospital on Sri Lanka where the dead are stacked in the hallways. Monday they had received 500 corpses for storage and identification, they have a morgue that can hold 20 at most in cold storage.Remember this is the tropics, decomposition will be quick...

[Guest victorwest]

I know it's not quite the same thing but, if I were a US citizen, I'd appreciate even more the extensive network which enables the US to have some of the most sophisticated systems in the world for warning against hurricanes and tornadoes and a building code that protects a large number of buildings against earthquake. Victor

[John_Cillis 2,406]

Thanks for your post Ed...Here's another interesting link on the Tsunami caused by the 64 quake:http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami1964Calif.html-John

[Guest]

latest reports suggest the death toll could top 100.000