Heavy Earthquake in Asia

[Mr_Tea 0]

And to make it more worse, rebels step by and ambush aid supply convoys, or most of the time single trucks.

[DracoPaladore 0]

And to make it more worse, rebels step by and ambush aid supply convoys, or most of the time single trucks.

What?

[Mr_Tea 0]

I heard in the news that rebels begin to plunder supply convois. Not sure where it was, but this is what happened.

EDIT:

Google News reports is was in sri lanka.

[ran 0]

Tamil tigers ... the "truce" didn't last long ...

[SpongeBob 0]

[Winters 1]

Just a warning for those going to The Star website for that article, there is a picture of dead corpses being spraid with a antibiotic.

It's not pretty, but the picture is not very large and you can overlook it. At least it isn't as big as it was on the front page of the paper this morning.

Better kill that link before Placebo drops a hammer on you, even though you posted a warning it's still not allowed at all.

I learned this the hard way when i tried to post links to info on the Tet offensive.

[Winters 1]

Does that say missing parents and 2 brothers?

OMG if thats true i want to adopt that kid.

[Sgt_Eversmann 1]

I have some friends who are on holiday there, they phoned me and told me that they had to run away from the wave/water, I hope the come home safely!!

I hope none of your friends is there!!!

Greets Eversmann

[iNeo 0]

Just a warning for those going to The Star website for that article, there is a picture of dead corpses being spraid with a antibiotic.

It's not pretty, but the picture is not very large and you can overlook it. At least it isn't as big as it was on the front page of the paper this morning.

Better kill that link before Placebo drops a hammer on you, even though you posted a warning it's still not allowed at all.

I learned this the hard way when i tried to post links to info on the Tet offensive.

Please, it's a news article and you can't really see much at all on that picture.

[denoir 0]

Does that say missing parents and 2 brothers?  

OMG if thats true i want to adopt that kid.

There are a lot of similar stories. The most common however is where one or both parents survive while their young kids got washed away.

There will be a lot of dead children in the 1-5 year range - when they were too weak to grab onto something or did not understand what was going on

[Winters 1]

Just a warning for those going to The Star website for that article, there is a picture of dead corpses being spraid with a antibiotic.

It's not pretty, but the picture is not very large and you can overlook it. At least it isn't as big as it was on the front page of the paper this morning.

Better kill that link before Placebo drops a hammer on you, even though you posted a warning it's still not allowed at all.

I learned this the hard way when i tried to post links to info on the Tet offensive.

Please, it's a news article and you can't really see much at all on that picture.

Hey, if it's acceptable then fine, im just trying to let him know so he doesnt get in any trouble is all.

[denoir 0]

Breathing Sri Lanka's torment [bBC]

Quote[/b] ]

Roland Buerk

BBC, Sri Lanka

There was no warning and we did not see it coming. My wife and I were asleep in our ground floor hotel room, metres from the beach, when we were woken by the crashing of tables and chairs outside, and screams. We leapt up. The water was coming in under the door.

As we yanked it open, the windows crashed in and we were out into the corridor, pushed along by the force of the sea. We fought with the tables and chairs as we were carried through the open-air restaurant at the back of the hotel.

Crockery was smashing and people were screaming.

Then we grabbed a small tree and tried to climb into it. But the power of the water was appalling and the tree tipped over. I was gripping a branch, my legs trailing behind me, but we could not hold on for long.

Raw emotion

Then we were washed away, holding hands in the torrent.

We were swept along with motorbikes and cars, bits of wall and the ruins of buildings. It was not a question of swimming for your life. The tsunami was too powerful for that. We grabbed a pillar on the veranda of a house that was still intact. At that moment the flow inland of water stopped. There was a shocked silence, broken only by the wailing of a young woman, bedraggled in a sari, holding the next post along, and the shouts of survivors calling out for missing loved ones.

A young British woman was swimming nearby. "Charley! Charley!" she cried in a wavering voice as we helped her up, "I've lost my boyfriend."

Suddenly she screamed. Charley was wading towards us, wearing only a T-shirt, and covered in blood. He stared straight ahead, all feeling shocked out of him.  She scrambled towards him, her face crumpling with emotion of such raw intensity it hurt to watch. They embraced in the water.

A middle-aged man walked past. "My wife had gone swimming," he said, again and again in a small voice. He wandered off.

Against the odds

There is a kind of elation in surviving.

All around us were the dead and the maimed but we had come through without a single scratch. The sea had thrown cars into the trees, but we had not been touched. I felt almost cheerful, being able to comfort those worse off. It was a shameful feeling, but it would not go away.

Everywhere survivors were scrambling for higher ground,

Suddenly, panic swept through us. "Another wave is coming," people shouted. It was not true, but we ran for our lives anyway, racing for the hills at the back of the town, where we scrambled up the rocks.

And that is where we met our friends who had come with us on holiday to Sri Lanka. They had been in rooms upstairs and had survived by climbing onto the roof.

We thought they were dead. They were sure we were too.

When they had looked for us, they had found our room washed away - the bed, the bathroom, even the walls, surely no one could have survived that? We held each other, and that is when the tears came.

Death and destruction

At the top of the hill, we stared down at the sea. It was still boiling with malevolence. The water went out, emptying the bay and exposing half a mile of seabed, then came back in.

It was no longer a vivid blue, but now brown and peppered with debris. There must have been bodies there too, but we took care not to look too hard.

We stayed up there a long time as people walked past us, heading further inland. A British family emerged from the scrub. A Sri Lankan man who was with them was carrying the corpse of their baby.

Tiny white feet poked from a bundle in his arms. "My brother's dead," said the teenage son who was wearing an England football shirt. He was matter-of-fact; they all looked numb.

They walked past, heading who knows where. We spent that night like perhaps a million others in Sri Lanka, sleeping rough. We were luckier than most, we found a hotel balcony to bed down on.

The staff cooked us all pasta. They had lost everything, but they still had time for us.

'Inadequate'

The next day we gathered a few clothes - given to us by fellow survivors - in bags salvaged from the mud, and set off to walk to the nearby city of Galle.

Along the coast-road, devastation was complete. Houses and shops were destroyed. Boats had been washed hundreds of metres inland.

In the city, we passed through what used to be the market. Cars and buses had been tossed about like toys in the narrow streets.

It was easy to imagine the horror there as the water swept through. People were digging for food, for water, and their dead. The bereaved were sitting by the side of the road, crying. Few had time to offer them comfort.

There was the occasional keening from the surrounding ruins as families mourned.  Every so often, someone would come up to us and tell us they were sorry that we had been caught up in this disaster in their country, that we had come here as their guest.

We said that we were sorry too, for all that they had lost.

But the words felt inadequate, and so did we, as we hurried on, concerned only with finding safety for ourselves.

Swedish boy found alone after tsunami reunited with dad [CNN]

Quote[/b] ]

"Hannes Bergström is reunited with his emotional father, Mark, Wednesday in Thailand."

A Swedish toddler was reunited with his father Wednesday, days after being found alone in the aftermath of the deadly tsunamis that swept Asia. With the reported help of a Thai princess, Hannes Bergstroem was taken by helicopter to hospital for treatment and his photo posted on the Internet earlier this week.

The 18-month-old's uncle spotted the photo and claimed him Tuesday, setting up Wednesday's reunion with Hannes' father, Marko Karkkainen, at a hospital on the southern Thai island of Phuket where both father and son were receiving treatment.

Hannes, his face scratched and pocked with mosquito bites, looked bemused as his father choked up with emotion. Karkkainen said he had been told of the reports his son was rescued by a Thai princess and said: "I have been to Thailand seven times, and this time only confirmed what I know about Thai people -- that they are so generous and caring."

Despite the joy of seeing one another again, the day remained tinged with sadness and anxiety -- Hannes' mother Suzanne Bergstroem is still among some 5,000 people missing in Thailand since the giant earthquake-spawned waves hit on Sunday. Almost 2,000 people are confirmed dead in Thailand, and nearly 77,000 across almost a dozen countries hit.

Asked about the unidentified princess who reportedly rescued his son, Karkkainen replied: "she has saved his life, but also my soul because I couldn't survive if I lost them both."

[Messiah 2]

80,000 dead and counting...

with spread of disease and those who are missing, that will surely rise way past 100,000

[brgnorway 0]

Quote[/b] ]Ocean disaster toll hits 114,000

New figures reveal at least 114,000 people died in Sunday's ocean disaster, as aid agencies struggle to provide relief to the Indian Ocean region.

BBC World News

[shinRaiden 0]

But reports out of Acheh and northern Sumatra are still sparse...

Bernama Malaysian News

Quote[/b] ]

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The death toll in Acheh, the region worst hit by last Sunday's tsunami, may exceed 400,000 as many affected areas could still not be reached for search and rescue operations, Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia Drs H. Rusdihardjo said Thursday.

He said the estimate was based on air surveillance by Indonesian authorities who found no signs of life in places like Meulaboh, Pulau Simeulue and Tapak Tuan while several islands off the west coast of Sumatera had "disappeared".

He said the latest death toll of more than 40,000 in Acheh and northern Sumatera did not take into account the figures from the other areas, especially in the west of the region.

"Aerial surveillance found the town of Meulaboh completely destroyed with only one buiding standing. The building, which belonged to the military, happens to be on a hill," he told reporters after receiving RM1 million in aid for Indonesia's Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund here Thursday.

Rusdihardjo said there were about 150,000 residents in Meulaboh, which was located 150km from the epicentre of the earthquake while Pulau Simeuleu had a population of 76,000.

The contributions were from several corporate giants.

Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), represented by Chairman Tan Sri Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, gave RM200,000; Guthrie, represented by Chief Executive Officer Datuk Abdul Wahab Maskan, gave RM200,000; Golden Hope Plantations Berhad, represented by Group Director for Corporate, Legal and Public Affairs Norlin Abdul Samad, gave RM200,000; Maybank, represented by Head of Public Affairs Wan Norhiyati Ibrahim, gave RM200,000 and Sime Darby Group's Motor Division, represented by Director Yip Jon Khiam, also gave RM200,000.

Ahmad Sarji also handed over a PNB contribution to Utusan's Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund, which was received by Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Executive Chairman Tan Sri Hashim Makarudin to help Malaysian tsunami victims.

Ambassador Rusdihardjo said a combination of earthquake and tsunami had left 80 to 100 per cent of infrastructure in Acheh province, such as hospitals, health centres, transport and communication networks and homes, destroyed.

"Looking at the scale of destruction, it's difficult to say when the search and rescue operations can be mounted in all affected areas," he said.

He said rescue efforts were hampered by transportation difficulties and lack of fuel.

Rusdihardjo said that at this time international help, especially in the form of medicines, clean water, food and clothing, were desperately needed by Indonesia to aid survivors in Acheh.

"Now we are worried about the outbreak of diseases such as cholera, the work of disposing corpses and the absence of clean water following the contamination of water sources," he said.

It would take years before the situation returned to normal, he said, adding that the Indonesian government was not able to estimate losses caused by the tragedy as yet.

He expressed his gratitude to Malaysia's help although the country itself was hit with 66 lives lost so far and property to the tune of millions of ringgit destroyed.

"We are deeply touched," he said.

Rusdihardjo said Indonesia was also seeking Malaysia's cooperation to mount search and rescue operations from its shores because of the close proximity of the two countries.

-- BERNAMA

[billybob2002 0]

no comment...

[denoir 0]

Interesting:

Surviving the Tsunami: What Sri Lanka's animals knew that humans didn't. [slate]

Quote[/b] ]

By Christine Kenneally

Posted Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, at 2:47 PM PT

Reports from Sri Lanka after Sunday's tsunami say that despite the enormous number of human casualties—116,000 deaths and rising, at last count—many animals seem to have survived the tidal wave unscathed. At Sri Lanka's national wildlife park at Yala, which houses elephants, buffalo, monkeys, and wild cats, no animal corpses were found on Wednesday. (Yet according to Reuters, the human devastation there was as tragic as

elsewhere: Only 30 of the 250 tourist vehicles that entered the park on Sunday returned to base.) Did Yala's animals sense the oncoming tsunami and flee to safety?

There's a good chance the wildlife knew trouble was on the way. History is littered with tales about animals acting weirdly before natural disasters, but the phenomenon has been hard for scientists to pin down. Sometimes animals get crazy before a quake, sometimes they don't. Here's what we know: Animals have sensory abilities different from our own, and they might have tipped them off to Sunday's disaster.

First, it's possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit land. The underwater rupture likely generated sound waves known as infrasound or infrasonic sound. These low tones can be created by hugely energetic events, like meteor strikes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, and earthquakes. Humans can't hear infrasound—the lowest key on a piano is about the lowest tone the human ear can detect. But many animals—dogs, elephants, giraffes, hippos, tigers, pigeons, even cassowaries—can hear infrasound waves.

A second early-warning sign the animals might have sensed is ground vibration. In addition to spawning the tsunamis, Sunday's quake generated massive vibrational waves that spread out from the epicenter on the floor of the Indian Ocean's Bay of Bengal and traveled through the surface of the Earth. Known as Rayleigh waves (for Lord Rayleigh, who predicted their existence in 1885), these vibrations move through the ground like waves move on the surface of the ocean. They travel at 10 times the speed of sound. The waves would have reached Sri Lanka hours before the water hit.

Mammals, birds, insects, and spiders can detect Rayleigh waves. Most can feel the movement in their bodies, although some, like snakes and salamanders, put their ears to the ground in order to perceive it. The animals at Yala might have felt the Rayleigh waves and run for higher ground.

Why would they instinctively flee to higher ground—the safest place to be in the event of a tsunami? Typically, animals scatter away from a place where they are disturbed. So, in this case, "away" may have meant away from the sea, and incidentally, away from sea level. Or maybe it's not as accidental as all that. It's easy to imagine that one of evolution's general lessons is: If the ground beneath your feet starts moving, move up and away as fast as you can.

What about humans—where were our red flags? Humans feel infrasound. But we don't necessarily know that that's what we're feeling. Some people experience sensations of being spooked or even feeling religious in the presence of infrasound. We also experience Rayleigh waves via special sensors in our joints (called pacinian corpuscles), which exist just for that purpose. Sadly, it seems we don't pay attention to the information when we get it. Maybe we screen it out because there's so much going on before our eyes and in our ears. Humans have a lot of things on their minds, and usually that works out OK.

[R. Gerschwarzenge 0]

Here's an animation of the tsunami.

Tsunami animation.

[brgnorway 0]

First, it's possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit land. The underwater rupture likely generated sound waves known as infrasound or infrasonic sound. These low tones can be created by hugely energetic events, like meteor strikes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, and earthquakes. Humans can't hear infrasound—the lowest key on a piano is about the lowest tone the human ear can detect. But many animals—dogs, elephants, giraffes, hippos, tigers, pigeons, even cassowaries—can hear infrasound waves.

I remember I saw a documentary about earth quakes in California and the problems with predicting them so people could be evacuated. One scientist got an idea and looked through the newspapers "lost and found" and discovered that over the years a lot of cats and dogs ran off some days before a major earth quake took place. Weird, but I find it believeable.

Another more well known example is the dogs of epileptics and people with a history of heart attacks where dogs sense whats on the way long before the owner is even remotely aware of what's about to take place. I remember I read somewhere that dogs are even trained to fetch medicines etc in cases like this. Amazing!

[brgnorway 0]

The tsunami as seen from satellite:

And finally this picture! Makes you sort of humble.....

[-=BT=- Matty R 0]

heres the rest of that pic, front of todays newspaper :/

[PainDealer 0]

mother nature's rage. she's the only one protecting this planet from us. I feel sorry for those who have lost their loved ones.

but for me...

Quote[/b] ]Single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic

[SpongeBob 0]

Quote[/b] ]U.S. Boosts Tsunami Aid Tenfold to $350M

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm....nami_us

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer

CRAWFORD, Texas - The United States is pledging $350 million to help tsunami victims, a tenfold increase over its first wave of aid, President Bush (news - web sites) announced Friday.

"Initial findings of American assessment teams on the ground indicate that the need for financial and other assistance will steadily increase in the days and weeks ahead," Bush said Friday in a statement released in Crawford, Texas, where he is staying at his ranch.

"Our contributions will continue to be revised as the full effects of this terrible tragedy become clearer," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this epic disaster."

Bush also is sending Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) to Indian Ocean coastal areas ravaged by earthquake and tsunami to assess what more the United States needs to do. The president's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, will travel with him.

The newly announced aid came after some critics claimed that the initial U.S. contribution of $35 million was meager considering the vast wealth of the nation.

France has promised $57 million, Britain has pledged $95 million, Sweden is sending $75.5 million and Spain is offering $68 million, although that pledge is partly in loans.

Powell was traveling to New York on Friday to discuss the crisis with U. N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites).

Bush said disaster response officials are on the ground and the United States has established a support center in Thailand that is in operation. More than 20 patrol and cargo aircraft have been made available to assess the disaster and deliver relief supplies, he said.

[bn880 5]

It would be good to see the US match whatever the EU combined helps out with. Considering the similar economy size as I have heard from many people.

By the way, Canada will be up there over 50 million.

[walker 0]

Hi all

This video by a Dutch? tourist shows that a simple beach defence saved hundreds of lives and protected many peoples properties and businesses.

http://www.streaming.telia.com/startme....wmv&e=N

The resort is Ao Nang/Railay the resort is a short boat Ride from Phi Phi the resort that was obliterated by the Tsunami. The only major diference between the two is the Storm wall at Ao Nang/Railay that was erected despite protestations some years ago.

It also shows the Tsunami was longer than I thought and seamed to involve several waves 3 main ones with several smaller waves acompanying each. This is by far the most detailed video of the Tsunami.

Kind Regards Walker