Tidal Wave (Tsunami) kills thousands in Asia

[12noon]

Thousands of people have been killed across south and east Asia in massive sea surges triggered by the strongest earthquake in the world for 40 years.

Check out any of the large world news websites for the latest details.

The 8.9 magnitude quake struck under the sea near Aceh in north Indonesia, generating a wall of water that sped across thousands of kilometres of sea.

At least 1,500 died in Sri Lanka and more than 1,000 were killed in India.

Casualty figures are rising throughout the region including in Thai tourist resorts, packed with holidaymakers.

I've always wanted to go to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, but can't imagine how the Maldives will look now or how the people on those small low-lying islands will survive.

 
This is so sad. What a Christmas those people are having !

[susieq]

This is catastrophic       

Most of the victims according to the updated news are young children and the elderly

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1272527.htm
   
""Reports from the devastated coastal areas placed the fatalities at 2,425 dead.""

[susieq]

A N O T H E R  U P D A T E URL

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/tsunami.disaster/

[SensoVision]

I've watch news today and was horrified with the things they told Can't even imagine how water could kill so much people...

[susieq]

Denis, someone (years ago) once said to me that water weighs 60 pounds per square inch... so........

Here is some information for those approaching it all from the "blog" angle.......:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/28/technology/28blogs.html?8bl

Courtesy of the New York Times

[SensoVision]

thanks for article, I'll read this once return from University.

[susieq]

A MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION

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Here is an article which was pointed out to me by someone......I guess maybe it is a question many many people would have asked......Here is the REPLY:

Courtesy of:                      www.dailytelegraph.com.au

[susieq]

All up-dates and latest news can be found at:

http://search.edition.cnn.com/pages/search/advanced.jsp?Coll=cnn_xml&QuerySubmit=true&Page=1&sites=edition&QueryText=tsunami+&query=tsunami+quake

Actually most main international papers, newsrooms and online sites are basically up to date, but I might try to find another as this URL is becoming longer and longer.......

[susieq]

Maybe to try this it is a little shorter, sometimes SEO wont take the longer addressess, if you are going to click save and paste into browser, at a later stage.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLC,GGLC:1970-01,GGLC:en&q=tsunami+international+international+donations+updates

Also this URL for helpful information on missing friends or relatives queries/contact.
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLC,GGLC:1970-01,GGLC:en&q=tsunami+missing+friends+and+relatives+contact

[Hope]

This is so sad. It is amazing what nature can do.

and just an FYI. This was not a tidal wave. This wave was not tidal in nature. it was a tsunami  caused purely by the 9.0 earthquake in the ocean.

[12noon]

This is so sad. It is amazing what nature can do.

and just an FYI. This was not a tidal wave. This wave was not tidal in nature. it was a tsunami caused purely by the 9.0 earthquake in the ocean.

Tidal wave was the first word i thought of when i wasn't sure how to spell tsunami. I did a search for it though and ended up using both words.

Anyway the main thing now is to hope the money gets spent fast and on the things that they need to help them re-build and survive.

[SnowDog]

Tidal wave was the first word i thought of when i wasn't sure how to spell tsunami. I did a search for it though and ended up using both words.

Had an argument in the pub the other night about the same thing The dictionary definition of a Tidal Wave is 'an exceptionally large ocean wave esp. one caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption'. That of Tsunami is more or less the same, but adoption of the word is fairly recent in the West.

It was interesting last week when the BBC first reported the tsunami. No one knew at the time how serious it was. Before they realised, you could see the moment when they switched from 'tidal wave' to 'tsunami' because it sounded better, and then it began to sink in that this was more than just something a few tourists had managed to film at their hotels.

Having been looking through a few forums tonight, and reading some news reports, people never cease to amaze me.

One forum had this guy who reckoned an ex Ronald Reagan space waepon - known to be faulty - had been aimed directly at the fault, thus causing all this! The reason was to deflect interest away from George Bush and Iraq. Thus, it was actually deliberately caused by the Bush administration!

Another had people apparently claiming some deliberate attempts NOT to distribute aid by Indonesia because America was involved. (Somehow, people think all you have to do is drive some food to the affected villages. Job done).

On other forums, people are using this as an opportunity to attack their government. On still others, anti-religionists are using it as a chance to condemn religion.

Then from the UK's BBC news, look at these:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4140375.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4142147.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/4142463.stm

Then this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/4146075.stm

And this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4145591.stm

Is it just me, or do people make you sick sometimes?

[susieq]

Do not be so surprised at these people who are opportunists waiting like vultures and literally preying on these situations.    Remember, times like this bring people like that crawling out of the cracks in the walls......They are all out there ...somewhere.....

One forum had this guy who reckoned an ex Ronald Reagan space waepon - known to be faulty - had been aimed directly at the fault, thus causing all this! The reason was to deflect interest away from George Bush and Iraq. Thus, it was actually deliberately caused by the Bush administration!

Another had people apparently claiming some deliberate attempts NOT to distribute aid by Indonesia because America was involved. (Somehow, people think all you have to do is drive some food to the affected villages. Job done).

On other forums, people are using this as an opportunity to attack their government. On still others, anti-religionists are using it as a chance to condemn religion.

As I say, they are all out there....somewhere     Times like this, bring out people like that

[Hope]

It is amazing what weirdos crawl out of the woodwork when a world crisis happens. This is an unfortunate event that had nothing to do with any governments. It was a NATURAL disaster. it has effected people from all over the world.

Anyone who says the US is stopping aid to Indonesia needs to watch CNN more. There is a lot of footage of US military helocopters landing with food and watch. The US has sent medical ships and supplies to the area to help everyone.

I know about what the US has done because that is where I am. I know that other countries have sent tons of food and water also. I am sure other governments have dispatch their naval medical ships to the region as well.

Billions of dollars have been pledged. I just hope the people get the money as well as the governments. I know the governments will rebuild, but the people need the money to rebuild too. They also need it for food and water.

This region depends heavily on tourism. Everyone needs to remember that. We need to help them get back to where they were by visiting these countries again.

[susieq]

Yeah, Hope, I just heard on TV we have offered a billlion dollars concessional, applicable over the next five years with Australian jurisdiction on expenditure......Also last night we had a 'famous celeb' concert via the Opera House Sydney..which raised another $2 million and if we can get anymore for these people we are going to try...our hearts went out to our nearest neighbours there (Indonesia) and same as most other places we feel so much for these suffering people, who have lost materially emotionally and through devastation

Saw this article:

After the Tsunami, 3 Families Fight to Rebuild Their Lives
By AMY WALDMAN

Published: January 9, 2005


ALUTARA, Sri Lanka, Jan. 7 - This is how Lal Karunamuni knows the difference in the landscape around him: with his bare feet he prods where the beach road washed out; his groping hands confirm that his bed, cupboard, gas cooker and radio are gone; he smells the sludge in his bedroom and toilet; and he feels the heat of the fires burning debris.
The rest he must take his neighbors' word for.
Mr. Karunamuni, 52, is blind, which makes his survival of the Dec. 26 tsunami all the more remarkable. A cousin saw him walking toward the massing sea, shouted at him to stop, then dragged him up two flights of stairs to safety.

Yet beyond needing his friends' guiding arms to navigate the rubble, more go to the
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/international/worldspecial4/09lanka.html?oref=login&th