LeeW Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 My condolences to all those countries affected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertrash Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 it is really just unbelievable: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/4126019.stm#India Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark.Andersen Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 Truly unbelievable. Here in the USA, our worst natural disasters have loss of life measured in the dozens or hundreds at the worst. The 1989 earthquake here in San Francisco killed 56. I just can't fathom tens of thousands dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedzilla Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 Not to take away from the enormous tragedy and loss of life..... Can you imagine a giant wave traveling at over 500mph? Amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patmoore Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 I taught Physical Geography at the University of South Florida in the early seventies. The news reports are correct when they say that tsunamis can be triggered by seismic activity thousands of miles from where the destruction is felt. When they move at incredible speeds across open ocean the wave height or amplitude may only be a few inches because of the depth of the ocean. Passengers on a vessel being passed wouldn't even be aware of it. The whole premise behind The Poseidon Adventure was absurd. It made for a great disaster flick but the wave would never have been more than a few inches in height. As the wave nears shore, the frictional drag of the shallower sea floor causes a slowdown in the forward speed and a tremendous buildup in the amplitude. The destruction caused by a tsunami (I wish they'd quit calling them tidal waves) is just one of the killers that nature can dish out. As Mark.Andersen pointed out, the horrific loss of life is almost inconceivable for us to fathom. An earthquake was responsible for the deadliest landslide this century, which caused 40,000-50,000 deaths in western Iran on June 20, 1990. The planet's deadliest earthquake of the century, by far, was a magnitude 8.0 that struck Tianjin , China, on July 27, 1976. The official casualty figure issued by the Chinese government was 255,000, but unofficial estimates of the death toll were as high as 655,000. The deadliest volcanic eruption of the century was at Mont Pelée in Martinique, Lesser Antilles, in 1902. The coastal town of St. Pierre, about 4 miles downslope to the south, was demolished, and nearly 30,000 inhabitants were killed. China and Bangladesh have been devastated repeatedly by floods - Bangladesh lost 300,000 people in November 1970 and more than 130,000 in April 1991, from hurricane (called cyclones in the Indian Ocean and typhoons in the western Pacific) -induced flooding. It's hard to conceive of the suffering folks endure in major disasters such as these. Hopefully the wakeup call will go out for the installation of advanced warning systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 absolutely mindblowing, the whole thing what I keep thinking is...what if something like that hits the coast of California. LA Area? Seems like we'd be seeing hundreds of thousands of dead? heavy. hard to fathom. feel horrible for the people affected by this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patmoore Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 Florida saw an unprecendented series of damaging hurricanes this past season. As bad as the damage was, the tragic loss of life was thankfully far less than the examples I mentioned above. We dodged a bullet in 1960. Hurricane Donna came on shore well south of Tampa and then moved off North Carolina and finally dealt a blow to New England (where I was living at the time). Consider this: If that storm had shifted its track slightly to the west and paralleled the west coast of Florida, the counter-clockwise wind flow would have placed the most damaging wind directly up Tampa Bay. There are three very low bridges leading from St. Pete to Tampa. Can you imagine the devastation if the storm surge at high tide flowed over those bridges with hundreds of cars fleeing St. Pete? The loss of life would have been catastrophic. This past season Hurricane Charley followed a similar path. Hopefully the authorities would have closed the bridges if it became apparent that the potential for danger existed but other parts of the world don't have the advanced scientific tools and warning mechanisms we rely on. You mentioned California. I'm not very strong on plate tectonics but folks living near the San Andreas fault can't become too complacent. At least with hurricanes, we have advanced warning. In August of 1969 I was tracking weather satellites for the Air Force and spotted an intense depression off the Yucatan Peninsula. I called the National Hurricane Center in Miami and they said they were monitoring it too. It developed into Hurricane Camille which devasted a large stretch of the Gulf Coast in Mississippi and Louisiana. The residents were warned but many had been lulled into a false sense of complacency after so many years of storm misses. The death count was estimated at 255. Life is exciting enough with out taking this kind of risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 Originally posted by patmoore I taught It's hard to conceive of the suffering folks endure in major disasters such as these. Hopefully the wakeup call will go out for the installation of advanced warning systems. actually there is an advanced warning system its called Pacific Tsunami Warning Center From all accounts Thailand had some knowledge of the impending doom but sadly the rest of those countries don't participate. Here in Japan we have a complete Tsunami warning sysytem that gets tested monthly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 Originally posted by patmoore You mentioned California. I'm not very strong on plate tectonics but folks living near the San Andreas fault can't become too complacent. At least with hurricanes, we have advanced warning. oh yeah..earthquakes are gnarly! Ive only experienced a few that were anything more than moderate, but its a scary feeling having your very foundation literally rattled I dunno...I still just see it as part of being an earthling. dont use words like "tragic' much people that dont leave when there are hurricanes comin are CRAZY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ghostrider Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Alright Prof, Maybe I'm confused or maybe im only thinking of basic physics. But if a tsunami is triggered by an earthquake that large, how come it only hit to the east? Seems like a quake that big would cause a wave that would travel in all directions. Does that mean that there is a mini tsunami rocketing towards Africa or Australia? or is it just that it loses all its energy traveling through the peaks and valleys of the ocean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Originally posted by Ghostrider Alright Prof, Maybe I'm confused or maybe im only thinking of basic physics. But if a tsunami is triggered by an earthquake that large, how come it only hit to the east? Seems like a quake that big would cause a wave that would travel in all directions. Does that mean that there is a mini tsunami rocketing towards Africa or Australia? or is it just that it loses all its energy traveling through the peaks and valleys of the ocean? Africa got waves big ones that for certain took out some fishermen not sure about Australia but given the angle of incidence and the lack of population in that part of Australia it would surprise me if they saw much of anything (luck on both fronts there) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Dasai Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Originally posted by Ghostrider ...how come it only hit to the east? Seems like a quake that big would cause a wave that would travel in all directions. Does that mean that there is a mini tsunami rocketing towards Africa or Australia? It did travel in all directions. The quake happened at the northern tip of Sumatra, and the tsunami hit Sri Lanka, India, and Somalia (Africa) to the west, Indonesia to the east, and Thailand to the north and east. I think Australia was protected by Sumatra. I'm wondering if it hit Antarctica. Maybe the penguins wouldn't have had a problem with it? Edit: Here's an <a href="http://smh.com.au/news/National/WA-feels-the-tsunamis-ripples/2004/12/28/1103996534617.html">article about the effects in Australia</a>. Basically there were some strong "tidal surges", but that's about it. As for Sumatra moving, <a href="http://smh.com.au/news/World/Megathrust-quake-alters-the-regional-map/2004/12/28/1103996538541.html">this article</a> says it may have moved 36 metres due to the quake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C5 Golfer Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 I am also amazed at Mother Nature's awesome power. I heard today on the radio that the isle of Samatra moved 100 feet. I can not believe that but if anyone has heard the same please let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipstar Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 It really is unreal the amount of damage. I live in Thailand, in Bangkok, and this is the only news around at the moment. Thailand has never experienced a tidal wave before; especially of this nature; the warning systems were all on the opposite coast. Many people heard the wave coming, like the sound of a jet, and headed to upper floors or higher ground. A lot of tourists and the people who work on the beach and in resorts were the ones who passed away or got hurt. It struck at 9am, and basically from the reports of people there, the sea sucked back hundreds of meters, exposing the rocks and then roared back in. Most of the people on low lying islands were just swept out to sea. The sea seemed to just rise and then not recede again. There were several natural warnings, which the larger resorts and many fishermen saw;crabs carwled up all over the beach starting early morning, and animals were for the most part very restless, even in Bangkok and other cities a thousand miles away. One of the members of the royal family here has died. Hundred of tourists and Thais enjoying the day after Xmas have died; thousands are injured. Businesses will be bankrupted because most insurance companies won't pay for acts of god. It is all very very sad, and at least everyone is pulling together - with water, food, medical support, financial support, no questions asked transportation to their home countries. I was in USA for the northridge quake in 1994; the damage was far less than what we are seeing here on TV. If any one has family or friends needing help here in Bangkok, please PM me, or contact me directly via email kipsan@gaysornbkk.com Kip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarvCanada Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 My friend's hotel in India was completely destroyed, luckily he was on higher ground when it happened, but nobody knew the wave was coming, it just came out of the blue so that was pretty lucky. Have a friend that was on the waters in Thailand 2 days ago, luckily he made it to Cambodia just as it happened... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 "Hopefully the wakeup call will go out for the installation of advanced warning systems." The sad thing is, I'm halfway around the planet on the western end of the US, and *I* had advance warning about this disaster. Like I needed it, but still. Before the tsunami hit, I was reading the news online and there was an article about some geologist types in Australia who measured one of the strongest earthquakes in memory - the had the Richter number, the location, etc, and it said they were concerned that it could lead to tsunamis in south/east Asia. The information just didn't get propogated to the people who really needed it. It's crazy that random people like me, sitting in safety in North America, reading news via the internet, knew it was coming... while thousands of people, for whom that information could have been the difference between life and death, were caught totally by surprise. Damn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Factor of 10 in energy, not amplitude. My dad teaches geophysics here at the university. They have a monitoring system here which can pick up earthquakes on the other side of the world as small as 5.0 - this one would have easily pegged the needle for quite a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ-PS Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Is anyone donating to disaster relief? Is there an organiztion similar to Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc in this part of the world? Thanks Here is a simple movie to help with the big picture clarification. It isn't 100% correct, but it gives a good visual for understanding. http://www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/movies/globe.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipstar Posted December 29, 2004 Report Share Posted December 29, 2004 Thailand is probably the best prepared; major shortage of RH negative blood; positive blood levels are fine, but RH negative is very rare among Thai people. Major companies all have donated food and water and other necessities; everyone is trying to pull together to assist. That said, it is still a disaster zone. Sri Lanka and India are the ones that need a lot of help; no infrastructure and thousands dead. It is indeed sad that more warning could have saved so many. There are a lot of tragedies in this world, this one was totally unexpected. Kip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trikerdad Posted December 29, 2004 Report Share Posted December 29, 2004 I was on Puket for my second dive trip to Thailand at this time last year with several of my dive buddies. Makes me wonder what it was like for all the divers that must have been in the water when it happened. I'm sure the little resturant on the beach where we sucked down many Singha beers has to be gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted December 29, 2004 Report Share Posted December 29, 2004 If you can avoid inferring insult from the headline (not easy considering the source) this is actually an article about the (lack of) early warning communication. http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_id=6430 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted December 29, 2004 Report Share Posted December 29, 2004 Originally posted by NateW If you can avoid inferring insult from the headline (not easy considering the source) this is actually an article about the (lack of) early warning communication. http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_id=6430 That article surprised me coming from AlJezeera and all...but that headline is absolutely correct and the follow up in the article is dead (sorry for the pun) on knowing is only 10%...countries that exploit/participate with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center test monthly...just because we gave those countries the info doesn't mean they had the tools/infrastructure in place to exploit the information...there are very few people here in Japan who don't know where to go in the event of a Tsunami warning. Not that there wouldn't be a huge amount of damage here but the chance for saving lives is greater because there is a plan. What scares me is that I am more at risk at work (on an aircraft carrier in port at the moment) than I am at home (on the top of a 400 foot mesa) and that I have to transit a 22km road that is essentially at sealevel to get home. At least there are plenty of roads that I can climb up to get away if the siren goes off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dudleydudley Posted December 29, 2004 Report Share Posted December 29, 2004 Originally posted by RJ-PS Is anyone donating to disaster relief? Is there an organiztion similar to Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc in this part of the world? I have a list of places accepting donations on my blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 I just donated to Canadian Red Cross. Google has a list of organizations you can donate to. I note American Red Cross has already collected over $3M through the Amazon link. From the world-wide reaction, I don't know if cash is going to be an issue - the logistics of actually getting the aid to the people seems to be the main problem. Odd though how people keep calling this the greatest disaster of our lifetime - 600,000 dead in China in '76 barely dented the news then and I guess they're forgotten now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 Originally posted by Neil Gendzwill I don't know if cash is going to be an issue - the logistics of actually getting the aid to the people seems to be the main problem. Neil, bite your tongue...my snowboarding season (and continued Iaido practice) rests on people figuring out the "logistics" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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