Current Event: The Tsunami Disaster

Merika · 12-30-2004, 06:04 PM

Faybelle wrote a wonderful news article on the front page about the disaster which has occured. I encourage everyone to read it.

I think the last I read...they were up to a 113,000 death count. That's incredible.

I watched the special about it on Larry King last night. They had several reporters on the scene, as well as talking with doctors.

Beyond the death and destruction, these people have totally lost their livelihood. Without fishing and tourism....they really don't have an income. I would imagine those waters will be too polluted to fish in for a very long time. I can't imagine having to face that sort of devastation.

Meanon · 12-30-2004, 06:19 PM

It's grim news, the death toll will continue to rise for some time as well.

Thank God my sister wasn't in Thailand.

Merika, the damn pop ups aren't working again - I sent you a PM.

Star · 12-30-2004, 06:30 PM

The whole thing is heartbreaking. The death toll is unbelievable! Someone sent me a picture in my e-mail this morning (I don't know who this person is as I don't recognize the e-mail addy) that shows graphic detail of debris and death. I had tears in my eyes when I seen it. It's devestating. I can't even begin to imagine how the survivors are feeling. it's so sad.

Cindy · 12-30-2004, 08:04 PM

It's too depressing, that's why I'm on here tonight bugging the hell out of all of you with all my posts. BTW...I'm trying to figure out how many posts one has to make to no longer be considered a "new member." Sorry.

Seriously though, I have to get away from the tv and take a break from all news sometimes because I just get too emotionally involved and stressed. I mean, the war in Iraq is frightening enough for me without this horrible horrible tragedy these poor people are dealing with now. It breaks my heart.

alkali · 12-30-2004, 08:52 PM

Containing the diseases in the aftermath of this situation will be a tremedous challange. The latest death toll that I heard was 117,000 and the number will increase dramatically as disease begins to spread. We won't have heard the worst of this for another couple of weeks.

Merika · 12-31-2004, 01:10 PM

As I said on PM Star....I sent the pic to you after getting it from Alkali.

When you see it on TV......you really don't see the utter devastation close up. Thousands of bloated bodies floating to shore is so ugly for us to look at.....can you JUST IMAGINE what the people are going thru there as they search for loved ones and OH GAWD....their children. Then there ARE the children who are also having to see all that.

It's got to be as much of a long term emotional disaster as a financial one.

Star · 12-31-2004, 01:44 PM

I can't even begin to imagine how devestating it would be to have to see that in real life. The emotional termoil this causes of everyone is lifetime. Especially the children who have to live this. It's heartbreaking.

Merika · 12-31-2004, 02:03 PM

I know when a person dies....their body eventually emits a very toxic gas along with quite the smell. As Alkali pointed out....it can be those unclean living conditions which end up killing close to as many people as the Tsunami initially did.

Star · 12-31-2004, 02:23 PM

How would they clean the water safe enough to drink? The desease from the polluted water will kill more people. It's just so overwhelming when you think of everything in whole. these poor people and their families.

alkali · 12-31-2004, 09:26 PM

A great deal of the danger will come from contaminated, open wells. In Thailand where they have decent infracture it won't be so bad but in the poor islands where residents drew thier water from communial wells its definately bad news. Water purification and operators should be on the way to accessable sites. The areas available only by Helo or Boat are a different story.

Merika · 12-31-2004, 09:36 PM

I would imagine they have no choice but to take those people out of the island areas. There's no way to adequately take care of them in that type of situation. They won't even be able to grow anything in that polluted soil for a long time....right?

I also wonder if all the finances being pledged will be to help the people individually or spent mainly on re-establishing their infrastructure. That's certainly important....but you know how governments are. They take care of themselves first.

Merika · 01-01-2005, 03:24 AM

(interesting email I received by someone who deals in this field of science....

I am totally astounded by this event, not only the enormity of it, but that much of it could have been averted by a simple agreed-to warning system utilising television, radio and local authorities. There was as much as four hours elasped time before the wave struck Somolia.

Of course the usual detractors (of whom I am tired and disgusted with) will say that those in close proximity would not have a chance, which is true, but what about those beaches where the water withdrew for quite a number of minutes (as much as 15) prior to the onrush of the tsunami wave where pedestrians strode about on the exposed sands? Here simple education programs could have saved lives. The withdrawal of the water should have alerted those knowledgeable who could have sounded the alarm. Most who were drowned, swept away, or killed were not on the beaches, but one or two blocks away -- unwarned, unaware. They could have walked or ran away to a safer place.

Just simple knowledge of the warning signs could have saved many. People in the midwest of the United States don't have to be warned what to do when they see a tornado twister.

In the US, the west coast, British Columbia (Canada), Alaskan Pacific costal area has an alarm system in place which didn't occur until, I believe the '70's after a tsunami had killed some <100 people (I'm relying on memory here). It is manned by six people, 24/7/365. http://wcatwc.gov/frequently.htm . This is in addition to a sophisticated international system which covers the entire Pacific area, including Hawaii, North, Central and South America.

On the East coast of the US and Canada there is no warning system. The costal regions of Virginia and North Carolina where the continental shelf drops off precipitously has 'cracks' foreboding of eventual slides which will be sufficient to create a tsunami of significant proportions. One expert was queried, what if? He replied, "it's not a question of 'if', but a question of 'when' ". What are we doing about it? Nothing, except right now talking. Most of us laypersons weren't even aware of it until this latest event.

Teide volcano, the third largest volcano in the world is located on Tenerife in the Canary Islands off of the western coast of North Africa, which could precipitate a tsunami affecting the East Coast. The authorities have been aware of it for years, and years, and years... and...

However, ....these things cost money, but, don't worry about it ....'cause we'll forget about it after a couple of years. We Americans, especially current ones, appear to be great at that.