Massive earthquake hits Indonesia, Tsunami kills thousands.

[GuyJean]

I heard from my friends in Thailand and they're ok. This is what he wrote.

Whew... He's lucky.. Like Steve said, I expect the numbers of dead to balloon..

Of course, I feel for the travellers, but it's the locals that this will impact he most; loss of family, friends, home, and income.. I'm sure, with no insurance..

GJ

[fatslug]

does any1 have any links to see any big tsunami waves that hit ?

[Samurai_Jerk]

to samurai jerk,
okay, I'll take the bait, fuck you.

seriously though, I was talking about the 'day' it happened, which was saturday the 25th christmas day. sure everyone is covering it as of sunday/monday, but the day of the event, I was hearing more about whining shoppers and stranded airline customers than the asia disaster. you fucking jerk. samurai. jerky mcjerkster. sir jerkoffalot. okay, I'm done now.

I was including the 25th. I don't know why you're all worked up and name calling.

[kotatsuneko]

firstly, does GG have intl roaming on, and has anyone been able to find out if she and her colleagues are ok?

about aid relief, on bbc 24 earlier today they showed a japanese civilian aid agency, mostly women as usual flying out to one of the affected areas.

secondly, wtf is going to happen when the "big one" hits the kanto plain again, especially if it hits hard?

[Samurai_Jerk]

They just said on the news that the death toll in Indonesia alone may end up toppind 20,000. Sounds like hundreds of thousands of deaths may actually be right. Especially when you figure in all of the people that are going to die from disease and dirty water.

[Caustic Saint]

firstly, does GG have intl roaming on, and has anyone been able to find out if she and her colleagues are ok?

I don't think she's got her regular phone on her (just tried it), but she may have a spare int'l set from work with her. I've got an email in to her to see if everything's okay.

[AssKissinger]

Big Daddy Shakers


Fatalities Magnitude Place Year

255,000 7.8 to 8.2 Tangshan, China 1976
200,000 8.3 Xining, China 1927
200,000 (est) 8.6 Gansu, China 1920
143,000 8.3 Kwanto, Japan 1923 plus a bunch of Koreans murdered by hysteric mobs
110,000 7.3 Turkmenistan 1948
70-100,000 (est) 7.2 Italy, Messina 1908
70,000 7.6 Gansu, China 1932
66,000 7.9 Northern Peru 1970
50,000 7.3 to 7.7 Northwest Iran 1990
30-60,000 7.5 Pakistan, Quetta 1935
35,000 7.7 Iran, Gilan 1990
33,000 7.9 Erzincan province, Turkey 1939
31,000 6.62 Bam, Iran 2003
28,000 8.3 Chillan, Chile 1939
25,000 6.9 Turkish-USSR border 1988
25,000 7.7 Northeast Iran 1978
23,000+ 9.0 Off Sumatra west coast 2004
22,778 7.5 Guatemala 1976
20,000 8.6 Santiago/Valparaiso, Chile 1906
19,000 8.6 Kangra, India 1905
15,613 7.8 Turkey 1999
12,000 8.1 Central Asia 1907
10,700 8.4 India/Nepal 1934
9,500 8.1 Michoacan, Mexico 1985
6,000+ 7.2 Kobe, Japan 1995
45,000 9.5 Chile 1960
5,000+ 7.3 Algeria 1980
5,000 6.1 Northeast Afghanistan 1998
2,990 8.9 Sanriku, Japan 1933
2,500 7.1 Varto, Turkey 1966
2,300 6.7 Turkey 1975
2,000+ 6.8 Taiwan 1999
1,700+ 6.8 Algeria 2003
1,530 8.7 India/Assam/Tibet 1950
1,500 7.1 Northern Iran 1997
1,330 8.4 Tonankai, Japan 1946
1,300 6.9 Turkey 1983
1,300 6.0 Turkey 1946
1,171 6 Western Colombia 1999
1,100 7.3 Gediz, Turkey 1970
1,000 8.9 Colombia 1906

[DJEB]

My Permaculture teacher, Geoff Lawton, went to Papau New Guinea after the 1998 tsunami (which may have killed up to 10,000) to help out with relief/rebuilding there. What he found was that the waves only went 150m inland in forested areas - at which point there was a line of debris from the wave. This suggests that abandoning waterfront development and allowing forests to regrow along the waterfront of coastlines would provide an effective and lifesaving barrier against most tsunami. If nothing else, it would create more attractive waterfronts with healthier ecosystems.

[yakinoumiso]

firstly, does GG have intl roaming on, and has anyone been able to find out if she and her colleagues are ok?

I don't think she's got her regular phone on her (just tried it), but she may have a spare int'l set from work with her. I've got an email in to her to see if everything's okay.

She went well after the fact, so I'm sure she's fine, if only at the worst a little inconvenienced right now. And more than likely is helping out in some way or another. Anyway, even if she has her keitai with her, she may not have service. Assuming she made it to her destination, there may be spotty coverage if any of the stations were damaged.

More than likely, she'll have some pretty depressing stories to tell when she gets back.

[DJEB]

What GG might see. John Aglionby reporting from Phuket:

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/12/27/1516217

Real audio version:

http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2004/dec/audio/dn20041227.ra&proto=rtsp

Or MP3, s'il vous plais:

http://www.archive.org/download/dn2004-1227/dn2004-1227-1_64kb.mp3

For the radio version, the story starts at 11minutes, 15 seconds in.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Just flicked on the TV to watch NBC's nightly world news. They started out by saying that rather than give their own report, they would be handing the broadcast over to British iTV. I rest my case.

Talk about spin. I watched that broadcast (PST). They had several of their own reports and also included the British report. Media organizations do that all the time. They use footage from other networks, affiliated networks, foreign networks, Reuters, AP, etc. Nice try though.

I'm not saying that news in the US and Americans aren't more nationally focused. I've heard that claim many times but I'm not sure if it's true. Besides US news I've only been exposed to Japanese and Canadian news. I'd say Japan is far worse than the US and Canada is pretty much the same (although they do have a lot of coverage about the US).

[FG Lurker]

I'm not saying that news in the US and Americans aren't more nationally focused. I've heard that claim many times but I'm not sure if it's true. Besides US news I've only been exposed to Japanese and Canadian news. I'd say Japan is far worse than the US and Canada is pretty much the same (although they do have a lot of coverage about the US).

Actually I'd say that as for being nationally-centric on the news that the US and Japan are about the same. If it is not related to the US you don't hear much about it. Same in Japan.

Don't know what Canadian news you watched but in my experience Canadian news has a lot more international content than the US or Japan does.

(Addition: Canadian news also has a lot more content not related at all to Canada -- current events that Canada is not directly involved in.)

[jim katta]

THANK GOD, here is a story by a major media outlet saying exactly what I've been saying all along. So whether you agree with me or not, the fact is, the U.S. poor coverage of this event has now become news in and of itself.

COVERAGE OF TSUNAMI THE REAL DISASTER
By LINDA STASI, New York Post
December 28, 2004 -- IF you were watching TV news over the past few days, it would be hard to know which story carried more weight: The incomprehensible devastation caused by the tsunami which took (at press time) nearly 30,000 lives, or the equally tragic story of airport delays and lost baggage.

Both stories got equal airtime, although the "reporters" were clearly more comfortable standing around luggage carousels at JFK than talking remotely to survivors in the areas of devastation.

In fact, TV news in general treated the disaster like one of those weather stories where the rookie reporter gets battered at the seawall in Canarsie. And every reporter seemed like a rookie this past holiday weekend. Apparently the tsunami would have had to hit Aspen to get the pros off the slopes and onto the story.

CLICK LINK FOR FULL STORY>
http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37304.htm



(btw, I apologize to samurai jerk, I thought you were trying to bust my balls. peace peace peace.)

[sirwanksalot]

[Caustic Saint]

Wow....where did you find those pics?

[fatslug]

imagine u sitting theree and a big ass wave comes at ya....holy fuck....wheres my surf board

[Pencilslave]

Not what I expected a Tsunami to look like. I always thought they looked like the ones in the movies where a really big wave rises and crashes down. This looks more like rapid flooding. I hope the guy in the water survived.

[sirwanksalot]

Wow....where did you find those pics?

Got them from Surfer magazine.

[sirwanksalot]

Not what I expected a Tsunami to look like. I always thought they looked like the ones in the movies where a really big wave rises and crashes down. This looks more like rapid flooding. I hope the guy in the water survived.

Waves that are surfed are created by wind. The find makes ripples on the SURFACE of the ocean. Those ripples traval over distance and when the water becomes more shallow they form a crest and break.

Tsumani are formed UNDERWATER from earthquakes and or rockslides. These waves barely create a noticable ripple on the surfaqce because they are travalling underwater. But when they hit shore they come in as a wall of water and dont stop. Tsunami and normal waves are really different.

Normal Huge Wave



Tsunami Wave

[GuyJean]

Got them from Surfer magazine.

I think originally from here: http://www.pbase.com/issels/phuket_tsunami&page=1

from: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/news/archive/2004/12/27/international2226EST0660.DTL&o=1

GJ

[AssKissinger]

Kudos to the mod who put Wanks pics on this thread instead having two tsunami threads. Good work

[jim katta]

[GuyJean]

say what you want about japan, but so far they've contributed twice what america has: japan $30million, usa $15million

Could be that they're not sure how much is needed yet.. Wouldn't be the first time they're clueless about how much something will cost.. They've offered some military help..

At a White House briefing Monday in Crawford, Texas, CNN asked spokesman Trent Duffy about the "stingy" remark. He said he thinks the United States is "the largest contributor to international relief and aid efforts not only through the government, but through charitable organizations. The American people are very giving, so we'll continue to be that and we'll be a leading partner in this effort that lies ahead." - http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/12/27/un.tsunami/index.html

Actually, so far, we're a 'coat-tail' partner..

GJ

[kamome]

UPDATE: Jet Li is not dead.

[yakinoumiso]

I know how much people hate posting from other sources, but under the circumstances... The info sent out by the US state dept might be helpful if you someone you know was the the areas affected by the tsunami.

----------------------------------------------------------
Re-Entering Japan
----------------------------------------------------------
This information applies only to Americans who were involved in the disaster, who held current, valid residence or working visas for Japan, who lost their passports and are seeking to re-enter Japan. It does not apply to Americans who were previously in Japan under the 90 day visa waiver status.

For example, this information applies to you if the passport you had when you left Japan had a valid working or residence visa in it, and you held a valid re-entry permit when you departed Japan for say, Christmas vacation in Thailand. While in Thailand you lost your passport in the disaster and received a replacement passport from the US Embassy in Bangkok. That replacement passport does not have your Japanese visa in it, and you cannot replace your re-entry permit from outside of Japan. You wish to re-enter Japan and return to your job teaching English next week.

What should you do?

-- DO NOT re-enter Japan under the 90 day visa waiver (i.e., as a "tourist.") Even if admitted, you will not legally be allowed to work and you will be subject to arrest and deportation, and your employer will be subject to legal penalties. You will not be allowed to change status in Japan.

-- Instead, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice advise us that you should inform the immigration officer upon landing in Japan that you were involved in the disaster and lost your passport and re-entry permit. The immigration officer will check the database, and once the issuance of the re-entry permit and your identity are confirmed, you will be allowed to enter and will have the same status as before. This additional processing must be done at the airport and will take some time. A case-by-case decision will be made by the Japanese Immigration Officer. The Embassy and our Consulates in Japan cannot intercede in this Japanese Government process, vouch for you or guarantee your entry.

-- A more certain, albeit more time consuming alternative method will be for your visa sponsor to go to the city office and get a certified copy of your alien registration called the "gaikokujin toroku genpon kisai shomei." Your sponsor will then go to the nearest Japanese immigration office and obtain a re-entry permit stamped on the back side of this certified copy of the alien registration. The stamped certificate should be express-mailed (or faxed both sides) to you. You will then show this document to the Japanese Immigration Officer at the airport.

Questions about these procedures must be directed to the Japanese Immigration Bureau or the nearest Japanese Embassy or Consulate. You can find contact information at http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7108b.html

UPDATE: Jet Li is not dead.

That's actually not bad news.

Actually, so far, we're a 'coat-tail' partner..

Yeah, that's probably the truth. There was once a time when the US government acted like it was a priority to be the first on the scene helping after a disaster, but that does seem to be a by-gone era. Personally, I don't think that's a change for the better.

As bad as this turns out to be, it seems that it could have been a lot worse if the quake was centered in a land-mass. Even more so given the population density in the Indian ocean region.

[dimwit]

Tidal Waves Death Toll Rises to 44,000

Tuesday December 28, 2004 2:01 PM

By ANDI DJATMIKO

Associated Press Writer

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) - Mourners in Sri Lanka used their bare hands to dig graves Tuesday while hungry islanders in Indonesia turned to looting in the aftermath of Asia's devastating tsunamis. Thousands more bodies were found in Indonesia, dramatically increasing the death toll across 11 nations to around 44,000.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4697769,00.html

Given the magnitude of the quake, the death toil in Indonesia is going to get ALOT higher. The only saving grace is that the should have a fair amount of food supplies on hand because of the recent civil wars in Aceh.

It looks like about 600 miles of plate boundary slipped at once. I have NEVER seen anything like that before.

[Blah Pete]

say what you want about japan, but so far they've contributed twice what america has:

It depends on what kind of aide is given. The government of Sri Lanks doesn't need all the cash right now, but they will in the long term.
In the short term they need rescue equipment, food, medecine, shelter, etc. The US and a few others like France, UK have the military and relief capability to get the supplies to where they are needed fast.

Most of the aide coming from other countries and the IMF will be used for more long term needs.

[jim katta]

well, it's good to know that in the midst of all this, the new york media knows who and what is important and makes sure to put it on the front page.



N.Y. supermodel held on for dear life for 8 hours in raging surf
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/266012p-227820c.html

[Steve Bildermann]

say what you want about japan, but so far they've contributed twice what america has"

Sadly what most people overlook is that in such cases almost all of the money given by Japan is in the form of grants and loans which must be paid back with intrest The US makes many outright gifts of cash to needed nations.

Japan will give emergency grant aid to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

[yakinoumiso]

Some pictures of the devistation. *Warning* some of the pictures are pretty shocking.

Click "neste" to see the next pic

http://www.vg.no/bilderigg/index.hbs?rigg_id=2601
http://www.vg.no/bilderigg/index.hbs?rigg_id=2600

The videos shot by various tourists are really surprising. I don't know what I would think faced with such a thing, and I hope I never have to find out...

http://moose.cc/tmp/ts/tsunamiphuket.wmv
http://moose.cc/tmp/ts/patong_beach.wmv
http://moose.cc/tmp/ts/sri_lanka_tsunami.wmv