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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 7:43 am
by wayne
I just wanted to light a candle here on Z for the victims of this earthquake.

This is so widespread, and affects many hundreds of thousands of people on the coasts of the sea we live on, the Indian Ocean.

My heart goes out to them.

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 8:17 am
by hubird
I got an email from COC999, who used to visit planetz in the past, that he's safe.
He's displaced in India, normally he sleeps near/at the coast, just not that night!
We have other members from India here, like Vishnu, any news guys?

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 8:27 am
by nprime
Yes, let us send our thoughts and prayers out to all those affected.

What a horrible disaster!

R

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 8:41 am
by bosone
it was terrible...
i went in madras two years ago and i met some people there.
it could seem incredible, but just today a girl that i met in india, and which now works in germany, was here in parma. she said her parents are all right, but you could imagine how desperate was seh yersterday morning...
now she is trying to contact all the people in her city...

i wish to all the people good luck!

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 1:56 pm
by BingoTheClowno
Too bad the governments of those countries didn't warn their citizens that they live in a dangerous area, close to a tectonic fault line ( http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vol ... onics.html ).

Knowledge saves lives!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: BingoTheClowno on 2004-12-27 13:56 ]</font>

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 6:16 pm
by alfonso
It's a very sad thing, and it's sad how humanity is loosing respect and care for nature. Not that this is necessarly the case, but a lot of disasters are going to happen if we won't be more careful with our way of life.

Sad for all that people... :sad:

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: alfonso on 2004-12-27 18:17 ]</font>

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 11:42 pm
by garyb
:sad:

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 5:34 pm
by Immanuel
On 2004-12-27 13:56, BingoTheClowno wrote:
Too bad the governments of those countries didn't warn their citizens that they live in a dangerous area, close to a tectonic fault line ( http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vol ... onics.html ).

Knowledge saves lives!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: BingoTheClowno on 2004-12-27 13:56 ]</font>



yes, and there wasn't any working warning system. Reason being, it only happens once every 700 years.

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:08 pm
by darkrezin
The entire east coast of the USA would be wiped out if part of one of the Canary Islands slides into the Atlantic ocean, which it has been on the verge of doing for some time. Similarly, there's a huge volcanic 'lake' beneath the Colorado plateau which is scheduled to erupt around now. In volcanic regions throughout the world, it's common for people to farm crops and live on the slopes of volcanos. I don't see any mass evacuations occurring in those places :grin: )

Back on topic, this tsunami disaster really shocked me. As well as being terribly sad, it was rather sobering and humbling, as it shows how fragile our species is in the face of the sheer force of nature.

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:17 pm
by Liquid Len
Agreed, a very stunning and painful loss for many people. May God help all the people that have had their lives uprooted in a second by, well, an act of God. After being prepared for many man-caused catastrophes, from chemo/biological war to climate change, the planet is hit by a huge loss of life (50,000 and climbing) from a catastrophe that was more or less unpreventable. Unless everyone on the planet stops living near the coast, near volcanos, near flood plains, in areas that could be stricken by drought, etc. For just a second, everyone who contemplates this tragedy must realize how fragile their own life is, and maybe even what matters and what doesnt.

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 7:42 pm
by garyb
it is a good arguement against arrogance.

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 9:09 pm
by next to nothing
im sorry to sound so blunt, i had friends down there as well.

im not saying this is out of proportion, the real trouble will actually start now. hygenic issues like fresh water etc is gonna be ruined for quite some time now.

i DO feel sorry for inhabitants and other ppl involved, but here are some links to put things in perspective:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3992909.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4080867.stm
http://www.planusa.org/who/asia.php
http://www.rrcap.unep.org/apeo/Chp1h-nathazards.html
http://www.fsmitha.com/world/a2day.htm
http://www.disasterrelief.org/Disasters/980728Sudan/
http://www.starvation.net/

just a small assortment of whats going on, almost unnoticed in the world.

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 12:44 am
by garyb
true.

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 2:57 am
by kensuguro
really sad to hear all this.. I was down at maldives past June. It seems maldives didn't get quite as bad as india or indonesia.. But maldives aside, the quake must have done serious permanent damage (or simply, "change") to the underwater ecosystem.. I just hope that things get back in balance decades from now.

death tolls are simply beyond imagination...

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: kensuguro on 2004-12-29 03:01 ]</font>

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 3:24 am
by Spirit
Quite apart from the human disaster, there's nothing to worry about in terms of the "eco-system". These sorts of changes are 100% normal, have been happening for billions of years and are part of the normal processes of the Earth. Too often there seems to be this weird idea that everything must stay exactly how it is and that natural change is somehow bad. (Edit: this is not directed at your post Ken !)

On the human side of things, a great sadness. :cry:

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Spirit on 2004-12-29 03:26 ]</font>

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 4:48 am
by Zer
The most human desaster are the bloodhunters down there, who don`t care about lives and do not one thing helping the people around there but do all fo a 1000 $ picture. Shame on you!!
May your souls burn in hell forever!

They are the worst case in that ugly scenario because they avoid the support staff doing their job and are the reason for gathering people at the wrong place!

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 6:35 am
by Spirit
On 2004-12-29 04:48, Zer wrote:
The most human desaster are the bloodhunters down there, who don`t care about lives and do not one thing helping the people around there but do all fo a 1000 $ picture. Shame on you!!
May your souls burn in hell forever!

They are the worst case in that ugly scenario because they avoid the support staff doing their job and are the reason for gathering people at the wrong place!

Do you mean the journalists ?

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 6:41 am
by Zer
if you`d call 'em so... there are a few others out there - I know - but the masses are what counts.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Zer on 2004-12-29 06:45 ]</font>

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 6:47 am
by Zer
Rahter then watchin every new picture they make from the body count there should be the attitude to support the left alone people. So hiw about a benfiz party or a concert spending all the money from it to the help organizations involved?

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 3:44 pm
by Immanuel
Ken

It was said, that some divers didn't even notice. The undersee change of things is probably not that big. Some things moved though. It has been estimated, that the big "stone plates" (can not remember the name - when they move, we get earthquakes, vulcanoes etc. They are close to 19km below the surface.) has moved 29 meter. Sumatra has supposedly moved 36 meter. Other islands smaller islands are said to have moved up to 20 meter.