Deadly tsunamis kill at least 157,000 people in South Asia

[nickel]

1 hour, 12 minutes ago Asia - AFP

COLOMBO (AFP) - Over 4,000 people were killed and thousands more were missing after the most powerful earthquake in 40 years rocked Indonesia, triggering giant tidal waves that slammed into coastlines across Asia.

The quake, the fifth largest ever recorded measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, struck in the Indian Ocean off Aceh province on Sumatra island, unleashing tsunamis that hit Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar and Malaysia.

The huge quake struck a year to the day after a quake in the Iranian city of Bam killed over 30,000 people.

Terrifying walls of water up to 10 metres (33 feet) high were reported in many areas, roaring ashore with bewildering speed, sweeping people off beaches, flattening hotels and homes, uprooting trees and overturning cars.

Children playing beach cricket were reported to be among the victims in India, along with many foreign tourists who had flocked to idyllic resorts in Southeast Asia for the Christmas holidays.

South Asia was the worst hit region, with more than 3,100 deaths reported across Sri Lanka and India, a figure that was expected to rise sharply as communications are restored to areas isolated by the catastrophe.

The Sri Lankan government declared a state of disaster as at least 2,134 people were killed after huge waves that battered the country's eastern and southern coastlines.

Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is in London, was expected to cut short her holiday and return home, a spokesman for her office said, adding she was also appealing for international help.

Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil told the Press Trust of India around 1,000 people were dead in south India.

There were scenes of mayhem in India's Tamil Nadu state, where scores of villages were under water, local television footage showed bodies being loaded into ambulances.

In Madras, the morgues at government hospitals were overflowing with bodies, witnesses told AFP.

In Indonesia, government officials said 721 people had been killed but warned they expected the death toll to rise substantially.

Thailand officials said meanwhile at least 168 people were killed and 2,008 were injured in the south of the country.

"As of 6pm (1100 GMT) the figure compiled from the state hospitals show that 168 are dead, both Thai and foreigners and 2,008 injured," Surachet Satitniramai, head of the ministry's emergency operations centre, said.

A police officer in Phuket said at least six of the dead were foreigners who drowned on Karon beach on the island's west coast.

In Malaysia, 29 people were drowned and many others were missing after tidal waves hit two resort islands Sunday, officials said.

The Indian Ocean tourist paradise of the Maldives was hit by tidal waves, inundating low-lying islands. A British tourist died of a heart attack as the waves hit his resort, washing away 50 "water cabanas" built on stilts.

The Maldivian government in a statement said there were several casualties, but gave no details. The situation of tens of thousands of other tourists in the Maldives was not immediately known.

In Indonesia, authorities said they expected the death toll to rise as villagers scoured the coast for others missing since the giant waves swept along northern Aceh province.

"According to villagers whom I talked to, the waves were up to 10 meters in height," Mustofa Gelanggang, the head of Aceh's Bireuen district told AFP.

"The wave swept all settlements on the coast, and most houses, on stilts and made of wood, were either swept away or destroyed."

Aceh, a region currently closed off to foreign media and aid agencies due to a long-running separatist conflict, saw unconfirmed reports of casualties, with buildings including a mosque and a hotel collapsing.

A police spokesman in the Sumatran region of Aceh, said in his district there were 378 dead, while other parts of the province reported updated fatality figures.

The tragedy prompted swift offers of relief assistance from the international community.

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf called for a "swift and concerted" international effort to deal with the disaster.

Musharraf expressed his profound shock over the severity and destruction of the earthquakes and offered Pakistan's help in "containing and mitigating the widespread suffering."

Pope John Paul II meanwhile said he was "saddened" by the "huge tragedy".

"The Christmas festival is marred by sadness over news from Southeast Asia which was hit by a massive earthquake that struck Indonesia with consequences for Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and the Maldives," the pontiff said.

"We pray for the victims of this huge tragedy and we hope that the world community will mobilize to rush aid to the affected populations," he added.

Reports differed on the the exact location and size of the quake.

The US Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center initially put the tremor at 8.5 but revised it upwards to 8.9, while the Strasbourg Observatory in France said the tremor hit 8.0 and was located north of Sumatra.

Jakarta's Meteorology and Geophysics Office put the quake at 6.8 saying it was centered in the Indian Ocean some 149 kilometer (92.38 miles) south of Meulaboh, a town on the western coast of Aceh.

The tremors were felt as far away as the Thai capital Bangkok, some 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) north of the epicenter, where buildings swayed but no serious damage was reported.

Guests of a high-rise hotel reported chandeliers swinging, according to a manager of the city's Conrad Hotel, while the Charoen Krung Pracha Rak Hospital evacuated all 400 of its patients as a precaution.

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 18,000 islands, lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" noted for its volcanic and seismic activity, and is one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions.

Lying at the collision point of three tectonic plates results in frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions as pressure between the massive segments of the Earth's crust is released.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041226/wl_asia_afp/asiaquake_041226124035&e=3

[kimchicowboy]

madness. 10 meter waves. dang. sheer madness.

[sachin tendulkar]

Im from Madras (Chennai), called my relatives just to make sure. They're fine. Death Toll might top 10,000 now.

[bachviet]

Damn scary! :eek:

[Kevster]

Yeah they're saying over 10,000 dead now from the tsunamis. It is expected to rise since communication lines are down all over. Damn. :(

[tupacboy]

its up to 14,000 now...

[nickel]

over 20,000 now :(

[cheapie]

unbelievable. indonesia's always getting rocked by something.

[brainsmile]

22,000 and counting.

[Jenny]

This is just awful. :( man...

[johnnymk]

Could this be the biggest natural disaster in modern times?

[psycho-]

Could this be the biggest natural disaster in modern times?


By far, no.

http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa061500a.htm


At 3:42 a.m. on July 28, 1976, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit the sleeping city of Tangshan, in northeastern China. The very large earthquake, striking an area where it was totally unexpected, obliterated the city of Tangshan and killed over 240,000 people - making it the deadliest earthquake of the twentieth century.

[CornMonkey]

tragic...just tragic...

[gear02]

I was in China when it happened, but apparently it hit Malaysia as well. My cousins are in Bangkok right now, and they were about to leave to go to Phuket that day, so they were quite lucky.

[nickel]

over 44,000 now :gle: :(

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20041228/ap_on_re_as/quake_tidal_wave

[BrewMaster]

on NPR this morning they were saying that if people here want to help, the best way is to write a check to a REPUTABLE aid agency like the Red Cross. Giving food, blankets, etc is not as helpful because those agencies have to spend a bundle to have those things shipped from the US to the affected areas when money would go much further if goods were purchased closer to the disaster scene. keep this in mind if you are inclined to help.

[CornMonkey]

on NPR this morning they were saying that if people here want to help, the best way is to write a check to a REPUTABLE aid agency like the Red Cross. Giving food, blankets, etc is not as helpful because those agencies have to spend a bundle to have those things shipped from the US to the affected areas when money would go much further if goods were purchased closer to the disaster scene. keep this in mind if you are inclined to help.
i agree. go to this link (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/quake.aidsites/index.html) to find a relief organization to assist with the tragedy over there... experts are saying that the number of victims could double due to disease in the aftermath of the devastation.

maybe we can pool together to collect money to send through one of the organizations...? i don't like sitting around feeling sorry for all the grief and loss when something can be done about it.

[brainsmile]

yahoo reports

Asia Disaster Yields Its Dead, Toll at 59,000

[nickel]

on NPR this morning they were saying that if people here want to help, the best way is to write a check to a REPUTABLE aid agency like the Red Cross. Giving food, blankets, etc is not as helpful because those agencies have to spend a bundle to have those things shipped from the US to the affected areas when money would go much further if goods were purchased closer to the disaster scene. keep this in mind if you are inclined to help.
i agree with donating to the Red Cross and noting you want it to go to the victims of this tragic event specifically. i know there are other agencies set up claiming to be associated with this relief, but i feel the Red Cross is the best bet.

----------------------

yahoo reports

Asia Disaster Yields Its Dead, Toll at 59,000
yeh, and they are claiming that figure could double due to diseases that are going to spread in the aftermath. that seems so hard to fathom.

[donnar]

Amazon also has a fund set up through there web site but i feel red cross is the way to go

[mcs328]

I heard on NBC Nighly News that the earthquake changed the earth's rotation by something infinitestimaly small but still measurable...like a fraction of a second. And country(?) of Sumatra shifted over.

[nickel]

I heard on NBC Nighly News that the earthquake changed the earth's rotation by something infinitestimaly small but still measurable...like a fraction of a second. And country(?) of Sumatra shifted over.
yeh, i heard that also, and they are referencing it as one of the biblical "signs" for the end of the world.

[BrewMaster]

got link on that changing the earth's rotation? it was "only" a 9.0 quake, not an asteroid, that's why i'm curious.

[_=DeltaForce=_]

The death toll is more than 60,000 now..

[djsusm]

got link on that changing the earth's rotation? it was "only" a 9.0 quake, not an asteroid, that's why i'm curious.

from: http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/magnitude.html

Richter TNT for Seismic Example
Magnitude Energy Yield (approximate)

-1.5 = 6 ounces Breaking a rock on a lab table
1.0 = 30 pounds Large Blast at a Construction Site
1.5 = 320 pounds
2.0 = 1 ton Large Quarry or Mine Blast
2.5 = 4.6 tons
3.0 = 29 tons
3.5 = 73 tons
4.0 = 1,000 tons Small Nuclear Weapon
4.5 = 5,100 tons Average Tornado (total energy)
5.0 = 32,000 tons
5.5 = 80,000 tons Little Skull Mtn., NV Quake, 1992
6.0 = 1 million tons Double Spring Flat, NV Quake, 1994
6.5 = 5 million tons Northridge, CA Quake, 1994
7.0 = 32 million tons Hyogo-Ken Nanbu, Japan Quake, 1995; Largest Thermonuclear Weapon
7.5 = 160 million tons Landers, CA Quake, 1992
8.0 = 1 billion tons San Francisco, CA Quake, 1906
8.5 = 5 billion tons Anchorage, AK Quake, 1964
9.0 = 32 billion tons Chilean Quake, 1960
10.0 = 1 trillion tons (San-Andreas type fault circling Earth)
12.0 = 160 trillion tons (Fault Earth in half through center,
OR Earth's daily receipt of solar energy)

[CornMonkey]

got link on that changing the earth's rotation? it was "only" a 9.0 quake, not an asteroid, that's why i'm curious.
:stupid:
yeah, i'd like to read up on it too. the smallest change in the earth's rotation can be very bad.

[djsusm]

CNN link: http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/12/27/quake.seismic.ap/



How powerful? By some estimates, it was equal to detonating a million atomic bombs.

Sieh and other scientists said it probably jolted the planet's rotation. "It causes the planet to wobble a little bit, but it's not going to turn Earth upside down," Sieh said.

[YanksFanRy]

Over 60,000 now and the damages will only cause thousands upon thousands of more deaths due to disease and such... not to mention dozens of problems due to the fact that 1/3-1/2 of the victims were children which will greatly affect these countries' future... Absolutely horrible. Mother Nature can do some incredible things.

[attgig]

cnn's reporting over 80k now... :(

[cheapie]

i took earthquakes in college for one of my science credits. very interesting how they figure out the epicenter, where the waves are going, etc.

[BrewMaster]

CNN link: http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/12/27/quake.seismic.ap/



How powerful? By some estimates, it was equal to detonating a million atomic bombs.

Sieh and other scientists said it probably jolted the planet's rotation. "It causes the planet to wobble a little bit, but it's not going to turn Earth upside down," Sieh said.



I'd be interested to read the papers that will be published about such ideas. I still am skeptical, but since Cal Tech is 3 blocks from my house, I may have to mosey on down there and talk to Kerry Sieh and let him explain it all to me. I know it was a lot of energy released, but relative to the earth's mass, it doesn't seem like much. I liken it to bouncing a basketball on the wall inside a moving minivan. It will make noise and other passengers will feel it, but it's not going to send the car off the road. But then again, they were just saying it would have a small effect and they were rather vague about how small it would be.

[LegendKiller]

What makes me sick is that the media is all over celebs who were hurt/missing.


Ohhh no, lets report that Jet-Li hurt his foot, since that is *SO* important when over 60,000 people and maybe double that are dead, dying, or will die.

Better yet, lets hound the story of a super model and her missing boyfriend.

[ray]

Going back to topic. Many charities are being setup in conjunction with the Red Cross (ie: Linkin' Parks charity) to get a broader scope of donors. This is indeed a tragic event and I hope that my friends and their families in Indonesia are okay.

[BrewMaster]

on the radio this morning they were talking about how support tails off after a story leaves the headlines. there are still homeless people in Bam, Iran from last years quake but no one gives a rip anymore.

what is annoying is that the Catholic Relief Charities USA gave $500K and will up that to $1 Million but the entire United States federal government has pledged only $35 Million on top of the vehicles and teams being sent there. It seems disproportionate that our government is giving so little. It is especially annoying since our government will spend so freely on some less than popular agendas that I will not name since this is not the Political Forum.

[nickel]

on the radio this morning they were talking about how support tails off after a story leaves the headlines. there are still homeless people in Bam, Iran from last years quake but no one gives a rip anymore.

what is annoying is that the Catholic Relief Charities USA gave $500K and will up that to $1 Million but the entire United States federal government has pledged only $35 Million on top of the vehicles and teams being sent there. It seems disproportionate that our government is giving so little. It is especially annoying since our government will spend so freely on some less than popular agendas that I will not name since this is not the Political Forum.
our government is giving so little? we will be the most generous of all when all is said and done. have you seen the pittance France has pledged? something like only $136,000.
and here is the site where you can make your donation:
http://www.redcross.org

[BrewMaster]

i have already made my donation to the red cross.

no, i have not seen what France has pledged in any article. i'll take your word for it. they should be scolded for that too. just cause France makes a poor pledge, that doesn't make our meager offering defensible.

[nickel]

i have already made my donation to the red cross.

no, i have not seen what France has pledged in any article. i'll take your word for it. they should be scolded for that too. just cause France makes a poor pledge, that doesn't make our meager offering defensible.
no, i am not saying we should follow their lead and be stingy, but i do feel we will be the top in relief after all is said and done. we are the United States - we have a huge heart.


So far the United States has provided $35 million in aid, a number expected to rise, President Bush said Wednesday from his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Japan has contributed $30 million, Australia $27 million. Other nations that have contributed relief are the United Kingdom with $29 million, Germany with $42.7 million, Saudi Arabia with $10 million, China with $2.6 million and France with $136,000.

In his first public remarks since disaster struck, Bush said prayers go out to the people who have lost so much. The grief and loss, which has struck all corners of the world, goes beyond comprehension.

"The United States will continue to stand with the affected governments as they care for the victims. We will stand with them as they start to rebuild their communities. And together the world will cope with their loss. We will prevail over this destruction," Bush said, adding that he is confident other nations will follow.

In a moment of bipartisanship, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., reaffirmed Bush's commitment.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,142815,00.html

[BrewMaster]

no, i am not saying we should follow their lead and be stingy, but i do feel we will be the top in relief after all is said and done. we are the United States - we have a huge heart.
of course i did not say that you suggested we should follow their lead. i said that their poor showing should make us feel better about ourselves. i agree that we will have the largest dollar amount given when all is said and done. but our government's giving should be in the billions of dollars IMHO, not $35 Million. keep in mind we've spent billions on wasteful endeavors this year. the least we can do would be to give A LOT of money in useful foreign aid, regardless of what other countries give. but i guess i should not be surprised. we still have not coughed up the money we pledged to AIDS relief last year.

note that in the article you posted, Germany is currently out-giving us in dollars. that will probably will change in the end, but for the moment, we are not giving the most.

[nickel]

of course i did not say that you suggested we should follow their lead. i said that their poor showing should make us feel better about ourselves. i agree that we will have the largest dollar amount given when all is said and done. but our government's giving should be in the billions of dollars IMHO, not $35 Million. keep in mind we've spent billions on wasteful endeavors this year. the least we can do would be to give A LOT of money in useful foreign aid, regardless of what other countries give. but i guess i should not be surprised. we still have not coughed up the money we pledged to AIDS relief last year.
this i know, but i also know we will do good by the Asian people.

[attgig]

whitehouse is saying that the 35 mil is the preliminary money being sent, and that they expect it go up to 1bil (which i think includes cost of shipping vehicles/people, etc over there).

it's pretty decent...it's not like if we gave them all the money we had, that they would be instantly better... having people go over there to help with the work that's needed is important too. and recovery isn't going to happen overnight... i think the expectation is that we send a lot of support in the beginning to help out, and then the people there should be empowered enough to get themselves back on their feet again.

i dunno. i'm not here defending the government's actions...but all i'm saying is that all the money in the world isn't going to help them. it's like our own goverment....we have a pretty sick budget, but we got tons of problems...

[Memo]

I gave $5, hopefully it helps someone.

[BrewMaster]

whitehouse is saying that the 35 mil is the preliminary money being sent, and that they expect it go up to 1bil (which i think includes cost of shipping vehicles/people, etc over there).

it's pretty decent...it's not like if we gave them all the money we had, that they would be instantly better... having people go over there to help with the work that's needed is important too. and recovery isn't going to happen overnight... i think the expectation is that we send a lot of support in the beginning to help out, and then the people there should be empowered enough to get themselves back on their feet again.

i dunno. i'm not here defending the government's actions...but all i'm saying is that all the money in the world isn't going to help them. it's like our own goverment....we have a pretty sick budget, but we got tons of problems...
well, when we spend money the way we do, $35 million ain't sh*t, that's for sure.

[BrewMaster]

my company has decided to match donations to the RC, MSF, and UNICEF. My boss pointed out something interesting. If we each gave $1, that would be $280,000,000 for relief. I think our government could match that and then some. Just a thought.

[ray]

My employer is actually doing something right and matching 10% any employee donations to Red Cross. I've already donated, but I am going to donate again through work.

[CornMonkey]

my company has decided to match donations to the RC, MSF, and UNICEF. My boss pointed out something interesting. If we each gave $1, that would be $280,000,000 for relief. I think our government could match that and then some. Just a thought.
holy cow...how many ppl do you have working in your company?? and isn't the US gov't trying to get $1bil sent over to south asia? i thought i read that somewhere...

[nickel]

holy cow...how many ppl do you have working in your company?? and isn't the US gov't trying to get $1bil sent over to south asia? i thought i read that somewhere...
yes, i read that somewhere too.

[BrewMaster]

holy cow...how many ppl do you have working in your company?? and isn't the US gov't trying to get $1bil sent over to south asia? i thought i read that somewhere...
oh my bad, i should have said, my boss was talking about if everyone in the US gave $1, not just everyone in our company. however my company has 16,000 employees worldwide, 6000 in the US, and about 50 locally.

i hope they get a billion or more dollars sent over there.

[nickel]

oh my bad, i should have said, my boss was talking about if everyone in the US gave $1, not just everyone in our company. however my company has 16,000 employees worldwide, 6000 in the US, and about 50 locally.

i hope they get a billion or more dollars sent over there.
i'll link the article as soon as possible ;)

here's a cool thing. go Cisco! - $2.5 million
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2004/corp_122904.html?CMP=ILC-001

[Nija]

http://www.digitalglobe.com/tsunami_gallery.html

Before & Flooded pictures

[BrewMaster]

they had some of those Banda Aceh pictures on the cover of the Fresno Bee today. freakin' nuts. the water just swallowed those entire islands, chewed them up, and spit them out. makes you wonder what would happen if a tsunami hit LA.

[x1337xD335C1P13x]

as of almost 15 minutes ago, the tollw as around 150,000 dead, not including those missing.....dang man...

[nickel]

By far, no.

http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa061500a.htm
i wonder if it will surpass this one eventually

[bachviet]

i wonder if it will surpass this one eventually
I think it will because more people are going to die because of diseases afterward.

[nickel]

of course i did not say that you suggested we should follow their lead. i said that their poor showing should make us feel better about ourselves. i agree that we will have the largest dollar amount given when all is said and done. but our government's giving should be in the billions of dollars IMHO, not $35 Million. keep in mind we've spent billions on wasteful endeavors this year. the least we can do would be to give A LOT of money in useful foreign aid, regardless of what other countries give. but i guess i should not be surprised. we still have not coughed up the money we pledged to AIDS relief last year.

note that in the article you posted, Germany is currently out-giving us in dollars. that will probably will change in the end, but for the moment, we are not giving the most.

U.S. tsunami-relief funds estimated at $1 billion
By Jeffrey Sparshott
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
An early congressional estimate indicates a $1 billion U.S. contribution to tsunami-related relief and reconstruction.
The figure, which is preliminary, would cover Defense Department and U.S. Agency for International Development funds spent or allocated for emergency efforts, plus new allotments for projects and programs that will help with longer-term recovery.
"It will be in that range," Rep. Jim Kolbe, chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that overseas foreign aid spending, said yesterday. The Arizona Republican said he did not want to commit to an exact figure.
The Dec. 26 earthquake-spawned tsunami off of Sumatra, Indonesia, swept the shores of 12 Indian Ocean nations, killing almost a quarter-million people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless and without basic services.
The United Nations reported Tuesday that in Indonesia alone, 94,584 bodies were buried, 132,172 people were missing and 394,285 were displaced. The estimated death toll in Sri Lanka was 31,000, with 5,600 missing and nearly 400,000 displaced.
India, Maldives, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Somalia and other nations also were battered by the giant waves. Casualty figures are being tallied.
The immediate world response was rapid and generous — more than $5 billion has been pledged — though long-term reconstruction needs are only now being assessed.
A preliminary report by the World Bank estimated the damage and economic loss in Indonesia at $4.5 billion. The bank, in a report yet to be released, projected the figure for Sri Lanka at $1.5 billion.
Mr. Kolbe yesterday mentioned the $1 billion figure after a briefing for his subcommittee by administration officials involved with emergency relief and longer-term rebuilding efforts.
Some of the money would cover Defense Department outlays for aircraft, ships and personnel sent to the region immediately after the disaster, and it would replenish emergency accounts so that relief efforts in other parts of the world would not have to be scaled back.
Rep. Henry J. Hyde, Illinois Republican and chairman of the House International Relations Committee, said yesterday that he would circulate tsunami legislation in the coming days. A House aide said no figure is being publicly released because the congressman did not want to get into a "bidding war" over how much aid to provide.
It is not clear whether the tsunami package will stand alone, or be included with other spending measures. It also is not clear whether Congress will trust the United Nations to coordinate spending.
The United Nations has taken the lead in coordinating relief efforts, but some in Congress think the Iraq oil-for-food scandal has undermined the world body's credibility.
"I have serious reservations about the ability of the U.N. to manage any funds available for this disaster," said Jerry Lewis, California Republican and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
The United Nations oversaw the oil-for-food program from 1996 to 2003 to allow Iraq to sell its oil in exchange for essentials, such as food and medicine, while the country was under sanctions. The world body failed to prevent Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from abusing the program to divert money for his personal gain and for purchases deemed illegal under the sanctions.
"Is this the kind of organization we want to coordinate the disbursement of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to tsunami victims?" Mr. Lewis asked.
http://washingtontimes.com/business/20050126-094209-9682r.htm

[Devhux]

Umm, somebody had better find a way to change the topic name as it appears in the thread list view.. I seriously thought that ANOTHER earthquake had hit Asia after reading this.

(This only happened since the thread was revived btw).