Tsunami's Asia 23,000 + gone more missing

[Sheriff lobo]

Originally Posted by sinistral

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/041230/ap/d87a4sqg0.html

400,000 ? Wow.. 280,000 disappeared in thin air ?

im guessing the 120,000 are confirmed deaths and indonesia's 400,000 are just estimates.

[ff7799]

Originally Posted by Sheriff lobo

im guessing the 120,000 are confirmed deaths and indonesia's 400,000 are just estimates.

Well the thing is that 400,000 number is only a slight estimate, yah see 7 islands off the coast are now gone, some islands populated by more than 100,000 people, they only had ruff estimates at that since they don't keep a actual census, meaning more people died than they knew of, right now the losses are probably closer 3/4 of a million which is ruffly 750,000 people, and we aren't even counting other places, also official reports are starting to get pulled off the net it would seem meaning they are trying to stop havock from occuring, This thing will most likely rise above a million.

[kuroitatsu]

did you know that this earthquake actually speed up earths rotation.
South Asia Quake affects Earth's axis
Thursday, December 30, 2004

CALIFORNIA:The quake that set off the devastating tsunami literally shook the Earth to its core, scientists believe, accelerating its rotation and shortening days by a fraction of a second. It may be necessary to add a "leap second" in years to come in order to correct the change.

Meanwhile, experts said the quake, which measured 9.0 on the Richter scale, may have shifted some small islands in the region by more than 30 metres.

Richard Gross, a geophysicist with Nasa's jet propulsion laboratory in California, said he believed a shift of mass towards the Earth's centre caused the planet to spin three microseconds - one millionth of a second - faster. It also caused the planet to tilt around 2.5cm on its axis.

"[The forcing of one tectonic plate beneath the edge of another] had the effect of making the Earth more compact and spinning faster," he said, saying that the changes were too slight to be detected by global positioning satellite networks.

Mr Gross said the circular path of the Earth's poles normally varied by up to 10 metres. As a result, an added wobble of a few centimetres was unlikely to have any long-term effects. "The rotation is not actually that precise. The Earth does slow down and change its rate of rotation," he said. When the tiny variations accumulate, planetary scientists must add a "leap second" to the end of a year, something that has not been done in many years.

Geologists said changes on the Earth's surface were more noticeable, shifting the island of Sumatra 36 metres to the south-west. Ken Hudnutt of the US Geological Survey said: "Some of the smaller islands off the south-west coast of Sumatra may have moved to the south-west by about 20 metres."

[Sheriff lobo]

Originally Posted by ff7799

Well the thing is that 400,000 number is only a slight estimate, yah see 7 islands off the coast are now gone, some islands populated by more than 100,000 people, they only had ruff estimates at that since they don't keep a actual census, meaning more people died than they knew of, right now the losses are probably closer 3/4 of a million which is ruffly 750,000 people, and we aren't even counting other places, also official reports are starting to get pulled off the net it would seem meaning they are trying to stop havock from occuring, This thing will most likely rise above a million.

Yeah i was going to say that 400k was a modest estimate at best if you take into account the aftermath of this tragedy. There are even a few islands unaccoutned for due to communication issues.

[elniro]

This is a tragedy beyond words, and i hope it will not live up to the estimates, but when i heard of previous disasters such as the 1970 cyclone in Bangladesh which killed 500,000 i just cannot believe these sort of disasters occur

[Animizzle]

Originally Posted by elniro

This is a tragedy beyond words, and i hope it will not live up to the estimates, but when i heard of previous disasters such as the 1970 cyclone in Bangladesh which killed 500,000 i just cannot believe these sort of disasters occur

Actually that one caused a million fatalities. The biggest EQ was in China , with about 900.000 deaths.

This one is well on it's way tho..

And im happy to anounce that the Dutch people have so far brought up 9,2 million euro's in donations. Damn aren't we generous.

[AnimeOni]

And now a new twist (sort of). India's PM announced that they will not accept any foreign aid or aid workers. Singh goes on to say that they have enough resources and manpower to handle their own problems. Of course, there's the est 13,000 dead and most people believe that this is an understatement. Hmm. Could this be that it's political? If I remember right the Hizbul separatists (in the Dravida Nadu region - southern tip of India) are in the region hit right? Can it be a form of retribution?

Well, I guess that there's more aid for other countries. There are many who will need a lot of aid and are more approachable.

[phoenixfire92983]

I'm rather surprised by India's decision, but at least more money will be put forth to other countries who have a greater need for aid.

In other news: Some doctors now fear the death count will increase exponentially due to diseases now Already traces of disease have shown up in a couple areas and a lot of hospitals were destoryed from the tsunami. Besides cholera, dysentary, and typhoid fever, they also fear that malaria and dengue fever will spread rapidly. There's a lot of stagnant water around right now which is perfect for mosquitos to breed and spread these diseases. Overall, its a really grim situation over there

Here's a article that talks more about it:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,142961,00.html

[sinistral]

Originally Posted by kuroitatsu

did you know that this earthquake actually speed up earths rotation.
South Asia Quake affects Earth's axis
Thursday, December 30, 2004

CALIFORNIA:The quake that set off the devastating tsunami literally shook the Earth to its core, scientists believe, accelerating its rotation and shortening days by a fraction of a second. It may be necessary to add a "leap second" in years to come in order to correct the change.

Meanwhile, experts said the quake, which measured 9.0 on the Richter scale, may have shifted some small islands in the region by more than 30 metres.

Richard Gross, a geophysicist with Nasa's jet propulsion laboratory in California, said he believed a shift of mass towards the Earth's centre caused the planet to spin three microseconds - one millionth of a second - faster. It also caused the planet to tilt around 2.5cm on its axis.

"[The forcing of one tectonic plate beneath the edge of another] had the effect of making the Earth more compact and spinning faster," he said, saying that the changes were too slight to be detected by global positioning satellite networks.

Mr Gross said the circular path of the Earth's poles normally varied by up to 10 metres. As a result, an added wobble of a few centimetres was unlikely to have any long-term effects. "The rotation is not actually that precise. The Earth does slow down and change its rate of rotation," he said. When the tiny variations accumulate, planetary scientists must add a "leap second" to the end of a year, something that has not been done in many years.

Geologists said changes on the Earth's surface were more noticeable, shifting the island of Sumatra 36 metres to the south-west. Ken Hudnutt of the US Geological Survey said: "Some of the smaller islands off the south-west coast of Sumatra may have moved to the south-west by about 20 metres."

wow.. i didn't know that.. impressive stuff u have.. i enjoyed reading your news.

[Animizzle]

Originally Posted by AnimeOni

And now a new twist (sort of). India's PM announced that they will not accept any foreign aid or aid workers. Singh goes on to say that they have enough resources and manpower to handle their own problems. Of course, there's the est 13,000 dead and most people believe that this is an understatement. Hmm. Could this be that it's political? If I remember right the Hizbul separatists (in the Dravida Nadu region - southern tip of India) are in the region hit right? Can it be a form of retribution?

Well, I guess that there's more aid for other countries. There are many who will need a lot of aid and are more approachable.

A similair event could be happen in Indonesia. The Indonesian goverment have been in war with Atjeh rebels for many decades. I would't be surprised if some people silently shrug it of that mostly banda atjeh has been hit with hunderd of thousands of deaceased and counting.
You can always bet you ass that even in the event of Natural Disasters politics play the biggest role in the aftermath.

[elniro]

Originally Posted by AnimeOni

And now a new twist (sort of). India's PM announced that they will not accept any foreign aid or aid workers. Singh goes on to say that they have enough resources and manpower to handle their own problems. Of course, there's the est 13,000 dead and most people believe that this is an understatement. Hmm. Could this be that it's political? If I remember right the Hizbul separatists (in the Dravida Nadu region - southern tip of India) are in the region hit right? Can it be a form of retribution?

Well, I guess that there's more aid for other countries. There are many who will need a lot of aid and are more approachable.

that's weird, they do have enough manpower, but they need the organisation and advanced technological help of developed countries. India are saying they can handle themselves, and they sent 2 warships with supplies and help to Sri Lanka straight after the tsunami hit.

[ninja massacre]

this sucks...
most of the tourists that died in thailand were sweds like me, so friends of mine have lost friends of theirs here. It's hard to believe.
I was gonna go on a vacation to khao lak where the damage is biggest in thailand but me and my family changed plans before and we changed date to the 4th jamuray, and that has now been cenceled, ofcorse
I'm a pretty lucky guy

[DwArD]

This.....is really very unexpected. I got a call from my grandfather, saying that one of my little cousin told him that a giant wave hit certain parts of Indonesia and Thailand. I don't believe of course, cos my little cousin is still a kid. I lived in Singapore, and Singapore was almost hit by the tsunami if not for Sumatra. I just read the news that Thailand already knew that a earthquake occured beneath a sea nearby, and that there is a possibility of the earthquake rupturing the sea. However, the particular station or centre was afraid that it'll be a false alarm, and that they'll be blamed for causing the decrease in number of tourists, as not all earthquakes causes tsunami. Really.......now many people in the affected are suffering. The spreading of disease is one of the main concerns now. I really can't imagine the living conditions there. Its tragedic. May the dead ones rest in peace..........

[StoneColdCrazy]

COLOMBO, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Feared Tamil Tiger rebels appeared to offer an olive branch to their Sri Lankan foes on Wednesday, a month after threatening to return to war, as they struggled to cope with the aftermath of a devastating tsunami.

Appealing for aid as they cleared thousands of corpses from their northern and eastern strongholds, notorious rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran also issued a rare statement of condolence to the southern Sinhalese he warred against for two decades at a cost of over 64,000 lives.

"My condolences...go out to our Muslim and Sinhala brethren in the southern coastal areas, who have lost their kith and kin, and in deep sorrow," Prabhakaran said in a statement posted on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's Peace Secretariat Web site.

Prabhakaran's words were a far cry from his threat last month to resume the rebels' bloody freedom struggle, on hold after a three-year ceasefire, unless the government agrees to discuss granting them autonomy soon.

Latest news reports from the BBC say that aid teams and doctors from both sides of this conflict are now working together to treat survivors and locate bodies.

SCC

[AnimeOni]

It was just announced that US govt has now giving over $350 Mil. It's also est that private has raised over $100 Mil. Talk about being a 'stingy' country. This is welcome news for 2005. Start off a New Year on a positive note and hope more good news are coming.

Anyway, looks like the Sweds have really been one of the hardest foreigners hit by the Tsunamis. It doesn't surpise me. It is a major tourist spot. When I was there, I could have sworn that I was in Sweden. You sometimes see more European.

[Testing321]

Originally Posted by ???

Im wonder why we humains dont have that animal power. Ok our power is intelligence but are we sencitive ?

If only i was spiderman.

The big difference in humans sensitivity to the environment has come in the last 30,000 years or so, when...instead of adapting to their environment as all creatures throughout eternity have done, we instead began modifying our environment to suit ourselves.

Thus, genetic code that handled sensing and being in touch with one's environment became increasingly recessive, while genitic code that enhanced our brain's ability to develop problem-solving and tool-making capability became more dominant.

At any rate, back on the main topic: I am sad to say that the confirmed death toll is now at over 135,000 . I'm a bit of the starving student myself right now, only working 25 hours a week, but I'm planning on visiting the Red Cross site myself today, and making a small donation ($20 maybe).

[7thMethuselah]

Originally Posted by AnimeOni

It was just announced that US govt has now giving over $350 Mil. It's also est that private has raised over $100 Mil. Talk about being a 'stingy' country. This is welcome news for 2005. Start off a New Year on a positive note and hope more good news are coming.

Anyway, looks like the Sweds have really been one of the hardest foreigners hit by the Tsunamis. It doesn't surpise me. It is a major tourist spot. When I was there, I could have sworn that I was in Sweden. You sometimes see more European.

I may critisize Bush for some of his actions but when he decides to donating 350 mill $ then I must say : thank you mr Bush !!

About Sweden : about an hour ago they said that there are 50 confirmed dead, and that 6000 swedish citizens are still missing. I fear they will have alot more casualties too And Germany will most likely have alot of death too.

In Indonesia they no longer count the death, they are more concerned with the surviving people.

And now for some sattellite shots of the effect of the Tsunami

Spoiler for Before tsunami:

Spoiler for After tsunami:

I think words are not needed to describe these satellite pics

Not only is everything destroyed but the entire shoreline is just gone ...

[KimboSlice]

Please donate to help out.

[DwArD]

Many countries have also scaled down their 2005 countdown celebrations. In Indonesia, the whole city have been transformed into a giant praying ceremony, where everyone prayed for the dead. In Thailand, they have the candle-lighting ceremony or something. It's really a very, very sad 'countdown' to 2005. 2005 will definitely be the worst year for those affected countries. Their whole tourism industires are badly affected, and it'll most probably take years to rebuilt everything. Tourism played a very important role in those affected countries, and now without the tourism industries, those countries are going to suffer in the long run. This tsunami really destroyed everything......and it's been raining here in Singapore for the last couple of days. Makes you sort of wonder if God is crying too....

[Kotoko]

RIP Tsunami Victims......