Tsunamis in the Indian Ocean

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2004-12-29 02:07pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:ITN reported from Oxfam that the 100k figure may go up a lot more when disease sets in and better searches for bodies goes into action.

They also mentioned how the planet was shuck 1 inch off its axis by the event and showed more amateur footage and satellite images.

The axis wasn't shifted, but the earth's rotation was slowed 3 microseconds.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2004-12-29 02:09pm

CaptainChewbacca wrote:
Admiral Valdemar wrote:ITN reported from Oxfam that the 100k figure may go up a lot more when disease sets in and better searches for bodies goes into action.

They also mentioned how the planet was shuck 1 inch off its axis by the event and showed more amateur footage and satellite images.
The axis wasn't shifted, but the earth's rotation was slowed 3 microseconds.

Implications?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-12-29 02:16pm

Chardok wrote:
Implications?

None. As I should've said, the Earth "wobbled" so to speak by an inch or so, a massive amount when talking about a celestial body. But it has no impact on the environment and it's not like we've shifted orbit and gone careening into the sun.

It does, however, highlight how poweful an event this was much like the atmospheric problems from Krakatoa's eruption.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-12-29 03:01pm

For those interested, globalsecurity.org now has several before and after satellite photo comparisons of areas hit by the tsunamis. The links are rather blatantly noticeable on the main page of the site.

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2004-12-29 08:45pm

Based on the estimates from Indonesia--which are still conflicting as to magnitude--and those still unaccounted for in Sri Lanka and India, the death toll from the initial tsunamis might in fact get close to 200,000. If most are predicting that disease will double the figure, then the final death toll some months from now when the epidemics run their course might well be on the order of 400,000. This may be one of the five most deadly events in human history.

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2004-12-29 08:49pm

I've also just heard that India is refusing foreign aid. Thank you, Congress Party, for your mindless and absolutely pointless anti-Western idiocy. I'm sure the people who's relatives die of disease will like you so much for idiotic posturing that they'll forget to vote for the BJP in the upcoming elections.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2004-12-29 08:55pm

Any confirmation of that?

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-12-29 08:55pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote:I've also just heard that India is refusing foreign aid. Thank you, Congress Party, for your mindless and absolutely pointless anti-Western idiocy. I'm sure the people who's relatives die of disease will like you so much for idiotic posturing that they'll forget to vote for the BJP in the upcoming elections.

Sri Lanka is also refusing aid from Israel.

Mlenk · Post by **Mlenk** » 2004-12-29 10:00pm

Got any links for that?

BlkbrryTheGreat · Post by **BlkbrryTheGreat** » 2004-12-29 10:20pm

Chardok wrote:
CaptainChewbacca wrote:
Admiral Valdemar wrote:ITN reported from Oxfam that the 100k figure may go up a lot more when disease sets in and better searches for bodies goes into action.

They also mentioned how the planet was shuck 1 inch off its axis by the event and showed more amateur footage and satellite images.
The axis wasn't shifted, but the earth's rotation was slowed 3 microseconds.

Implications?

Likely none. The displaced magma will likely just push out the spreading plates in the Atlantic and other locations.

Seggybop · Post by **Seggybop** » 2004-12-29 10:49pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote:This may be one of the five most deadly events in human history.

Out of curiosity, what were the others?

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2004-12-29 11:08pm

phongn wrote:Any confirmation of that?

India rejects foreign aid

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2004-12-29 11:11pm

Seggybop wrote: Out of curiosity, what were the others?

Three or four other earthquakes. Ancient volcanic eruptions may have approached these fatalities but in most cases we'll never know for sure. I'm not counting events that happened over multiple days, just single day events, or else things like the Battle of the Somme or Tamburlane's massacres would be up there as well, along with Auschwitz, etc.

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2004-12-30 07:34am

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4133993.stm

Hopefully this wont occur....

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-12-30 10:11am

death toll climbs to 116,000

when will this end?

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2004-12-30 11:10am

And still no one knows how many are dead on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. There may still be thousands undiscovered there.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4134751.stm

Post by **Edi** » 2004-12-30 11:35am

Mayabird, given that those islands were so close to the epicenter and had a population of 315,000 combined, it'd be easier to talk about tens of thousands. It's a more likely figure. I'm thinking the death toll will be closer to 200,000 or pretty easily even above it, because we haven't heard nearly the last from Indonesia, and all of the affected countries have thousands to tens of thousands people missing.

And when contagious diseases start spreading, it will go up by thousands to tens of thousands more. I think it's safe to say that this has been the worst natural disaster in the last hundred years, and by far the most widespread in effects throughout human history (that we know of anyway).

Edi

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2004-12-30 11:39am

120 000

My god. It went from 116 to 119 5 minutes later to 120 five minutes after that...will it ever stop?

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2004-12-30 11:57am

Tens of thousands. Edi, I just have trouble bending my mind around that number. You're probably right, of course. One of the islands was split in two, and some were totally flooded. Just to make things worse, a volcano has started erupting on one of the islands, too.

Sometime way back in this thread the Duchess estimated 50-80,000 dead, and she's supposed to be the super pessimist. Now the real number is far beyond that.

Thailand has just said that its 6000 missing people are presumed dead, and probably most of the other countries affected will start making similar announcements soon. Many of them will probably never be found, as their bones will be covering the seafloor.

And now there's fighting and rioting over food and aid along with mass panic. Things are just going from bad to worse.

Post by **Edi** » 2004-12-30 12:56pm

Mayabird wrote:Tens of thousands. Edi, I just have trouble bending my mind around that number.

So do I, on anything other than a purely intellectual level. In Indonesia alone, there are enough confirmed dead to account for the whole population of Pori, a city on the western coast of Finland that I have relatives in. Having been there, trying to visualize the concept of everyone being dead is impossible, but exactly that sort oif thing is true in the worst disaster areas.

The only way I can grasp it is as faceless statistics, which is what it has been for me ever since it was confirmed that nobody I know was lost (thankfully, none of my friends and relatives were in the area). Cold maybe, but like you said, understanding the numbers is hard.

I have to havea good long talk with my dad one of these days when the worst of this mess is over, because he has had to pull three to six hours extra almost every day since the quake coordinating the response from the Finnish Lutheran Church (he's got a high administrative (non-clerical) position there), and he has seen a side of this that I haven't and won't.

Edi

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-12-30 01:03pm

you know, for the first time in my entire life i was actually made physically sick to my stomach by images seen on television. It was video of a Sri Lankan rescue worker spraying disinfectant on seemingly endless rows of decomposing bodies. I nearly threw up on myself and had to turn it off.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-12-30 01:36pm

if this is true......

The Drudge Report wrote:Indonesia Needs Help, Death Toll Expected To Exceed 400,000
Thu Dec 30 2004 12:52:01 ET

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The death toll in Acheh, the region worst hit by last Sunday's tsunami, may exceed 400,000 as many affected areas could still not be reached for search and rescue operations, Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia Drs H. Rusdihardjo said Thursday.

He said the estimate was based on air surveillance by Indonesian authorities who found no signs of life in places like Meulaboh, Pulau Simeulue and Tapak Tuan while several islands off the west coast of Sumatera had "disappeared".

He said the latest death toll of more than 40,000 in Acheh and northern Sumatera did not take into account the figures from the other areas, especially in the west of the region.

"Aerial surveillance found the town of Meulaboh completely destroyed with only one buiding standing. The building, which belonged to the military, happens to be on a hill," he told reporters after receiving RM1 million in aid for Indonesia's Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund here Thursday.

Rusdihardjo said there were about 150,000 residents in Meulaboh, which was located 150km from the epicentre of the earthquake while Pulau Simeuleu had a population of 76,000.

Ambassador Rusdihardjo said a combination of earthquake and tsunami had left 80 to 100 per cent of infrastructure in Acheh province, such as hospitals, health centres, transport and communication networks and homes, destroyed.

"Looking at the scale of destruction, it's difficult to say when the search and rescue operations can be mounted in all affected areas," he said.

He said rescue efforts were hampered by transportation difficulties and lack of fuel.

Rusdihardjo said that at this time international help, especially in the form of medicines, clean water, food and clothing, were desperately needed by Indonesia to aid survivors in Acheh.

"Now we are worried about the outbreak of diseases such as cholera, the work of disposing corpses and the absence of clean water following the contamination of water sources," he said.

It would take years before the situation returned to normal, he said, adding that the Indonesian government was not able to estimate losses caused by the tragedy as yet.

He expressed his gratitude to Malaysia's help although the country itself was hit with 66 lives lost so far and property to the tune of millions of ringgit destroyed.

"We are deeply touched," he said.

Rusdihardjo said Indonesia was also seeking Malaysia's cooperation to mount search and rescue operations from its shores because of the close proximity of the two countries.

-- BERNAMA

Developing...

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-12-30 02:13pm

Oh my fucking Christ. When we include disease could we eventually see a death toll of a million?!

Also, if you hate your neighbor or want to get rid of a pesky wife and you live in these areas - now's the time. A friend of mine pointed this possibility out to me that with all this death how the hell could you ever get found out for murder?

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2004-12-30 05:12pm

Stravo wrote:Oh my fucking Christ. When we include disease could we eventually see a death toll of a million?!

Also, if you hate your neighbor or want to get rid of a pesky wife and you live in these areas - now's the time. A friend of mine pointed this possibility out to me that with all this death how the hell could you ever get found out for murder?

Rest assured there are those taking advantage of such opportunities. There always are.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-12-30 05:35pm

The UK gov't has increased the donation for relief funds to £50M, making it the largest international donator. UK charities have also raised £25M in just a couple of days.