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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (92398)	12/27/2004 12:58:22 AM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793858

I am reading emails and looking at pictures of the devastation. pictures: [60] soieasy.com emails MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE In Asia: Some Asian Blogs' Accounts themoderatevoice.typepad.com 2004 decided not to go quietly today when the biggest earthquake in 40 years struck deep in the Indian Ocean, triggering massive tsunamis -- wiping out Asian coastal areas and instantly drowning and killing more than 12,000 people. In a grim reminder that the well-laid plans of holiday goers, governments and politicians hinge on a higher power, the earthquake -- an estimated 9 point magnitude -- struck quickly and without mercy, decimating coastal areas some 1,000 miles away in a record-setting catastrophe. Far away, yet even with newspaper accounts the Internet made it seem MUCH closer...because some local weblogs instantaneously started telling bits of the horrific story: A first hand account appears on Thailand's Ernest's Whirrled's blog: Pong and a friend of his, Joy and I are on Phuket Island. Our hotel was destroyed in the tidal wave. We were trapped on the 4th floor for several hours. Our hotel was RIGHT ON THE BEACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here is an email I sent to my family in California: I was having breakfast on the front patio and saw the ocean recede which was weird then I saw a wave coming. I ran to our room screaming for Pong and Joy to get up ( They were sleeping) and go to the top floor. Water was already in our first floor room and we started climbing up the stairs. The guesthouse is only 5 stories tall. We stopped on the 4th floor and watched as the wave hit. I was scary as hell! After about 2 hours and several other big waves coming in we walked about 5 blocks up a hill to a resort hotel. I kept telling the people there all around me that I was diabetic and lost my insulin in the waves. A police truck came by on the way to the hospital and gave us a ride to the hospital in land and up hill. I got there and the place was a mad house. But I went straight to the pharmacy and bought insulin. We then found a new hotel about 2 blocks from the hotel it is called Nipa Villa still in the town of Patong and on Phuket island. The airport is under water, there is a bridge connecting the island to the mainland in the north of the island but that has been destroyed. I don't know how long we will be stuck here but we are OK. My friend Dino sent you an email earlier for me. I have phone contact with him and he will have any latest info. And, later, this: It is unreal what is going on here...I am in Patong Beach Phuket Thailand right now. ...Check out the pics, this is what it looks like in the town I am in RIGHT NOW!!! And he offers links to photos here and here. The Sri Lanka blog Extra Extra reports: The sheer brute violence of that single wave is staggering. Every house and fishing boat has been smashed, the entire length of the east coast. People who know and respect the sea well now talk of it in shock, dismay and fear. Some work to do this week. Wayward Mutterings: Having spent the last half an hour trotting merrily down the coast of Bambalapitiya (west coast) end to end, making small talk with the beachfront riffraff, the worst I saw was near the Bambalapitiya railway station where the waves started hitting the rail tracks. The situation is still difficult to gauge as the water levels keep going down only to increase again. I shall try to keep you posted on any new updates. Suffice to say that since I am living dangerously near the coast I have already checked to make sure my dining table can be turned over to construct a makeshift floating device at the shortest notice. I wonder how many of my books, cds and dvds can fit on it. Another Sri Lanka weblog Ceneus blog gives this account: It's always the case of humans destructing nature. But when nature has its turn, it sure ain't gonna think twice. While at sleep, my brother began to pass this idea of the earth shaking. Wait, the earth shaking? What nonsense! He actually did see some movement of the water in his glass, and so did we realize there's something coming our way. The surprise unleashed at around 1000 local time when the coastal areas began to feel the surge of sea water rising at heights that made people faint. It was here in Sri Lanka that the largest destruction of life was caused by numerous tidal waves which hit the east coast during day time. Even Colombo witnessed some minor waves hitting the shores causing inhabitants to abandon their household. Muttur and Trincomalee were the two most devastating locations, the former loosing thousands of lives and the latter with some major loss of material wealth. The Tricomalee Harbour was completely covered by waves and the Parakramabahu was sunk while many other ships were badly damaged. Who said you need military to bring down an harbour? Sir Lanka's Lady Kiadari writes: Here in the capital city - people panicked thinking a 30 -60 foot wave was to head their way in a reenactment of what occurred early morning. Looting occurred as crowds gathered to watch the sea surging in trepidation. People on the outskirts of the capital city were affected. All day long the phone and mobile networks have been jammed. People abroad are trying to get through to relatives to ascertain who has survived and who hasn't. To any of my relatives/friends elsewhere reading this: I am ok. This is life. These people have lost everything. We need aid. Send whatever you can to the Red Cross and Oxfam in your respective countries - they will make sure it gets where it needs to go. Please. And then there's BuddhiWeb: You are probably aware that my home country of Sri Lanka was hit by a bunch of tidal waves this morning causing significant destruction. I've been getting mail from people concerned about the safety of both myself and my family. Fortunately, my family lives in the western coast of the island which was not affected significantly by today's events. But, its worth taking a moment to think about those who weren't so fortunate. I'm looking into ways help can be sent from here, and I'll post it up as soon as I find a reliable channel.Thanks for caring! UPDATE: Other articles of interest: --Reuters reports that warnings such as those used in the Pacific could have saved thousands. --Destruction photos can be seen here.