Belgian_Skygirl 0 #26 December 29, 2004 We shouldn't forget that there are no means in the third world to give people a training on what they should do... it is easier said than done. I think that aid i rather sat on helping people to survive in daily life, rather than explaining to them what they should do when there is a tsunami. I wouldn't have known what was coming based on the receding water, as I live in Belgium 100 km from the coast. We live in a "stable" country as there is hardly any tectonic activity... Twice in my live I experienced an earth quake over here, but a person may have thought is was a heavy truck passing by. Of course the next day it was on the news that we had a small earth quake. Nobody really realised. However, if I would have seen the water receding suddenly, I guess my instinct would have told me: get the hell out of here... I know the characteristics of a tsunami... but I don't know if I would have recognized it. My heart goes out to all people overthere. On the news, we hear about the tourists in that area all the time... but there are thousands and thousands of asians that got killed... there will be another thousands and thousands that will die due to the diseases that come after such a disaster, there will be no food as crops are devastated... fertile earth has been scraped away... fauna and flora is seriously damaged.... economy won't do well the next years.... poor poor people. Of course I think it is too bad for tourists that did not survive and I feel sorry as well for their families... but just imagine... people overthere have far less than we do... and now they have less than little... and they have nowhere to go... You know what really pisses me off? Last night I was watching the news... I heard about the events in Asia over and over again... all those people that lost their lifes and will lose their lives... they didn't ask for it. They were just leading their lives. Than I heard news about the war in Iraq (again people got killed), Israel and Palestina... Well, it is a shame that people kill each other... especially when you see that in Asia many people got killed by a natural phenonema.. that there are people suffering from hunger and disasters all over the world. I don't know if you know what I mean... I just want to say that it is a shame that here are that many wars, where people tend to kill each other intentionnally for political and economic reasons, because of racism, ... whilst over 55000 other people's live get wiped away due to an earthquake and its consequences.------------------------------------------------- No dive, like skydive... wanna bet on it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
boudy 0 #27 December 29, 2004 QuoteSo, why then does it seem that the locals in this region weren't trained in the same manner? I mean, here in CA we were trained several times/year what to do in the event of an earthquake. Come to think of it, the training didn't stop after leaving school....where I work in a hospital we have the same training....plus triage training now. http://www.hindustantimes.com/2004/Dec/28/181_1171017,00050001.htm The region's limited resources combined with the perceived neglible risk of this sort of diaster (last tsunami: 1883) contributed to the lack of awareness & warning. Understandable - we live near a major faullt line in Illinois but we were never earthquake trained as kids - tornados we knew about because frequent visits earned some local areas the title - tornado alley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #28 December 29, 2004 hmmm. I think I would have run if I was in sight of the ocean & could see the water recede rapidly. I have always known that tidal waves are usually preceded by the water getting sucked away rapidly, & I would have hauled ass inland for higher ground. I thought it was pretty common knowledge, like lightning striking high points on the landscape,etc. But you would have to be in sight of the shore to see the water retracting, or have someone run up & tell you in time. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
funks 1 #29 December 30, 2004 New information states that the water receded back 1/2 mile prior to the tsunami hitting. That is one hell of a sign that something is wrong! My bet is that most people who saw it let their curiosity get the best of them and just sat there in awe witnessing the recession not knowing what was about to come. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newsstand 0 #30 December 31, 2004 Another reason there is no warning system in that part of the world is that this is a once in 500 year event. Something like 95% of tidal waves happen in the Pacific where the warning systems are in place. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot1 0 #31 December 31, 2004 QuoteAnother reason there is no warning system in that part of the world is that this is a once in 500 year event. Something like 95% of tidal waves happen in the Pacific where the warning systems are in place. True. The money spent to have one put in place will cost alot, and it probably never have a chance to be used. I hope. Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #32 December 31, 2004 I would have known what was coming if I saw the water recede like that. I'd be getting the fuck out of there. It happens too when hurricanes make landfall and the storm surge comes in. Tsunamis are just about like the hurricane's surge in power and strength. The Tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean was probably equal to the power of a category 3 or 4 hurricane's surge, though that's speculation, but based on the video I've seen of the recent Tsunami, it seems about right."Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dorbie 0 #33 January 1, 2005 QuoteI would have known what was coming if I saw the water recede like that. I'd be getting the fuck out of there. It happens too when hurricanes make landfall and the storm surge comes in. Tsunamis are just about like the hurricane's surge in power and strength. The Tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean was probably equal to the power of a category 3 or 4 hurricane's surge, though that's speculation, but based on the video I've seen of the recent Tsunami, it seems about right. I would have known had I been on the beach. I don't think you can assume much from the available video. There were many places hit by the wave and the ones closest to the quake and with the right orientation and topography would have been hit hardest. Satellite images of Banda Aceh Beach show entire neighbourhoods, roads and bridges washed away with harbor walls and significant landmass just gone completely, the place is scoured and I doubt many survived. This wave was obvioulsy massive in some places, big enough to do more than wash crud into the pool or up the street. http://www.digitalglobe.com/tsunami_gallery.html The satellite images in the above page also seem to have caught images near the time of the wave hitting one beach showing the wave surging onto the beach in one and the receeding seas (possibly after the wave possibly before, both can happen and I don't trust the caption). In the images the sea seems to have receeded a heck of a lot at least in these shots (again may be before of after the wave). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dorbie 0 #34 January 8, 2005 I've seen similar shots, some of the same areas before but these show a larger area. There's also direct evidence of the damage to coral reefs in one of the images. http://www.spaceimaging.com/gallery/tsunami/default.htm#aceh Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
