8.9 quake in Sumatra...

[James_D]

It just passed 88000

Since we eruopean often have critisized the americans for their use of the military, I would also like to give some credit to the US marines, which has redirected to 2 strike groups to the areas, they are going to be used for producing clean water to the affected areas. And also bring field hospitals.

JD

[VJ]

Has anyone seen those recent images?
They show a hotel where you see people laying by the pool, swimming, reading, ... as if nothing happened. It turns out that 200m away from there, people are cleaning rubble, salvaging what can be used, .... They even showed a tourist sunbading on the beach, amidst the debris. This really sickenend me.
So much misery literaly metres away, and all the seem to care about is the temperature of the swimming pool. Are people so blind for other peoples misery?

I feel the images we see of the floods don't show the horror the people must have gone through (and are still going through).



Jörg

[Technoid]

Originally posted by VJ
Has anyone seen those recent images?
They show a hotel where you see people laying by the pool, swimming, reading, ... as if nothing happened. It turns out that 200m away from there, people are cleaning rubble, salvaging what can be used, .... They even showed a tourist sunbading on the beach, amidst the debris. This really sickenend me.
So much misery literaly metres away, and all the seem to care about is the temperature of the swimming pool. Are people so blind for other peoples misery?

I feel the images we see of the floods don't show the horror the people must have gone through (and are still going through).



Jörg

Unfortunatley yes

[The PIT]

Well if I was there I'd be asking what can I do to help??

Not sitting on the beech or sitting in a hotel like some leech.

[The PIT]

Anyway just made a donation to oxfam.

Sadly it seems even a tragedy this size politics is still interfering in places like Sri Lanka where Tamill held areas are getting no aid from the authorites. Don't you love humans.

Biggest diaster since 1976??? China where 240,000 died and 164,000 injured.

[Taz]

Originally posted by VJ
Are people so blind for other peoples misery?

They're not blind, they just don't care They'll just hop on the plane back home whereas the people there have no home

[cjolley]

Originally posted by Taz
They're not blind, they just don't care They'll just hop on the plane back home whereas the people there have no home

Well, to be kind, some of them may be in shock.
Stuck doing whatever it was they were doing when it happened.
Chuck

[Jammrock]

Can you even imagine how pissed the locals are, especially the ones that have to staff the hotels while dozens of their families and friends are missing and/or dead. Talk about lack of empathy.

Jammrock

[lecter]

Those people are actually a group of Russian tourists who chartered a plane...several other planes chartered by Russian tour groups were diverted to Bangkok, but these people specifically insisted that they go to Phuket and they even wanted to visit Phi Phi Island, to see the mayhem with their own eyes...the tour operators in Russia are marketing this with stuff like "Well, one side of Phuket Island is destroyed, but you can sunbathe and swim just fine on ther other side".

Also, because of the death of the King's grandson, all New Year countdowns won't take place here and the celebrations will surely be subdued...

I'm happy I'm getting out, I really see no point in greeting another year in the shadow of human misery and tragedy. Even if it had happened to me or other people I know (the aunt of a friend of mine was actually missing for 2 days on Phuket, but thankfully they found her alive and without injuries) it would feel essentially the same...life does go on, even without them or us so we should enjoy it while it lasts.

[Mikko]

This is a terrible tragedy.

Actually, couple of my friends had travelled to Thailand for a month vacation, but they came back to Finland just before Christmas. They were lucky...

[Helevitia]

My God!

U.S. scientists said the quake that set off the wall of water had moved tectonic plates beneath the Indian Ocean by up to 100 feet, causing the Earth to wobble on its axis and permanently shortening the day by a fraction of a second.

[KvHagedorn]

Where did you find that? link please?

edit: nevermind

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1418302,00.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/12/29/wtsu429.xml

[KvHagedorn]

Dr Ben Chao, of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre, said one calculation suggested that the quake would cut the length of day by three millionths of a second and cause a pole shift of around an inch.

This is actually a little bit in the right direction if it is true.. the Earth's rotation is actually slowing under normal conditions. The net effect is that days are getting longer.

[Brian Ellis]

Just got back from hospital to learn that the family of a close friend of a neignbour, whom we often met, were in Thailand, I think Phuket. The wife and two kids are confirmed dead but the husband is alive, but probably would have been better had he not been. He is badly injured and in hospital, both physically and very badly mentally. He is in total denial and requires periodic restraining.

The death figure is now likely to hit 100 k before tomorrow, the population of a fairish sized town.

[The PIT]

Death Toll now at least 120,000 and expected to rise even further.

So far in the UK charties have raised a record 20 million pounds. The next problem is getting the aid where it is needed.

After shocks are still occuring as expected. However panic was started by a badly worded warning from Indian which gave the impression that another wave was on the way. This further hampered relief operations as panic took place.