![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Jai Narayan on December 26, 2004, at 9:42:42
Countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea earthquake of Moment magnitude scale 8.9 that struck the Indian Ocean off the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia on December 26, 2004 00:58:50 UTC (or 07:58:50 local time in Jakarta and Bangkok). It was the strongest earthquake in the world since the Good Friday Earthquake which struck Alaska in 1964, and the fifth largest since 1900. Thousands were killed by the resulting tsunamis, which were as high as 10 m (33 ft in some locations).
Posted by Jai Narayan on December 26, 2004, at 11:39:25
In reply to Indian Ocean earthquake magnitude scale 8.9, posted by Jai Narayan on December 26, 2004, at 9:42:42
The earthquake triggered massive tsunamis (popularly known as "tidal waves"), which struck the coasts of the Indian Ocean. However Pacific Ocean coasts were not affected. The death toll from the tsunamis and the resultant floods was reported to be more than 7,000, with hundreds of persons reported missing. Damage and casualties have been reported from:
Sri Lanka: 4,000+ killed. One million considered affected. National emergency declared.
India: 1,900 feared killed in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 400 fishermen feared missing.
Indonesia: 1,873 killed in Sumatra
In Chennai, India, the force of the waves threw cars off the coast road. Several hundred are feared dead in Tamil Nadu state.
Thailand: 400 feared killed, 289 confirmed. 100 tourists, especially divers missing. The popular tourist resort of Phuket was badly hit. Hundreds of holiday bungalows on the Phi Phi Islands were washed out to sea. Officially 99 confirmed dead and 1,100 injured.
Malaysia: 43 killed, 33 in Penang, 9 in Kedah and one each in Perak and Selangor.
the Maldives: 10 killed. Two-thirds of the capital city Malé was flooded. Outlying low-level atolls may be badly affected. State of emergency declared.
Somalia: 3 drowned and fishing boats were capsized.
Seychelles: 2 killed (unconfirmed report).
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Réunion : Many boats sunk.
In addition to the large number of local residents, some tourists during the busy Christmas holiday travel season were among the victims.
****I said a prayer for all these people and animals.
Jai Narayan
Posted by deirdrehbrt on December 26, 2004, at 13:16:51
In reply to update, posted by Jai Narayan on December 26, 2004, at 11:39:25
Thank you for keeping us informed. It's kind of sobering news right after what is supposed to be such a happy day.
Dee.
Posted by crushedout on December 26, 2004, at 20:23:46
In reply to update, posted by Jai Narayan on December 26, 2004, at 11:39:25
My God, it's so sad. I can't even imagine.
Posted by mair on December 27, 2004, at 16:35:30
In reply to Re: update » Jai Narayan, posted by crushedout on December 26, 2004, at 20:23:46
I have a sister who lives in Thailand but is spending Christmas with me, only because she picked this year as the time for my nephew to have some elective surgery. The original plan was for my brother and his family to visit her in Thailand for Christmas. Generally my sister takes everyone who visits her to Phuket, where she and her family frequently vacation. I think she thought she'd take my brother there before she decided to schedule the surgery and come here instead. I feel physically ill thinking of the possibility that I could have lost 2 siblings, and 2 nephews in the rush of one wave.
She's been so upset and glued either to CNN or to the internet or talking on the phone to her husband in Bangkok. At the time of the earthquake, he was jogging near an electric transformer which just blew up. He had no idea it was connected to the earthquake until later.
One of my sister's best friends (and neighbors) was vacationing in Phuket at the time. Miraculously, my sister just got a understandably terse email from her friend confirming that while she's stranded there, she and her family survived, and safely spent the night in a local high school. The internet is an amazing thing.
This is devastation of an incomprehensible scale. It touched me deeply to read that India had offered assistance to Sri Lanka even though India suffered terrible losses also.
Mair
Posted by gardenergirl on December 27, 2004, at 16:41:51
In reply to My sister dodged a bullet, posted by mair on December 27, 2004, at 16:35:30
Mair,
That's relieving news, I'm sure. I'm glad she and her husband are okay.Anyone know if cubbybear is in Thailand right now?
gg
Posted by Dinah on December 28, 2004, at 19:20:47
In reply to My sister dodged a bullet, posted by mair on December 27, 2004, at 16:35:30
I'm so glad your sister is safe.
The magnitude of it all sort of intimidates me, but I suppose I ought to look at it one piece at a time.
Anyone have any ideas what aide agencies are involved there?
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 29, 2004, at 8:25:32
In reply to Re: My sister dodged a bullet » mair, posted by Dinah on December 28, 2004, at 19:20:47
> I'm so glad your sister is safe.
>
> The magnitude of it all sort of intimidates me, but I suppose I ought to look at it one piece at a time.
>
> Anyone have any ideas what aide agencies are involved there?The Red Cross most certainly is. You can target your donation to a specific region, if you wish.
Lar
Posted by jasmineneroli on December 29, 2004, at 20:16:11
In reply to Re: My sister dodged a bullet » Dinah, posted by Larry Hoover on December 29, 2004, at 8:25:32
I can't express how terribly this massive tragedy has affected me, since I found out about it. I watched a half-hour of our excellent CBC (Canadian) news coverage, but in the end it was just too much. Too graphic, piles of bodies, grief stricken ppl etc.
I've had to avoid all mention of it on TV/newspapers now. I just worry about EVERYONE, whether I personally know ppl there or not. I cannot imagine what those directly affected can be feeling.
The death toll keeps on mounting, exponentially. I feel so helpless. I guess I can send money, but it won't be much :(.
Anyone else feel their pain like this???
Jas
Posted by mair on December 30, 2004, at 1:04:54
In reply to Absolutely sickened saddened, anyone else?, posted by jasmineneroli on December 29, 2004, at 20:16:11
Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes I'm riveted by the details, and overwelmed, but it's hard to stop thinking about it. I worry about the fact that the warm weather and lack of help and large numbers of dead means that in some places they're just throwing people into mass graves without even being able to take the time to identify them. So for so many survivors, there may not be the closure of confirming the death of a loved one. And for me, it's very hard not to picture my brother and sister and their spouses and children all being there, which was not so far off. My brother is a middle school science teacher; I find myself wondering if he would see danger in the way the water receded right before the deluge. Would he have figured out that they needed to get out of there; would he have been able to get everyone mobilized quickly enough. It sounds like everyone had so little time.
Some of the affected beaches in Thailand are ones where my sister has been many times. I (and I've discovered, she) wonder whether she can ever go back to Phuket; or whether it will always now carry too many awful reminders of tragedy on such a large scale.
But beyond personalizing it, I can't get my mind around the sheer incomprehensible numbers of dead. Look how our country reacted to the very tragic death of 3000+ people on 9/11. This catastrophe will likely kill more than 30 times that number.
Somewhere on the yahoo news page I got directed to the names and addresses of a number of different private agencies engaged in relief work. But whatever I can do feels just so inadequate.
Mair
Posted by Joslynn on December 30, 2004, at 15:58:16
In reply to Absolutely sickened saddened, anyone else?, posted by jasmineneroli on December 29, 2004, at 20:16:11
Yes I am thinking about it a lot. I have to avoid TV news but I have been reading about it on the web.
I donated a little money. I don't know what else to do. It is not taking over my brain but I am spending too much time reading about it.
Posted by jasmineneroli on January 1, 2005, at 15:45:17
In reply to Re: Absolutely sickened saddened, anyone else? » jasmineneroli, posted by mair on December 30, 2004, at 1:04:54
Your family must be so relieved.
I'm happy for them.
I'm avoiding watching TV, but just read the info on the 'net.
I'm wishing for aid to be efficiently applied.
Take care,
Jas
Posted by Jai Narayan on January 1, 2005, at 19:45:26
In reply to Re: Absolutely sickened saddened, anyone else? » mair, posted by jasmineneroli on January 1, 2005, at 15:45:17
My dear jasmineneroli,
I know exactly how you feel.
For me there is almost no seperation...I don't have a TV.
My only source is the internet, Wikipedia, my mind and my heart.I know what you can do...
send the suffering people love and light.
Take a moment and send them healing energy.
You will be amazed at how powerful that is.
Surround them with gentle, calming, loving energy.
I am.
My thoughts are with you tonight.
Ja*
Posted by jasmineneroli on January 1, 2005, at 20:01:19
In reply to to jasmineneroli and everyone else...., posted by Jai Narayan on January 1, 2005, at 19:45:26
Thank-you Jai:
I needed that :)
I just felt so powerless and small.
Now I have something I can DO!
And I will.
Take care & warm wishes
Jas
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Social | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.