Shocked..

Millions of homeless, I can't even begin to comprehend how a relief effort will deal with that.

Has anyone else watched the amatuer footage being broadcast of this? The power of mother nature is just aweing. The power and the scale of what I was watching looked like a B rate movie, but then you stop and realize those are real 3 story buildings being buried in water etc...

 

for the families and the relief efforts to put these peoples lives back together who did survive.

Has anyone else watched the amatuer footage being broadcast of this?  The power of mother nature is just aweing.  The power and the scale of what I was watching looked like a B rate movie, but then you stop and realize those are real 3 story buildings being buried in water etc... 

 

for the families and the relief efforts to put these peoples lives back together who did survive.

My parents were both in Penang in Malaysia about 6 months ago, on a holiday while my Dad was working over there. I too was in Malaysia earlier on in the year, but I was only in the capital of Kuala Lumpur.

 

All of the footage you see just amazes me more everytime, and then there's the stories of those who survived, like a 3 month old baby on a mattress floating on water, I think I recall hearing. This is going to be one hell of a global aid effort to get things back on track, and then there's other aspects to consider like the economy and tourism etc.

 

And something like this could happen in Australia as well, if there was an earthquake off near New Zealand, they were saying a couple of days ago. You don't think it would happen, but hell, who would have thought something like this would have happened.

Well, if I understand the Richter scale right, a 4 is 10 times as strong as a 3, a 5 is 10 times as strong as a 4, and so on.

 

So this 9 is 10 times an 8, 100 times a 7, 1000 times a 6 and 10000 times a 5.

This graphic I found, sums it up pretty well;

 

My parents were both in Penang in Malaysia about 6 months ago, on a holiday while my Dad was working over there. I too was in Malaysia earlier on in the year, but I was only in the capital of Kuala Lumpur.

 

All of the footage you see just amazes me more everytime, and then there's the stories of those who survived, like a 3 month old baby on a mattress floating on water, I think I recall hearing. This is going to be one hell of a global aid effort to get things back on track, and then there's other aspects to consider like the economy and tourism etc.

 

And something like this could happen in Australia as well, if there was an earthquake off near New Zealand, they were saying a couple of days ago. You don't think it would happen, but hell, who would have thought something like this would have happened.

You were pretty isolated from all of this right? All of the Aussie effects were on the western and nothern coasts if I am understanding my geology right? And that area is pretty desolate?

You were pretty isolated from all of this right?  All of the Aussie effects were on the western and nothern coasts if I am understanding my geology right?  And that area is pretty desolate?

Yeah I don't think it got close to Australia, Indonesia would have been the southern most point it hit, but if it did come to Australia, it would have been to the north and the west part of the country. I'm down here in the south - east in Melbourne. And yeah that area is pretty desolate, lots of deserts and open country, not really a capital city very close, about 1000 - 1500 miles away.

I heard an expert on WGN news this morning summarize it by saying that basically a 5 mile piece of land shifted about 50 feet, creating waves moving at 400 mph!

I heard an expert on WGN news this morning summarize it by saying that basically a 5 mile piece of land shifted about 50 feet, creating waves moving at 400 mph!

That one break caused a 620 mile section of plate to move. I even read that the sheer size of the quake will cause the earth to have a slight wobble in orbit for a short period of time.

 

Also Rueters is now reporting at least 50,000 dead

 

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor.../ts_nm/quake_dc

I did want to put this info out there. For people who are wanting to help and donate to help, these are the recommended sources that I have been able to find.

 

AMERICAN RED CROSS:

http://www.redcross.org or call (800) 435-7669

 

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS:

http://www.doctorswithoutborders-usa.org/donate or (888) 392-0392

 

MERCY CORPS: http://www.mercycorps.org or (800) 292-3355 Ext. 250

 

CARE USA: http://www.careusa.org or (800)

521-2273

 

AMERICACARES: http://www.americares.org or (800) 486-4357

 

UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org

Edited December 28, 200421 yr by southsider2k4

Wow, I'm totally taken back all this. This has to be one of the biggest disasters not related to war in the last 50 years.

That one break caused a 620 mile section of plate to move.  I even read that the sheer size of the quake will cause the earth to have a slight wobble in orbit for a short period of time.

 

Also Rueters is now reporting at least 50,000 dead

 

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor.../ts_nm/quake_dc

Fascinating. When you consider the earth is like 80% ocean and water, it's really amazing the delicate balance that everything is in.

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthrea...hreadid=1396397

 

Pictures courtesy of a goon from SA.

It's a bit funny ya know? The best pictures I have seen from this tragedy yet, and the most links, come from a site that is providing my day with a tremendous amount of humor! I decided to bounce around that Something Awful site, and those people are a riot! Great site. Thanks for providing that link.

 

O.K., back to the real depressing stuff. Watching the Reuters footage is too dang depressing. I can't get this off my mind.

52,000 now. Total getting close to the population of Schaumburg now. They are having trouble identifying bodies now because it's been so long.

Very sad...

Makes me glad I live in the midwest.....

52,000 now.  Total getting close to the population of Schaumburg now.  They are having trouble identifying bodies now because it's been so long.

It's creepy how the bodies have been washing back on to shore now.

They expect it get much higher once diseases break out in those regions.

Wow, this is terrible.

 

My thoughts and prayers are with the familes and friends of the victims.

This is really bad. I have a friend that is native to Sri Lanka. I can only pray for his family and everyone else over there.

This is a disaster of monumental proportions. Terrible.

Amazon is almost up to a million in donations already.

http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/my-pay...2868895-6336812

Death toll now over 80,000, with Indonesia reporting almost 25,000 deaths by itself.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/2...uake/index.html

A London newspaper is reporting 100,000 plus dead, and possibly up to an estimated 80,000 in one the state of Sumatra. This number could end up being still way higher...

 

http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/...20Standard&ct=5

This site has many links to photo's and video's of the devistation.. as well as several asshole comments..

 

The damage is unreal. I can't begin to comprehend what these people are dealing with.

 

The Red Cross got a few $100 from us.. I realize many here are not financially fortunate.. but every $$ helps... and prayers. Many prayers.

 

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthrea...0&pagenumber=13

The scale of this is just about beyond the scope of human comprehension. That so seemingly distant cornert of the world, and the families of all those lost remain in my thoughts and in my heart.

None of the video that I've seen comes anywhere close to capturing the extent of the catastrophe. It just looks like a few high waves.

I guess everyone who was close enough to get good footage is not around to show it to us.