Its two years now but just thought we should take a moment to remember the biggest natural disaster in history. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16354198/ Asian nations remember 2004 tsunami Warning drills held along beaches where hundreds of thousands died Updated: 9:59 p.m. CT Dec 25, 2006 BALI, Indonesia - Thousands of people fled beaches on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali in a tsunami drill Tuesday, kicking off remembrances across Asia two years after devastating waves crashed into coastlines and killed 230,000 people. Elsewhere across the disaster zone, survivors and mourners were marking the anniversary by visiting mass graves, lighting candles along beaches and observing two minutes of silence. Some volunteers were preparing to plant mangroves, saying they were key to protecting coastal communities. The magnitude-9.0 earthquake that ripped apart the ocean floor off Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Dec. 26, 2004 spawned giant waves that fanned out across the Indian Ocean at jetliner speeds, killing people in a dozen countries and leaving millions homeless. Walls of water two stories high swept entire villages to sea in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, submerged luxury resorts and fishing communities in Thailand and destroyed thousands of homes in India. Sirens offer a reminder and a lesson The drill Tuesday — which involved real-time warnings sent from the capital to radios along the beach — was aimed at raising awareness and at testing technology deployed in the country hardest hit two years ago. Nearly 167,000 of those killed were from Aceh province on Sumatra where tens of thousands of people still live in temporary homes. The hardest hit zone is nowhere near Bali. Sirens wailed as masses, many of them school children, briskly walked inland from Bali’s shore, accompanied by Indonesia’s minister of research and technology and a handful of foreign tourists. But not everyone was moving. “I’m not going anywhere. I still have to make some money this morning,” said Wati, a woman selling baked corn-on-the-cob on the beach. Click for related content Tsunami survivors face a fitful recovery In Thailand, ceremonies will be held along the Andaman coast with Buddhist prayers to remember more than 8,200 killed. Balloons will be launched and candles lit along beaches once again filled with sun-seeking tourists. Authorities will also open a cemetery for hundreds of unidentified tsunami victims. “We hope this will be part of the healing process for those who lost loved ones,” said Chamroen Tankasem, a government official in southern Thailand, a tropical paradise that was turned into a graveyard in a matter of minutes. “It will also help us remember what happened, what we have learned since ... and what more needs to be done for the people affected.” Civil war adds to suffering In Sri Lanka, the resurgence of a civil war has added to the misery of survivors and slowed efforts to rebuild — sparking criticism Tuesday from outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan who urged Tamil Tiger rebels and the military to lay down their arms. “No one could have prevented the tsunami’s wave of destruction,” he wrote in a statement. “But together, we can stem the tide of conflict, which threatens once again to engulf the people of Sri Lanka.” While many in the island nation were preoccupied with war on Tuesday, Hindu and Buddhist temples were ringing bells to mark the time the first wave hit followed by two of silence to remember the 35,000 killed. In India, where another 18,000 are believed to have died, interfaith ceremonies were being held. In Malaysia, where 69 people died, volunteers were preparing to replant mangroves, saying the tsunami demonstrated how important the coastal forests can be in protecting communities. The 2004 tsunami generated an unprecedented outpouring of generosity, with donor pledges reaching some $13.6 billion. But many of the 2 million made homeless complain they still do not have adequate places to live.
The more I read about the tsunami the more I am awed by the scope of what happened. Probably the scariest thing someone could ever face.
I would think being in a toweing inferno where one of the better options is to jump to your death rather than feel the pain of the heat might just be the scariest thing someone could ever face.
In terms of numbers dead probably so but I don't think in terms of extent of damage. You had people directly affected by it from Thailand all the way to Somalia. I don't think in recorded human history there has ever been anything that big.
As far as a one-time immediate hit...maybe (see below. But can you call the bubonic plague a natural disaster? I would venture to say, yes, since nature is most definitely involved. In which case, that probably takes top billing. Over a 5 year period in Europe, 25 million people died, 1/3 of the total population. And the disease started in Asia, so even more died there. The linked website has some useful information. The disease eventually "died down" but still remained relatively prevalant here and there until the 1600's! And the disaster had enormous political and economic impact for years. If we're talking about before recorded history, the blast that killed the dinosaurs probably takes the cake....considering without that event, it is unclear as to whether we'd even be here or not. Finally, as far as relatively recent natural disasters go, there are other options available, too. Just google worst natural disaters.... Take the most devastating earthquake in modern times, which was the famous 1976 Tangshan magnitude 8 event in China, whose toll varies between the official 255,000, and a possible 655,000. This event truly began the modern era of intense seismic hazard monitoring in China and the West. Going back further again, little is known of an earlier lethal earthquake that struck the Chinese city of Shaanzi in 1556. No magnitudes are quoted, and of course no recordings exist, but it is said to have taken the lives of 830,000 people. Again, my respects to all those who perished 2 years ago. But as tends to be the case, things that are more recent hold significantly more sway, and of course, more coverage.
The 7.6 earthquake in 2005 in Pakistan killed nearly 75,000 people. It largely went unreported in the American press. Many Westerners I speak to don't even know it occurred.
You are correct that humans have a tendency to place signifigance on recent events more than past events. For instance, I don't know the numbers off the top of my head, but didn't a 100,000 die in an earthquake in Armenia in the 90's?, also lets not forget Krakatoa in terms of scope either. That said the 2004 Tsunami ranks among the largest natural disasters in terms of scope and extent. While you're right that plagues have killed more I wouldn't consider them as singular events. If we are considering the bubonic plagues a natural disaster you could then say that cancer or heart disease are natural disasters too. While awful I think that muddies the definition of natural disaster.
i was in phuket by andaman sea in sept and it was packed, even during rainy season so i don't think it skipped a beat, rebuilding wise. at least ppl are picking up and moving on.
i was in sri lanka on vacation on my way to india the day before the tsunami hit. the hotel we had was literally on the coast and my friends loved the place so much they were trying to get the date of our tickets changed to the 27th to spend a few more days in sri lanka. thank god it was going to be over a hundred dollars per ticket for the change otherwise who knows where i would be right now. on the way home we had just a day lay-over in sri lanka and went back to where our hotel was. i say was because when we arrived at the place there was nothing except debris, old foundations and broken trees. it was completely demolished. it was the first time my own mortality really hit me. my girlfriend at the time broke down right there. my prayers go out to all those affected by this horrible tragedy
