The Boxing Day tragedy

[PWNED]

On boxing Day ( Christmas Day if in America) there was a particually nasty earthquake in the ocean near Thailand which caused massive Tsunamis which hit Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and southeren Asia and the shockwave was felt lightly in Perth and Western Africa. It was the biggest earthquake in 40 years, measuring 8.9 on the rictor but what was terrible is that it created up to 10 meter tall tsunamis. According to news reports this morning the death toll overall is 23,000 deaths and it is still growing by the hour.

18 million Aussie dollars or so will have to be paid ( Not by Australia but we will pay part of it) by the goverment to get all the reapirs because in Sri Lanka whole villiages were destroyed which means this is the biggest recent tradgedy. I am asking Otakuboardes to donate towards the programs that are helping the people and places that have been affected.

[Morpheus]

As much as I hate to say this, this is not the place to ask. There is a very, very minimal chance that anyone will want to send anything. We're not hateful or anything, but this is a little too much to ask of mostly teenagers. Even if we did want to help, Where would we send funds? How will we now they are not going strait to you? You need to show that this is authentic and provide an address for sending.

[Retribution]

[quote name='Morpheus']As much as I hate to say this, this is not the place to ask. There is a very, very minimal chance that anyone will want to send anything. We're not hateful or anything, but this is a little too much to ask of mostly teenagers. Even if we did want to help, Where would we send funds? How will we now they are not going strait to you? You need to show that this is authentic and provide an address for sending.[/quote]

Amen to that. heh. But to repeat what Morpheus said, you're probably not getting any money from here. Your chances might raise above the zero mark if you had at least given an address or contact info.

Would this be considered soliciting/advertising?

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff]Gosh - I'm realy retarded. I made this thread, then I saw the boxing day thread, edited this post, then I [b]read[/b] the boxing day thread which is being considered advertising right now, so I'll just repost everything I had to say. If the mods decide to merge this with the other thread or whatever, go ahead. I'll keep this here until then.

It's so tragic what happened in Southern Asia with the earthquake. For those of you who are still in the dark, and earthquake somewhere from 8.9 to 9.2 (I've heard anywhere in between) struck in the [i]water[/i] near Indonesia. It upset the waves, obviously, spreading ripples and causing massive tsunamis in about 10 countries, and the death toll has risen to 22,000 people, according to CNN.com

Where were you/how did you find out about the disaster? Thoughts, opinions, reactions?


Yesterday I had just finished watching [i]The Bourne Identity[/i] (yeah, that's right, I'd never seen it - so what?), and I went into my mom's room to tell her how good the movie was and that I liked it. She said she was glad I enjoyed it, blah blah blah, and then almost extremely factually (kinda like when Trump says "you're fired" - it's so casual) she told me that a tsunami had hit Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Thailand, and other countries.

Well, my dad lives in Bangkok, so my heart sped up and dropped to my knees for a moment. My head was racing, and I thought of how I would get in touch to find out if he's okay. I went online to assess the damage (CNN news), and found out, thank goodness for me, that the wave did not hit Bangkok - just southern Thailand & islands.

I sent him an e-mail just to make sure he was okay, asking for a response ASAP. I followed the story lightly today (to be honest, I was still kind of in shock, and incredibly thankful that nothing had happened to him and my stepmom), and he called me - so I had audio proof that he was okay.

It's really sad, because so many people lost their lives, and homes. A British friend of his was vacationing there, but he's okay. The beach house of the man who's head of BMW for Thailand was destroyed, and the Royal King of Thailand's grandson was killed on one of the islands. Naturally the papers haven't said anything out of respect for the king (he's a monarch that actually does stuff and doesn't sit on his ***).

It's just so sad what happened, and I think it really hit me hard because my dad could have been vacationing. It's really scary to know my dad was so close to the destruction and death. About an hour ago I saw my first actual TV news story about relief and relief funds for the disaster, and since then, I've been instantly jolted out of my state of shock.

I've decided that when I go back to school, I'm at least going to try organize a committee and start raising funds during lunch that will go toward the red cross. I guess it's a little selfish, because I'm sure I wouldn't feel so strongly if I didn't know someone close to the disaster, but I'm going to at least try and see if my school will do something like that.

Heh. That's crazy Roxanne for you.[/color]

[TheShinje]

It was the worst quake, anywhere in the world, for at least 40 years.

It's just so much that it makes you sit back, and just, wow.

Over here, the news broadcasts showed some amcam footage of the Tsunami that ravaged SriLanka. It was quite sobering to see that, and know you are watching people being swept away and drowned. It's a wretched horrible feeling that's right up there with the September 11 footage.

The SriLankan cricket team are touring over here, and have decided to keep on with the tour despite the tradgedy back home. I can only imagine how it must feel for them to be over here, when their country is suffering after such a calamity. I hope they know if their friends and relatives are okay.

[KKC]

[size=1] I saw it last night before going to bed. I was just fliping through channels and stopped on one to get my pajamas on (They have frogs and ducks on them!) and started listening about it, I watched for about half an hour and then went to bed.

My mom asked if I had heard about it this morning and showed me the section in the paper. It really bothered me that the countries and people had no warning at all about the tsunami (except for the waves geting bigger) because of the lack in technology they have. If they had an Earth quake radar thing or a Tsunami one (I don't know if there is a device that can tell if a Tsunami is coming, but on the new some guy metioned it.) the people could have gone to higher ground or tried to get out the area. I wish people could do something about that.

I think it's really horrible, many people have been killed (and the thousand that are missing are probably dead as well) and many people are homeless now. I can't even imagine what it would be like...

BTW: I havn't seen The Bourne Identity either, so don't feel bad or anything :wink: [/size]

[Kitty]

[quote name='chaseotaku']quad i kno you got that from that t shirt[/quote] [COLOR=Blue][SIZE=1]*cough*totalspam*cough* You could at [i]least[/i] pay a LITTLE attention to the topic of the thread. Oiy.

Anyway. I was bouncing on my cousin's new trampalene. (I am 14, you know. Not too old for it yet. ^_~ ) He had the neighbor kid over, who is visiting from Canada for the next week, and when he went inside to get a soda, he must've seen my dad watching the news with my uncle or something, and ran out (soda in hand) telling me and my cousin all about the earthquake and tsunami(s).

I was actually quite surprised. I'm not sure why, after all, I don't know anyone who lives there, nor have I shown any interest in such areas (no offense). But I just felt.. well, shocked.

Later today, around an hour or so ago, I was watching TV as well as surfing the web (yes, I can multi-task quite well) and stumbled upon CNN and they were showing footage of the water flooding pools and streets and docks. They were a little scary. I was very startled when they showed a clip of people grabbing children out of a hotel swimming pool as the wave approached. I saw a few make it, but the clip ended quickly. Maybe the others didn't make it?

Probably. Why else wouldn't they finish out the clip.

Ugh. This has been a horrible year. Can't wait for '05.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Sol-Blade]

[quote name='chaseotaku']quad i kno you got that from that t shirt[/quote]

[SIZE=-3]There's the reason for the quake right there. lol

Okay, lets be serious now. I found out about it on monday morning. I too was flipping through the channels when I saw footage of some people on a beach being washed away by a wave. And I must say, powerful footage indeed. I really felt bad, even more so when I heard the casualties...20,000+ and growing. Just, wow. I couldn't believe it. I mean, this is the kind of stuff you only see in movies. I never actually thought I would live in the age where a tsunami would devastate an actual country. What's bound to be even worse, is the aftermath. I mean, all that humidity and the weather...there's bound to be disease spreading about. And with so many dead, and no where to put them...disease is going to be around.

That's truly a State Of Emergency right there, I really hope other nations can help them recover.[/SIZE]

[MissWem]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]... My reaction? I suddenly worried about the one guy I know that lives in Malaysia, then the other guy I knew, then some other two which are friends of theirs 0__o Which lead me to wondering how I got to know so many people in Malaysia. Luckily they're fine since they live in Borneo which was shielded by West Malaysia. Although one was in Thailand when the earthquake hit. Of course someone had to add to that by telling me a friend was vacationing in Sri Lanka, thankfullly I found out that same day that she's fine.

*sigh* They're all fine.

The entire situation is really quite unreal.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Sara]

[color=#4b4b79]Roxie and Derelict, I'm glad to hear that your friends and family are alright.

I also do not think that it's beyond the pale to ask that people (should they have the inclination) help out. If anyone is interested in donating to relief organizations, [url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/quake.aidsites/index.html]CNN has provided a list of links[/url] to organizations that are collecting funds to help out. I'm sure there are also collections for things like soap, clothing, and the like. If you want to help out, there is no way that your effort would go unappreciated.

I actually had not heard about the earthquake until these threads were posted. I don't watch television, and I still haven't heard anything but Christmas music on the radio. Having read some articles on it now, I can say that I'm very upset by the whole thing. Mm.

chaseotaku, another post like that and you will be banned. Read our [url=http://Otakuboards.com/rules.php?]rules[/url] before you post anything else.

best part of waking up,
Sara[/color]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Morpheus']As much as I hate to say this, this is not the place to ask. There is a very, very minimal chance that anyone will want to send anything. We're not hateful or anything, but this is a little too much to ask of mostly teenagers. Even if we did want to help, Where would we send funds? How will we now they are not going strait to you? You need to show that this is authentic and provide an address for sending.[/quote]

He didn't say, "Send money to me." He asked that people send money to the programs, charities, etc. which would be providing aid to the countries affected by the tsunami. It was an appeal to "the better angels of our nature," so to speak. I think you all are totally misinterpreting this, but I'll let Daermon_Nashabe clear things up.

~Dagger~

[PWNED]

Thank you Dagger for clearing that up for me ( I'm hopeless at simplifying), Send money to any charity that is helping out to get this disaster under control by helping clear wreckage and help survivors. I myself have donated all my avalible money to the red cross because they are helping the survivors. I am third generation Anglo-Indian so I am still kind of affected because I have family living on the coast of India so it was a shock when i heard of it.

NEW DEATH TOLL UP-DATE : CLOSE TO SIXTY THOUSAND HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF THE TSUNAMIS NOW.

[Guest Moonrise]

ok let me just come out of nowhere, now its 70 thousand found dead and Australia got a a little taste of the weather, in Melbourne on Boxing Day with strongwinds and hail, it was really bad

[Kareiyasha]

I must have been closed in my little shell pretty tightly because I only heard about this a full 48 hours AFTER it happened! Naturally I felt horribly for the people who live and work there. Anyway, I was getting a drive home from work from my step-dad and I was talking to him about it. He the proceeded to tell me about a woman he knows who makes his lunch for him sometimes at a small coffee shop by his office. He was talking to him the other day and told him that her nephew was on vacation in Thailand and that she has been praying that the young man managed to make it out of there alright. The most heart breaking part he said was the fact that seemed to be trying so hard to keep the smile on her face. I mean the death toll is already 7 times that of what 9/11 was and yet people in North America aren't freaking out. I know this was a NATURAL occurrence, but I feel like I need to help out somehow.

[Attimus331]

Well i just heard about the thing today. I sat down at my kitchen table with my mother for a quick dinner and she told me. She said she was surprised that i didn't know...judging by her tone i think she was also trying to say i should get more involved with world affairs...or something. Anyways i was very shocked on the manor. I thought to myself, do i know anyone that lives in that area? No...no i don't, thank God. Anyways after i finished eating i tried looking for some info on the event...but i quickly got distracted. This thread was the first "solid" piece of information i got on the disaster. I'm pretty awstruck about the whole thing, it's all very crazy and very sad.

The only good thing that comes from disasters is that we come to a realization that something was wrong. That something could have been done, but wasn't. Well...this is no different, i hope that we can learn from this and become better from it. That's about all i have to say.

Later.

[Guest ZeroAnime]

uhright now the death toll is up to 100,000. Thats a lot of people but its nothing like when Kraktoa erupted that explosion was heard 23,000 miles away(the distants New York to San Fransisco) death toll more than 500,000 people . but of course that happened back in 351AD. but i alredy did my good deed for the day and got no more money in my allowance to be givin out for free. I know i sound cold and i am. Death and mass tragedy are needed to keep population down.(No Emotions) :sleep:

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]Damn, somebody beat me to posting this, heh.

I live in Australia [Western side as well], and happened to be at the beach on the day that this happened. We didn't get any waves, but the tide came in very fast...peoples gear had to be moved. When we got home we found out what probably caused it.

At first I didn't think too much of it. I didn't realise how big it was going to be. The footage they'd showed didn't look that devastating. But then, the toll began to mount.

From 16,000 to 23,000. There they said it may well double.

23,000 to 36,000 and the doubling was still possible.

Now the latest reports are predicting well over 100,000 dead. Only 8 Australians, by all reports, but the amount is staggering.

[quote=Tsunami toll set to top 100,000]
17:53 AEDT Thu Dec 30 2004

AP - Aid workers in history's largest relief effort are struggling to get food, water and medicine to survivors of the massive quake and tsunamis that the Red Cross says likely killed more than 100,000 people across Asia and Africa.

The official toll stands at about 77,000. But with tens of thousands still missing, that number was almost certain to be much higher. There were fears that disease could bring a new wave of fatalities.

Military ships and planes rushed to get desperately needed aid to the ravaged coast of Sumatra, the Indonesian island closest to Sunday's 9.0-magnitude quake. Countless corpses strewn on the streets rotted under the tropical sun causing a nearly unbearable stench.

"We're facing a disaster of unprecedented proportion," said Simon Missiri, a top Red Cross official. "We're talking about a staggering death toll."

On the streets of Banda Aceh, the main town of Sumatra's Aceh province, fights broke out over packets of instant noodles that the military dropped from vehicles. Meanwhile, relief supplies piled up at a regional airport for lack of cars, gas or passable roads to move them.

"I believe the frustration will be growing in the days and weeks ahead," said Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland.

The number of deaths in Indonesia stood at more than 45,000. Authorities there said that did not include a full count from Sumatra's west coast, which had not yet been fully surveyed and where more than 10,000 deaths were suspected.

Sri Lanka reported 22,800 dead, India more than 7,300 and Thailand 1,800 - though that country's prime minister said he feared the toll would go up 5,000 more. A total of more than 300 were killed in Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya.

The disaster struck a band of the tropics from Indonesia to India to Somalia that not only is heavily populated but attracts tourists from all corners. Throughout the world, people sought word of missing relatives, from small-town Sri Lankan fishermen to Europeans on sand-and-sun holidays.

On hundreds of Web sites, the messages were brief but poignant: "Missing: Christina Blomee in Khao Lak," or simply, "Where are you?"

But even as hope for the missing dwindled, survivors continued to turn up.

A 2-year-old Swedish boy was reunited with his father days after the toddler was found alone on a roadside in Thailand's southern beach resort island of Phuket. In Sri Lanka, a lone fisherman named Sini Mohammed Sarfudeen was rescued Wednesday by an air force helicopter crew after clinging to his wave-tossed boat for three days.

The body count continued to mount dramatically as survey teams reached the most remote areas hit by the disaster. Peter Ress, operations support chief for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the toll could top 100,000.

In Sumatra, the view from the air was of whole villages ripped apart, covered in mud and seawater. In one of the few signs of life, a handful of desperate people scavenged a beach for food.

"It will take maybe 48 to 72 hours more to able to respond to the tens of thousands of people who would like to have assistance today, or yesterday," Egeland said.
[/quote]

[quote=Asian Tsunamis 2004]
The tsunami that hit the coasts of south and southeast Asia on December 26, 2004 was triggered by an earthquake under the sea off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, it was the largest earthquake since 1964. A great wave was triggered that crashed into the coastal regions of the Indian ocean including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Thailand, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The force was so great it was felt as far away as the African coast, 4,500 kilometres away from the epicentre.

The current death toll stands at more than 76,000 people, with Indonesia and Sri Lanka the worst hit countries. The World Health Organisation has warned that death from disease could double that figure. Aid organisations are working to provide assistance to the region, sending medical supplies, food and water purification systems. A shortage of clean water has greatly increased the risk of diseases such as cholera and typhoid spreading rapidly. Millions of people are displaced, in Sri Lanka alone one million people have been left homeless.

Death tolls by country:

* Indonesia: 45,268
* Sri Lanka: 22,493
* India: 6,974
* Thailand: 1,829
* Somalia: 100
* Myanmar: 90
* Malaysia: 65
* Maldives: 67
* Tanzania: 10
* Seychelles: 3
* Bangladesh: 2
* Kenya: 1[/quote]

[b]Edit[/b]: Reports indicate that the current body-count of 80,000 [the total] could be equal to the death-toll in [b]one[/b] Indonesian [thanks Jeh] province: that of Aceh.

[b]Edit #2[/b]:
[quote=Asian disaster toll soars over 125,000]
08:01 AEDT Fri Dec 31 2004


The number of Australians confirmed dead in the Asian tsunami disaster remains at 10, but grave fears are held for 41 missing Australians while around 1,250 remain unaccounted for in affected areas.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said no more Australian casualties had been confirmed.

"The death toll remains as it was - eight Australian citizens and two permanent residents," she said.

"However, we should expect Australian casualty numbers to rise."

Most of the missing Australians were in Thailand when the earthquakes and tsunamis occurred.

The global toll from the disaster has soared above 125,000 and is expected to climb further.

Australians will almost certainly be among the growing toll, with the number missing, feared dead, increasing from 12 to 41.

"At this stage we've got grave concerns for 41 Australians who we know were in the affected areas and are missing," the spokeswoman said.

"These numbers are likely to increase as new information comes to hand."

Consular officials are still trying to locate more than 1,250 Australians thought to have been in regions hit by the tidal waves.

"We've not yet been able to account for over 1,250 Australians who may have been in the areas affected by the tsunamis when they hit," the spokeswoman said.

"Over 850 of these may have been in the Phuket region of southern Thailand and over 200 in Sri Lanka."

The spokeswoman emphasised that the figures were only rough and would change as more information was gathered.
[/quote]
[/size]

[Guest Moonrise]

Makes you appreciate life more I reckon, and makes you feel lucky that it wasn't your ountry that was being destroyed. The death toll has risen and is still rising, the diseases are in the air and killing people. Yes, it does make you sad just looking at the people with no homes and the people that a crying for their missing or dead loved ones, yeh it does make you want to help.

My sister has a friend in Sri Lanka and we are all hoping that she is safe. In Phuket, a missing Australian footballer (Melbourne Demons) he swept out by water after saving his wife, who were on their honeymoon after getting married in Dec 18. Still not found.

[Guest Legend-killer]

i heard about that i coudn't beleive it when i did though

[Tigervx]

[FONT=Arial][COLOR=Teal]A sad time indeed we live in. Within all the terrorism and war, we forget just how much power Nature holds. I mean 100,000 people so far? Thats more dead then almost any battle in the world. I learned about this the day after it happened skimming the newspaper, luckily I don't have any friends or family in that area. But the people in that area themselves, its really depressing thinking about it. And the fact is many scientist and doctors believe the death toll can go up well after the Tsunami since all the bodies cannot be cleaned up fast enough, and disease will begin to spread. The only real good thing coming out of this that now there will be a Tsunami warning system. Better late then never I guess... =/[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff]Attimus331 - Your first real solid info in this thread? >< Well, at least you know now...

ZeroAnime - I'm sure you wouldn't feel that way if it was someone you knew. Yes, I do agree this is population control, but it's also so many loved ones perished. But I guess you don't think about anyone but yourself.

Tigervx - The sad thing is, I don't know if there will be a Tsunami system set up. Most of the countries affected are third-world countries that don't have the money for these things. Unless the EU/Britain, America, and Australia want to pour in more money, these countries have their hands tied with cleaning up this mess and dealing with all the other problems they have. It's really disheartening, when you think about it. ='([/color]

[Guest ZeroAnime]

yes that is true i dont care about anyone but myself. and its better to never luv because u dont feel the pain and nobody can hold your luved one hostage in exchange for your life. Oh and one of my friends is among the missing she was on holiday in Thailand. emotions r mankinds creation, not nature. and i hav no emotions.
MistressRoxie u hav a very caring heart that is good, dont change. :) :)
i tried to have emotions but could not. i will do the right thing but dont care. but just the same i can do the wrong thing and not care.

[Morpheus]

That was sick and uncalled for, ZeroAnime. Even though it is obvious to me you are lying, some younger souls may not understand that you are being a complete b*****d. You disgust me. Edit that out so that others need not read that awful post.

[Guest ZeroAnime]

Morpheus, i wish i could but i wouldnt be true to my self. and i am young i'm 14. i did not mean to offend anyone. also do u know what happens when u have to much of one thing it implodes. mankind would run out of food faster and oxygen would be consumed to fast. i kno im very cold hearted and sick(and i like it that way :smirk: )

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]ZeroAnime, cut back on the pills. It's all good.

Do I think you're making this up to seem cool to people online? Why yes, yes I do.

[b]It's not necessary[/b]. If you have nothing to contribute towards the [b]Asian Tsunami[/b] discussion, please refrain from posting your morbid thoughts here. I think everybody would like that.

And in the latest news, Australia has upped it's donation to $60 million, and an Albany farmer who donated an entire cargo ship with 100 tons of deck-space for donations has been overcome with a staggering amount of donations. Go Western Australia.[/size]