Asia quake, tsunamis kill 4,800

[3dGameMan]

Asia quake, tsunamis kill 4,800: ~source (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/26/asia.quake/index.html)

Sunday, December 26, 2004 Posted: 11:08 AM EST (1608 GMT)

The initial quake, measuring 8.9 in magnitude, struck about 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island around 7 a.m. Sunday (0000 GMT), according to the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center.

It is the fifth largest earthquake in recorded history, according to the NEIC.

Sri Lankan military authorities are reporting over 2,400 people killed, most of them in the eastern district of Batticaloa. Several districts in the country's south have still not reported casualty figures, and authorities fear the death toll could rise.

Officials, however, said thousands were missing and more than a half million had been displaced.

The huge waves also swept away a high security prison in Matara, in southern Sri Lanka, allowing 200 prisoners to escape. Eyewitnesses in eastern Sri Lankan port city of Trincomalee reported waves as high as 40 feet (12 meters), hitting inland as far as half a mile (1 km).

Sri Lankan officials imposed a curfew as night fell, and tourists were being evacuated from the eastern coasts to the capital, Colombo, unaffected on the west coast.

India has agreed to help assist Sri Lanka, sending two naval ships to the resort town of Galle, in the south, and Trincomalee, according to Colombo officials. Indian aircraft will bring in relief supplies to the country on Monday.

India itself is reeling from the aftermath of the quake and tsunami. Indian officials said at least 1,800 Indians were killed as a result of the massive waves. A resident of Chennai (formerly Madras) in Tamil Nadu district -- the hardest hit area -- said he witnessed several people being swept away by a tidal wave there.

Along India's southeastern coast, several villages appeared to have been swept away, and thousands of fishermen -- including 2,000 from the Chennai area alone -- who were out at sea when when the massive waves swept across the waters have not returned.

Along the coast, the brick foundations of village homes were all that remained.

Interior Minister Shivraj Patil told CNN 700 people were killed in Tamil Nadu state and 200 in Andhra Pradesh. Poor communications with India's remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, which were closer to the quake's epicenter, has prevented any reports of damage and casualties. Most of the aftershocks have been centered off those islands....

[Invoker]

Recent Update: 10,000 people estimated to have died in the earthquake. Many in a massive tsunami that struck the coastal villages.

[getit29]

Recent Update: 10,000 people estimated to have died in the earthquake. Many in a massive tsunami that struck the coastal villages.
Unfortunately I fear the death toll will rise much higher than 10,000 in
the next few days to the next few weeks ahead. :Nope :Crying It is such a shame
that so many had to die like that. :Sigh I fear something like that might happen
to the coastal areas here in the US one of these days. :Holy Crap

[Invoker]

Unfortunately I fear the death toll will rise much higher than 10,000 in
the next few days to the next few weeks ahead. :Nope :Crying It is such a shame
that so many had to die like that. :Sigh I fear something like that might happen
to the coastal areas here in the US one of these days. :Holy Crap

It's "already" up to over 11,000 dead. Sri-Lanka and Madras (in south eastern part of India) have suffered extremely high casualties. The numbers continue to increase by the hour.

If a earthquake of this magnitude would to "explode" out in the sea off the US coast, then there might be a risk that something like this would happen. You'd better get out while you still can :Blah *cough* Sorry...

[WazLady73]

That is just terriable!!!!!

But I did read this morning that these types of tidal waves are very rare in the Indian Ocean.

Those type of waves can happen on the West Coast of the USA but we do have warnings in place. Read on:

Quote:

The catastrophic death toll in Asia caused by a massive tsunami might have been reduced had India and Sri Lanka been part of an international warning system designed to warn coastal communities about potentially deadly waves, scientists say.

The warning system is designed to alert nations that potentially destructive waves may hit their coastlines within three to 14 hours.

Scientists said seismic networks recorded Sunday's massive earthquake, but without wave sensors in the region, there was no way to determine the direction a tsunami would travel.
Member states include all the major Pacific rim nations in North America, Asia and South America, was well as the Pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand. It also includes France, which has sovereignty over some Pacific islands, and Russia.

However, India and Sri Lanka are not members. "That's because tsunamis are much less frequent in the Indian Ocean," Charles McCreery, director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center near Honolulu, said.

"Unfortunately, we have no equipment here that can warn about tsunamis," said Budi Waluyo, an official with Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. "The instruments are very expensive and we don't have money to buy them."_____

Had they had those in place the dead toll would be much lower. Nethertheless, it is very sad. I hear about many tourists that were caught in it. I however would not think of Sri Lanka or Thailand as a vacation spot. But I do read that those places are popular for our Europen friends.

[egarrard]

In the southern Thai resort of Phuket, where palm-fringed beaches and warm, turquoise seas draw hordes of tourists, British visitors Mike and Kathryn Williams were jolted awake by the tremor as they lay in bed in their hotel room.

"Now just wait for the tsunami!" Williams, speaking to the BBC, said he joked to his wife. Suddenly their daughter, Sam, pointed toward the beach and shouted, "Daddy, the sea is gone!" The water had been sucked out of sight and was roiling itself into a massive wave that tore across the sand minutes later, washing over snorklers and sunbathers as the Williamses watched in horror from their second-floor balcony.~Source (http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wotsun274097302dec27,0,6153611.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines)

That would have had to scare the hell out of you to watch that happening... :noway

moved the entire island of Sumatra about 100 feet to the southwest.100 feet??? It's amazing that anything was standing on the island after that... :jawsdown

[CyberGuy]

This is the saddest news I have ever heard. In my part of the world, it was still Christmas when this happened. Some good friends of mine have family in that area and have not been able to get through to find out if they are all right.

If I had any faith in God before, this would have wiped it out utterly.

[Invoker]

This is the saddest news I have ever heard. In my part of the world, it was still Christmas when this happened. Some good friends of mine have family in that area and have not been able to get through to find out if they are all right.

If I had any faith in God before, this would have wiped it out utterly.

Then you may not like this:

Recent update reports over 30,000 dead and over a 1000 still missing.

[Orangepeel]

I've been keeping a close watch on this too. A very sobering thing to happen during the holiday season.

My first day back to work is tomorrow, after some much needed xmas time off. Some of my coworkers have family in those areas :(. I hope everyone in their circle of family and friends were able to escape the disaster!

[bejohnson]

If anyone would like to help here is a List of Aid Organizations (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/quake.aidsites/index.html) that could use your support.

[And|]

Latest I heard was +25.000 casualties.

[bejohnson]

Latest I heard was +25.000 casualties.

Latest estimates are 60,000 and rising (click here) (http://reuters.myway.com/article/20041228/2004-12-28T190406Z_01_N28714679_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-QUAKE-DC.html) . The death toll could top 150,000 in the next week due to disease.

[eire1274]

The latest toll for the tsunami and earthquate right now seems to be 52,000 dead:

source~ (http://omaha.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D878UI9G0) : Hungry refugees survived on coconuts or looted food on Indonesia's battered Sumatra island Tuesday as the region's death toll from a mammoth earthquake and tsunami rose above 52,000. The U.N. health agency warned that epidemics could claim as many lives.

I believe that the tsunami's death toll will be much easier to account for than the earthquake. Crumbled buildings hide the dead.

[2JSC]

The latest toll for the tsunami and earthquate right now seems to be 52,000 dead:



I believe that the tsunami's death toll will be much easier to account for than the earthquake. Crumbled buildings hide the dead.

Plus you also have to consider deseases, and fresh water/food supply. Its all going to get much worse over the next few weeks.

[Maro]

I am dontating to the Aussie Red Cross fund - this is terrible.

I was reading the paper yesterday and was really upset by the images - the worst was the sequence showing the Thai man being swept away. It was terrible as it looked like he was going to make it.

:(

[jinu123nyc]

*sigh

its so depressin to watch news...the numbers are up to 6000 now and the deaths will double with diseases.

[egarrard]

I wonder what happened to the animal population in those areas. If worse comes to worse, who's going to be eating whom? :food

[eire1274]

Latest news, 77,000 dead according to Associated Press and BBC.
source~ (http://omaha.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D879ED8O0): Cargo planes touched down with aid Wednesday, bearing everything from lentils to water purifiers to help survivors facing the threat of epidemic after this week's quake-tsunami catastrophe. The first Indonesian military teams reached the devastated west coast of Sumatra island, finding thousands of bodies and increasing the death toll across 12 nations to nearly 77,000.

[eire1274]

All of this has me screwed up.

Look at this little guy's face:

http://omaha.cox.net/cci/apimages/ap-image-TOK85112271928.jpg
In this photo released by the Phuket Inter Hospital, a two-year-old foreign boy rescued from the tidal waves that inundated and destroyed parts of Thai southern resort towns was recovering Monday night, Dec. 27, 2004 in a Phuket hospital _ alone. His parents are missing. His nationality cannot be identified. (AP Photo/Phuket Inter Hospital, HO)

[Maro]

They found his Dad and Gran - he has some family left.

[Tivon]

So how many people are really dead? :shifty

Has anyone seen The Day After Tomorrow? The part when that wave of water hit NewYork. That would be about the same thing for these people. And now I'm sure a movie will be made of this based on a true story. :Yea right

[bejohnson]

Death toll reaches 100,000 (http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/15630695?source=Evening%20Standard&ct=5)
By Andrew Gilligan In Colombo And Valentine Low In London, Evening Standard
29 December 2004

The death toll in the tsunami disaster soared past 100,000 today - and is set to climb higher.

A total of 50 Britons are now confirmed dead and at least 100 are unaccounted for after tidal waves swept away resorts in Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and around the Indian Ocean.

Officials in every country today warned the final number of dead will be even higher as rescue teams reach remote areas.

The UN said there were now strong grounds to believe that the toll in the Sumatran province of Aceh, the worst affected area, would be as high as 80,000. The number dead has now climbed in every country affected, including:

Thailand: 1,700 confirmed dead, including 43 British tourists.

Indonesia: more than 42,000 confirmed dead.

India: nearly 7,000 dead, and many coastal areas including parts of Kerala still to be searched.

Sri Lanka: 22,500 are confirmed dead and there are fears for hundreds of independent British travellers on the east coast.
Aid agencies today warned disease will also cause massive casualties among the survivors as the biggest relief effort in history began.

The British toll climbed as a new alert was sounded over the number missing. Abta, the tours operators' association, said there were 100 Britons unaccounted for. There are no confirmed numbers for missing backpackers.

Today more dramatic accounts emerged as hundreds of Britons flew back to Heathrow from Thailand.

Businessman Neil Tennant, from Woodbridge, Suffolk, told how he and his family had to flee to the roof of their hotel in Khao Lak as a giant wave swamped the building.

He said: "We ran up to the roof from our room just a few seconds before the water swamped it. I have no doubt we would have been killed if we had stayed where we were."

Amy Davies, from Camden, who was staying at Ko Phi Phi in Thailand, arrived home still in her swimming costume. She said: "I saw a drowned child in the water below me."

First Choice said six of its 248 customers in Phuket were still unaccounted after Sunday's tsunami.

An official at the British embassy in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, today said the confirmed British death toll there stood at three.

First Choice had 584 holidaymakers in the Maldives. One died and all the others have been accounted for.

MyTravel said it had between 850 and 900 clients in the affected area. Most had been accounted for.

The vast majority of the 3,500 foreigners still unaccounted for in the disaster region are from Scandinavia. The missing include at least 1,500 Swedes, 800 Norwegians, 214 Danes and 200 Finns.

Families across Britain were today in mourning and hundreds waited helplessly for news of their loved ones. Film director Lord Attenborough was among those grieving after it was confirmed his granddaughter, Lucy, 14, was dead and his daughter, Jane Holland, 49, was missing, feared dead. Jane's mother-in-law, also called Jane Holland, was also missing in Phuket. The family, who live in London, have asked for privacy "at this terrible time".

The south-east Asian communities of London watched in horror as the tsunami destroyed the lives of their relatives. Moulana Mazahir, from Harrow, lost 50 close relatives when a wall of water destroyed his home town of Hambantotain southern Sri Lanka. The 45-year-old chef 's only solace is that his wife and three sons, who had been on holiday in the resort, escaped with their lives after leaving just three hours before disaster struck.

"My life will never be the same. It was a miracle my wife and sons are still alive - but they are terrified."

Mohammed Samsudena and his wife Nirusha, 29, also from Harrow, say they have lost 40 family members and are desperately trying to contact other relatives in Hambantota. The 36-year-old petrol station sales assistant said: "Yesterday morning we heard that the body of my sister-in-law, Fatima, had been found. She was only 18."

Relatives of London newlyweds Christopher and Gaynor Mullen, from Richmond, now fear the worst - last hearing from the couple on Christmas Day, when they simply said they were "on the beach" in Thailand.

Fashion photographer Simon Atlee, 33, from London, most famous for his photograph of Rugby World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson in the Hackett advertisements, was also swept away in the tidal wave as his holiday bungalow in Khao Lak near Phuket was destroyed. His girlfriend, Czech model Petra Nemcova, 25, survived by clinging onto a palm tree.

Louise Willgrass, 43, from Colney, near Norwich, was washed away after she had got out of the rented car her family was travelling in to buy suncream at a Phuket supermarket.

The car, being driven by her husband Nigel and containing their four children, Emily, 16, Ben, 14, Michael, nine and Katie, six was overwhelmed by the tidal wave. Mr Willgrass managed to pull the children free and they survived by clinging to floating debris.

Conservation volunteer Lisa Jones, 31, is feared dead on the tiny Thai island of Koh Phra Thong, where she had been helping research sea turtles.

[egarrard]

It won't surprise me if it hits a quarter million dead or missing. :(

[eire1274]

http://omaha.cox.net/cci/apimages/ap-image-LON80712292007.jpg
Two-year-old Swedish boy Hannes Bergstroem, right, is reunited with his father Marko Karkkainen, in a Phuket hospital, Thailand, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2004 in this image made from television. Hannes was found alone in the wasteland of a tsunami-hit resort island in Khao Lak, southern Thailand. (AP Photo/APTN)
Well, he has some family left, thank God.

But he and his Dad, and his lost Mother, are Swedish. Foreignors.

Where are the pictures of the locals who were saved? Their stories of being reunited, or not?

Damn the news for reporting for a white viewership.

It's been quite a while since anything has captured my interest like this tragedy. What a nightmare.

My kids watched a video with me this evening, with images of backhoes buring the dead, wrapped in yellow plastic or paper, in massive graves; no time to identify them, thousands of them, for fear of disease due to corruption. The boys remembered me, with others, carrying their great-grandfather's casket to be buried last winter. They wanted to know why these people, on the PC screen, were not being given the same treatment, and I said that great-grandpa Kroon's death was a good thing, because it was his time, and we shouldn't be sad about it, but these people all died ALL AT THE SAME TIME, and their loved-ones couldn't be there to see them buried, so it was OK to be sad for them.

[Maro]

It must be juist over there - we have full coverage of everywhere: Aceh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia etc.

Possibly because we are closer.

I've been trying to pick some semblance of hope from the horror - all the little stories of courage.

Today I read of a Thai man described as "small in stature" who was on top of a water tower during the flood. He managed to save several people by plucking them out of the raging flood.

A Man indeed.

[egarrard]

Czech supermodel Petra Nemcova, who appeared on the cover of 2003 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, was injured and her photographer boyfriend is missing after the pair were caught up in the Asian tsunami disaster, a spokeswoman for the boyfriend said today.

The British tabloid The Sun reported that she clung to a tree for eight hours to keep from washing away in a massive tsunami.
Story, with pics (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/30/content_2393845.htm)

[And|]

I heard some unconfirmed number that runs up in +100.000 people.

Official numbers state around +50.000 I believe...

[bejohnson]

I heard some unconfirmed number that runs up in +100.000 people.

Official numbers state around +50.000 I believe...


BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (CNN) -- The death toll from Sunday's tsunamis has jumped to more than 116,000 after Indonesia reported nearly 80,000 people were killed in that country alone.

--Source-- (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/30/asia.quake/index.html)

The latest rumors out of parts of Sumatra are there may be as many as 300,000 - 400,000 more dead there. They just can't get in to the areas to find out. Some "experts" are now saying that 500,000 total may be reached.

I hope those people are in error. The totals are high enough already. We have reached a point where the number is almost meaningless, as most people cannot comprehend the magnitude of what has happened.

In my opinion with the earthquake and resulting tsunamis and the very strange weather happening all over the world maybe God is trying to get our attention.

[eire1274]

In my opinion with the earthquake and resulting tsunamis and the very strange weather happening all over the world maybe God is trying to get our attention.
On Christmas Day?

Think about that.

[egarrard]

On Christmas Day?

Think about that.Actually, the day after. I suppose that makes it my fault then... :lmao

[bejohnson]

A couple of updates.

Tsunami Toll Jumps to Over 125,000, Fear Lingers (http://reuters.myway.com/article/20041230/2004-12-30T213608Z_01_L29719800_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-QUAKE-DC.html)
Dec 30, 4:36 PM (ET)

By Tomi Soetjipto and Dean Yates

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - Asia's tsunami death toll soared above 125,000 on Thursday as millions scrambled for food and clean water and rumors of new giant waves sent many fleeing inland in panic.

Aid agencies warned many more, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka, could die in epidemics if shattered communications and transport hampered what may prove history's biggest relief operation.

The death toll had shot up more than 50 percent in a day with still no clear picture of conditions in some remote villages as well as islands around India and Indonesia.

Rescue workers pressed on into isolated villages devastated by a disaster that could yet eclipse a cyclone that struck Bangladesh in 1991, killing 138,000 people...

And this report:

Indonesia Needs Help, Death Toll Expected To Exceed 400,000 (http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=111574)
December 30, 2004 22:50 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The death toll in Acheh, the region worst hit by last Sunday's tsunami, may exceed 400,000 as many affected areas could still not be reached for search and rescue operations, Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia Drs H. Rusdihardjo said Thursday.

He said the estimate was based on air surveillance by Indonesian authorities who found no signs of life in places like Meulaboh, Pulau Simeulue and Tapak Tuan while several islands off the west coast of Sumatera had "disappeared".

He said the latest death toll of more than 40,000 in Acheh and northern Sumatera did not take into account the figures from the other areas, especially in the west of the region.

"Aerial surveillance found the town of Meulaboh completely destroyed with only one buiding standing. The building, which belonged to the military, happens to be on a hill," he told reporters after receiving RM1 million in aid for Indonesia's Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund here Thursday.

Rusdihardjo said there were about 150,000 residents in Meulaboh, which was located 150km from the epicentre of the earthquake while Pulau Simeuleu had a population of 76,000...

This could be the most horrific natural disaster ever.

[eire1274]

Actually, the day after. I suppose that makes it my fault then... :lmao
I thought it was still Dec. 25th there when the quake happened.

Am I just totally wrong? Probably. :banghead

[CyberGuy]

I thought it was still Dec. 25th there when the quake happened.

Am I just totally wrong? Probably. :banghead

It was still Christmas night for us in North America. They are about 12-13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard. They were hit in the morning of the 26th their time.

[3dGameMan]

US scuba divers survive Asian tsunami unscathed, but return to "hell": ~source (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041230/ts_alt_afp/asiaquakeusthailand_041230201520)

Thu Dec 30, 3:15 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A US couple who were scuba diving off the sun-kissed coast of Thailand when Asia's killer tsunami hit emerged from the water unscathed, only to find themselves in "hell," they said.


Psychology professor Faye Linda Wachs and her husband Gene Kim were underwater off Koh Phi Phi island when the tidal wave roared through the ocean around them and struck the Thai coast, killing at least 2,400 people there.


When the buffeted couple surfaced and got back to the beach, the palm-fringed paradise they had left was an unrecognizable scene of death and destruction.


"As we came in, we realized how lucky we are because you could see bodies floating in the water," Wachs said after returning to her home in Los Angeles.


"It was terrible. The devastation was unbelievable. The island is essentially gone. We left paradise -- it was a beautiful island -- and we came back to just hell," the holiday-maker said.


At least 119,000 people in eight Asian countries are so far confirmed killed by the tsunami, which was spawned by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.


The deadly tidal wave was the first in recorded history to have hit several countries at the same time.


Wachs, 34, and Kim said they were diving around a wrecked ship on Sunday morning when the water suddenly churned up around them, creating a "white wash" that sucked them downwards towards the seabed. ...

[bejohnson]

7th Fleet Units Help in Relief Operations in Southeast Asia (http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=16449)
Story Number: NNS041230-01
Release Date: 12/30/2004 9:08:00 AM

From Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- As directed by U.S. Pacific Command, Commander U.S. 7th Fleet is preparing to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the governments of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other affected nations to mitigate the effects of the recent earthquakes and tsunamis.

According to Lt. Gilbert Gay, 7th Fleet Task Force 72 (CTF 72) public affairs officer, six P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft from Patrol Squadron (VP) 8 and elements of VP-4, based at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, have been deployed to take part in a survey operation in the area, operating out of Utapao, Thailand. Approximately 110 personnel are involved in the operation.

“The P-3’s long range and long loiter time capability is an invaluable asset for search and rescue operations as it can view a large area and rapidly provide that information to regional Rescue Coordination Centers,” said Gay. “While not able to physically rescue a survivor from the water, the P-3’s communications suite and abilities to stay on station, survey for long periods of time and deploy life rafts in the vicinity of any survivors make it an important component of any search and rescue operation.”

Humanitarian assistance assessment teams from U.S. Pacific Command are expected to be deployed to identify requirements for temporary military-specific support that can be provided to the governments affected by this disaster.

Ships, Aircraft, Personnel Converge on Disaster Zone (http://www.defenselink.mil/home/articles/2004-12/a123004la1.html)

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30, 2004 – The U.S. Joint Task Force set up to provide assistance to the nations affected by last weekend’s Indian Ocean tsunami is up and running, and Marine assessment teams have started to report their findings.

More than 115,000 people are estimated to have died in the tsunamis that struck on Christmas. U.S. forces are in the region to help the affected nations in whatever needs to be done.

The United States will deliver “as much help as soon as we can, as long as we’re needed,” said Navy Capt. Roger Welch, chief of U.S. Pacific Command’s Joint Interagency Coordination Group in Hawaii.

U.S. ships and personnel are converging on the affected areas. Nine P-3 Orions are helping with aerial reconnaissance, 10 C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft are in the area and already have started delivering supplies, and three teams - in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka - are helping local authorities with disaster assessments.

Eight pre-positioning systems are coming from Guam and Diego Garcia to deliver supplies to the hardest-hit areas. These ships contain 450,000 gallons of water and the capability of making 90,000 gallons of fresh water each day.

The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Battle Group is transiting through the Straits of Malacca now and will take up a position off the coast of Sumatra. The group will be well placed to provide support to the Indonesian province of Aceh. The Lincoln group will be there Dec. 31, said Navy officials.

The USS Bonhomme Richard Marine Strike Group left Guam and is sailing for a position off Sri Lanka. That group should arrive in a week, officials said

The scope of the disaster is almost beyond comprehension, officials said. A 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia destroyed buildings in nearby Aceh and also loosed tsunamis that struck Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, Malaysia, the Maldives and Somalia. The coastal areas of these nations have been wiped out, and water and aid are necessary to prevent more deaths.

Welch said getting an accurate assessment is key. “Some of these areas are remote,” Welch said during a teleconference call. “We have to go out and ‘surveille’ - that’s what the P-3s are doing, as well as some of the helicopters (off the Abraham Lincoln Battle Group).”

The U.S. effort is in support of the local authorities. These are sovereign nations, Pentagon officials said. “The United States is not there to take over the rescue or relief effort,” an official said. “We are there to provide whatever help they decide they need.”

Joint Task Force 536, formed specifically for the relief effort, is running at Utapao, Thailand.

Welch said fresh water seems to be the first need in the affected regions. “People are drinking contaminated water,” he said. The countries also need food, medical supplies, heavy equipment, trucks and building supplies. Much of this will be available from the pre-positioned ships, officials said.

Related sites:

U.S. Pacific Command (http://www.pacom.mil/)
USS Abraham Lincoln (http://www.cvn72.navy.mil/)
USS Bonhomme Richard (http://www.lhd6.navy.mil/)


Related Articles:

Pacific Command Rallies Tsunami Relief Resources (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2004/n12292004_2004122905.html)
Bush Pledges U.S. Assistance to Tsunami Survivors (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2004/n12292004_2004122904.html)
U.S. Responding to Tsunami Catastrophe (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2004/n12272004_2004122705.html)

[bejohnson]

U.S. Boosts Tsunami Aid Tenfold to $350M (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041231/D87AQ4FO0.html)

Dec 31, 2:02 PM (ET)
By DEB RIECHMANN


CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) - The United States is pledging $350 million to help tsunami victims, a tenfold increase over its first wave of aid, President Bush announced Friday.

"Initial findings of American assessment teams on the ground indicate that the need for financial and other assistance will steadily increase in the days and weeks ahead," Bush said Friday in a statement released in Crawford, Texas, where he is staying at his ranch.

"Our contributions will continue to be revised as the full effects of this terrible tragedy become clearer," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this epic disaster."

Bush also is sending Secretary of State Colin Powell to Indian Ocean coastal areas ravaged by earthquake and tsunami to assess what more the United States needs to do. The president's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, will travel with him.

The newly announced aid came after some critics claimed that the initial U.S. contribution of $35 million was meager considering the vast wealth of the nation.

France has promised $57 million, Britain has pledged $95 million, Sweden is sending $75.5 million and Spain is offering $68 million, although that pledge is partly in loans.

Powell was traveling to New York on Friday to discuss the crisis with U. N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Bush said disaster response officials are on the ground and the United States has established a support center in Thailand that is in operation. More than 20 patrol and cargo aircraft have been made available to assess the disaster and deliver relief supplies, he said.

"Many of those aircraft are on the scene," Bush said.

The president said the United States has dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, a maritime squadron from Guam and an amphibious ship carrying a Marine expeditionary unit. "They will soon be in position to support relief efforts to include the generation of clean water," he said.

On Friday, the president spoke by phone with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin about the relief and recovery efforts and was briefed by Powell and National Security Council officials on the efforts under way.

White House deputy press secretary Trent Duffy, who read the president's statement to reporters on the phone, did not disclose details of where the additional U.S. aid was being found in government coffers. He said, however, that the administration was talking with congressional officials about replenishing funds being used to back the tsunami aid pledge.

The president's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has experience with extensive hurricane damage in Florida, will travel with Powell overseas. A congressional delegation headed by Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, a former U.S. foreign service officer, is scheduled to visit Thailand and Sri Lanka next week.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who often travels to blighted areas, said Thursday he plans to visit India to try to help victims of tsunamis that have left millions of people at risk of disease.

"I feel like I've been hit in the stomach," Frist, R-Tenn., said in an e-mail to friends and supporters. "It is like 9/11 but so different. There is no one to blame."

Andrew Natsios, chief of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said his staff arrived in the stricken areas on Monday, and he stressed the importance of assessing needs and organizing.

"This is a very complex operation," Natsios said Friday on CBS'"The Early Show.""If it's not managed properly, we can actually slow down the relief effort."

Canada was added Friday to a coalition of countries and organizations planning relief efforts. Others are the United Nations, the United States, Japan, India and Australia.

The U.S. death toll rose to 15, with eight dead in Thailand and seven in Sri Lanka. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said some 600 Americans who were listed as missing have been found, but several thousand had not been located four days after the disaster struck.

In Sri Lanka, Boucher said, Americans have been showing up at U.S. consular offices wearing bathing suits, with no money and no clothes.

With the global death toll continuing to rise, European governments discussed holding an international donors conference Jan. 7.

Boucher said the United States would participate in any such gathering, but he did not give details.

[Orangepeel]

I'm a little curious...

Did Singapore feel any of the effects of the tsunami or the earthquake? It's kind of in the path, just a little bit.

[bejohnson]

Here is a website that has before and after photos of some of the areas.

http://www.digitalglobe.com/tsunami_gallery.html

Here is Banda Aceh Shore before the tsunami.

From DigitalGlobe

[bejohnson]

Here is Banda Aceh Shore after the tsunami.

From DigitalGlobe

[2JSC]

I saw those images on CNN - and it looks like some one dropped a nuke on the poor place.

[Tivon]

Everything looks washed away and muddy. :Nope

[eire1274]

Happy New Year, huh?

I'm just not into celebrating the introduction of 2005. 2004 was such a bad year, all over.

Of course, a lot of things I believed in are "quaking" as well... may 2005 be peaceful (which won't happen) and enlightinging (which will also not happen).

Memento mori.

[bejohnson]

Those prople can't catch a break.

Sri Lanka tsunami refugee camps flooded in heavy rains (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/afp/20050101/wl_sthasia_afp/asiaquakesrilankafloods)
Sat Jan 1, 3:03 AM ET

COLOMBO (AFP) - At least 15 camps sheltering some 30,000 tsunami survivors were hit by flash floods and evacuated in Sri Lanka's eastern district of Ampara, a regional official said.

Massive rains dumped 330 millimetres (13 inches) of water overnight inundating the tsunami-devastated coastal region and crippled all relief operations, district chief Herath Abeyweera told AFP on Saturday.

He said a team of 20 Japanese medical staff were unable to move out to camps that were four feet (1.2 metres) underwater while all relief convoys were also held up by the heavy flooding.

The heavy rain forced another 10,000 people out of their homes, adding to the problem of caring for 160,000 tsunami refugees in the Ampara district, he said.

Several bridges either collapsed or were underwater cutting off the main access roads to the region, the worst affected by the tsunami that killed more than 28,400 people killed and left almost 14,000 missing.

The death toll in Ampara alone is estimated at 10,436, local officials said.