Truthout eyewitness report of the Asian tsunami

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/122804X.shtml

Editors Note | t r u t h o u t reporter J. Sri Raman lives in a fishing village in Chennai, India, an area devastated by the tsunami. Below is an eyewitness report on the suffering caused by yesterdays tragic event. - smg

Deaths by Water - and Environmental Degradation
By J. Sri Raman
t r u t h o u t | Report

Monday 27 December 2004

Chennai, India - Selvaraj, 38, sturdy and ebony-dark, set out on the catamaran, the ancient Tamil raft of tied logs, a little past six in the morning. He did not return. Some eight hours later, rescuers found his body washed ashore, like the bodies of scores of other fishermen.

Kannan, 14, went out a little later that Sunday morning to the Marina Beach, the pride of this South Indian city, its little piece of paradise. He carried his cricket bat, with a sticker of Sachin Tendulkar, the star of the game, on it. He, too, did not return home. His frail, little body was also found hours later on the once inviting sands. Search was still on, though, for the bodies of the other members of his team and their opponents who were to play a weekend match on a field with a backdrop of waves.

Krishnamurthy, 67, had driven there for a brisk morning walk along the long beach line, as had been his wont for a couple of years. They found his car, smashed and upturned.

...more...

to one or more of the many relief organizations assisting those affected.

Even those of us hard-pressed can give a what we can. There's no shame in a $10 donation if that's what you have to give

Thanks for posting.

The enormity of this tragedy has had me entranced since it occured. I've been scouring maps and praying for my dear cousin and her family who live in nearby Bali. Can't get through. So much death in so little time.

Yet the hours that transpired between the quake and the tsunami ravashing the shores, as far away as even Somalia, point to a drastic need for a seismic warning system monitoring the Indian ocean as we have in other parts of the world. The coastline in most of those regions is largely mountainous and not that far from the shores. With warnings many would have sought higher ground and most certainly been saved.

Why does it take the loss of 23,000 lives for people to realize such a basic and practical need. People base their needs on what they remember, I guess.

I just can't get out of my mind the image of people relaxing on the beach, or going about their business not at all cognizant of the devastation that approached.

Is it true that the island of Sumatra was actually moved 100 feet?
Or that this 9.0 earthquake actually altered the earth's rotation?
Guess it's time to go to slashdot.com and see what the "nerds are saying.

Though I am fairly sure that the death count will rise, it's still not reached a quarter of the innocents unnecessarily killed in this bogus war in Iraq.

Too sad really.

Peace

here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4126183.stm

Here is the DU thread where the quakes/tsunamis and responses to them were discussed yesterday:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1099796

The scale of this tragedy won't be grasped for a long time, if ever. When this happens again, and it will, I hope there is at least an effective tsunami warning system in place. At least some lives could be saved with the warning even though the waves are so fast (up to 500 km/h over open ocean). And I would think the psychology of at least knowing that someone is watching would give some small sense of security to people traumatized by this event who must rebuild their lives still within the reach of the waves.

the poor always end up paying the highest price :(

While others obsess about Reggie Fucking White, this is the real news here.