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Archive through January 05, 2005

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2005 Mar. ~ 2005 May: The Tsunami Tragedy: ARCHIVES: Archive through January 05, 2005 users admin

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Yankee_in_ca
Member

08-01-2000

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 1:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Thank you, Calamity, for the link and info. I was away until yesterday and not with a computer, so hadn't had time to search.

Weinermr
Member

08-18-2001

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 1:59 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Eg,

Unfortunately, the following news story indicates that the early warning system would probably NOT be effective for a Tsunami on the Pacific coast. It also says that it's very unlikely there would be a Tsunami on the Atlantic coast.

Tsunami Story

My employer also is making a sizable Tsunami donation, and is matching employee donations. Perhaps some of us have the same employer, and don't know it.

Seamonkey
Member

09-07-2000

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 3:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Weinermr.. link not working for me.. maybe you can find that story again?

I saw a model using a 7.6 EQ just off San Clemente Island and the projected tsunami wouldn't go very far inland in Orange County.. of course Newport Harbor, Dana Point, Bolsa Chica, Naples area of Long Beach and other places would be under water.

In the Atlantic, from another program I saw the other day, they are actually starting to think that there could be some potential, but it would come from volcanic activity/landslide across the water.

I do hope there is a relief effort for the endangered animals.

One clip I saw over the weekend that of course was maddening was some "official" in an affected area who had gotten ahold of a large quantity of DRINKING WATER to be distributed in that area.. people were in great need of this water, and he was cavalierly and happily using this water to clean a cement slab area at his home. No shame in front of the cameras, either. Hopefully this is an isolated incident.

THis morning on CNN I saw a report from the Australian Broadcasting Company.. the crew was hiking to what had been a town of 10,000 (including a mosque and a school for 500 kids) and the remaining few people were hiking the other way toward Aceh.. there is literally nothing left, the last man was leaving as they arrived. (sure puts in perspective my leaky roof or empty bank account, now, doesn't it?)

When I worked for Transamerica they also matched donations, and in times like this, were most generous. Always a good thing to find out if you work for a large corporation of some sort.



Weinermr
Member

08-18-2001

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 4:28 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I'll try again. Tsunami Story

Weinermr
Member

08-18-2001

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 5:30 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
That link doesn't work either. I'll paste in the story instead. I'm sorry mods if this story is too long. I thought it would be of interest.

Scientists: Tsunami Could Hit West Coast

Mon Jan 3, 8:20 AM ET Science - AP

By JOSEPH B. VERRENGIA, Associated Press Writer

Tsunami scientists and public safety officials are closely watching an earthquake-prone nation with thousands of miles of crowded coastlines for signs of an imminent disaster. Indonesia? Japan? Try the United States. Experts say the West Coast could experience a calamity similar to the one they have been watching unfold half a world away. "People need to know it could happen," said geologist Brian Atwater of the U.S. Geological Survey (news - web sites).

Scientists say grinding geologic circumstances similar to those in Sumatra also exist just off the Pacific Northwest coast. They are a loaded gun that could trigger a tsunami that could hit Northern California, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia in minutes — too fast for the nation's deep-sea tsunami warning system to help. In fact, Atwater said there was a 9.0 earthquake under the Pacific more than 300 years ago that had devastating consequences. He and other scientists last year reported finding evidence of severe flooding in the Puget Sound area in 1700, including trees that stopped growing after "taking a bath in rising tide waters."

The danger rests just 50 miles off the West Coast in a 680-mile undersea fault known as the Cascadia subduction zone that behaves much like one that ruptured off Sumatra. The 1700 quake occurred along the Cascadia fault. Scientists say a giant rupture along the fault would cause the sea floor to bounce 20 feet or more, setting off powerful ocean waves relatively close to shore. The first waves could hit coastal communities in 30 minutes or less, according to computer models.

Seattle; Vancouver, British Columbia; and other big cities in the region probably would be relatively protected from deadly flooding because of their inland locations. But other, smaller communities could be devastated. And while buildings in the United States are far more solid than the shacks and huts that were obliterated in some of Asia's poor villages, few structures could withstand nearby tremors as powerful as those that occurred Sunday in Sumatra.

Moreover, such a quake would be way too close to shore for the nation's network of deep-sea wave gauges to be of any help. Even in the case of quakes happening farther out in the Pacific or in Alaska, the U.S. warning system might not be adequate.

The network — which consists of six deep-sea instruments in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii and near the equator off the coast of Peru — is thin and scattered, and at least two of the gauges in Alaska are not even reporting daily wave readings. Also, predicting where a tsunami is likely to come ashore cannot be done with the kind of precision seen in hurricane forecasts.

Eddie N. Bernard, who directs the network for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the six sensors are the "bare minimum" for adequate warning. He said there are plans to expand the system to 20 sensors in the next five years, including 10 gauges for the seismically active Aleutian Islands.

Whether the continental United States is vulnerable to tsunamis from Asian earthquakes is another question. Hawaii and parts of Alaska certainly are exposed, but whether earthquake fault lines in Japan and Southeast Asia are oriented in the right directions to send tsunamis all the way to the Lower 48 states is debatable.

As for the Atlantic Coast, a tsunami is considered extremely unlikely. Some computer models suggest East Coast cities are vulnerable to a large tsunami if there were a huge volcanic eruption and landslide in the Canary Islands, off northwest Africa. But other researchers say such an event would happen only once in 10,000 years, and such a disruption is unlikely to occur all at once.

Ddr
Member

08-19-2001

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 7:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
My local tv station's website had this:

WASHINGTON (Associated Press) - Actress Sandra Bullock has given one million dollars to the American Red Cross to boost its tsunami relief campaign, the organisation said.

The funds from the Hollywood actress will be used to provide relief supplies, financial support and technical assistance, the American Red Cross said in a statement.


"Bullock contacted the Red Cross last week to make this, her second million dollar gift, to the American Red Cross," added the statement.


The star of "Speed" and "While You Were Sleeping" also gave one million dollars after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.


"Sandra continues to enable our lifesaving work and is a model for personal generosity," said Marsha J. Evans, the American Red Cross president.


Seamonkey
Member

09-07-2000

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 7:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Wow.. Juju might want to put her house on stilts!



Seamonkey
Member

09-07-2000

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 7:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
This website is being presented by former presidents George H. W. Bush and William J. Clinton today.. on Larry King right now.. they present it as a very centralized place for the gathering of monetary donations where the say it is guaranteed that the money will go where you want it to go and will be spent well.

USAFreedomCorps

Graceunderfyre
Member

01-21-2004

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 8:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
For anyone in the Chicagoland area I am heading up a supply drive starting next week hopefully with dropoff locations at the Glen Ellyn YMCA, Morton Arboretum, West Chicago Bible Church, Family Bookstores in Naperville and Warrenville Public Library. We are collecting items needed to fill "medical kits" and "kids kits" for World Church Service - you can either give us the things to fill the kits or the money to buy the stuff. More to come later. . .

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 8:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Fortunately, due to the geological formations of the sea bed off San Diego, we will likely never get hit by a tsunami. The deep underwater canyons will defuse most of the energy created by massive waves, resulting in something that would, in all likelihood, be less than 10 feet high.

Grace, I'd be curious how you are planning to pay for transporting goods. Many organizations have requested funds be contributed instead, due to the logistics and expense of shipping goods to the areas affected.

And one other thing to consider -- in addition to the loss of life and livelihood (tourism) and the damage to the ecosystem... Sumatra is one country that produces some of the finest coffee in the world. I don't know where the coffee is grown, but I can't imagine that they were completely unscathed considering how widespread the devastation. (I'd forgotten about the coffee; and was reminded when I stopped in Starbucks this weekend to pick up a couple of pounds.)

USAFreedomCorps is a an organization that is responsible for helping "faith based organizations" receive grants from the government. (And that's all I'll say about that.)

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 9:39 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I was watching a guy in a press conference talking about the preference for money vs. goods.

The reasons he gave were to do with the EFFECTIVENESS of the money. Buying things CLOSE to the disaster is good for two reasons. First, it is cheaper to transport, so less money is wasted on air travel etc, especially at a time where the airways in that area are clogged enough. Second, is that is stimulates the local economy, which helps the very countries that were affected by the disaster. Buying goods here only stimulates OUR economy, which isn't SO necessary.

None of this is my opinion, I'm just regurgitating what the guy on TV said. (it was the guy everyone is mad at for saying the US contributions are stingy [even though that wasn't what he MEANT].)

Maris
Member

03-28-2002

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 9:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
FYI:

In addition to the immediate cash donation to these relief agencies, during January 2005 Starbucks will also donate $2 for every pound of Sumatra, Decaf Sumatra and Aged Sumatra whole bean coffee purchased in its Company-operated stores in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany, while supplies last.

“We are deeply saddened by the tremendous devastation and rising death toll in Southeast Asia, and extend our condolences and deepest sympathies to the bereaved families and those impacted by this tragic event,” said Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman. “Starbucks has a long tradition of striving to contribute positively to communities in which we do business. Our prayers and thoughts are with all the families who have lost their loved ones.”

To further enhance the Company’s initial cash contribution to the designated relief organizations, Starbucks Company-operated stores in these markets will donate $2, or local currency equivalent, for every pound of whole bean Sumatra and Decaf Sumatra coffee sold in January 2005. The donation will also apply to Aged Sumatra, the next Starbucks® Black Apron Exclusives™ coffee, when it arrives in stores on January 5.

CARE will receive the donation from the sale of these coffees in the U.S. and Canada and Oxfam UK will be the recipient of the donation from coffee sales in the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany.

Starbucks partners (employees) around the world are also supporting the relief efforts in a number of ways. For example, stores in Thailand proclaimed December 29 “Day of Giving,” during which 100 percent of the day’s store profits were designated for relief. The store partners from the remaining Phuket, Thailand Starbucks store spent several thousand baht (local currency) of their own money in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami to buy food, water, and cloth to wrap bodies for victims in the community.

“I am humbled by the response demonstrated by the world community,” continued Schultz. “We know in our hearts that giving back to the communities of Southeast Asia, which have been part of the Starbucks family for more than 20 years, will help towards recovery and rebuilding efforts. As the days go by and the relief needs change, the Company and our partners will continue to look for ways to provide support to the impacted communities.”



Seamonkey
Member

09-07-2000

Monday, January 03, 2005 - 11:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Bill Clinton mentioned that there were some Thai Buddhist groups were were intent on collection goods which they plan to get over to not just their own faith but to all, but he did say that there is a huge problem with delivery and distribution of collections of stuff like this.

As for the Tsunami, in one place the big problem was that there wasn't much flat beach, just a cliff and so the water piled up very deep and there was a huge loss of life in that area :-(

Maris
Member

03-28-2002

Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 2:37 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
STOCKHOLM, Sweden The last time anyone saw 12-year-old Kristian Walker, the Swedish boy was apparently leaving a hospital in Thailand with a man nobody knows.

The boy was in Thailand with his mother when the tsunami hit. She's still missing.

Police and family say a boy matching his description was seen with a German man at a hospital yesterday, but he has since vanished.

His American grandfather and other family members are looking for him.

The boy's father says he's afraid his son may have become a victim of pedophiles that have been known to gather in Thailand -- or that he's in the hands of a child-trafficking ring. He says he "can only guess" what's happened to him.

He says he's asked authorities to send his son's picture to all border patrols and airports -- so that if he hasn't already left the country, he'll be kept from doing so.

In the wake of the tsunami, there have been unconfirmed reports of dozens of orphaned children taken by unidentified people.

link

Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 2:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I really enjoyed seeing our president with his predecessors on the news last night talking about plans of action. I gives me renewed hope that we are not really that divided, and if Bill Clinton and the Bush's can get along for a common cause, anyone can.

~Pollyanna

Legalboxer
Member

11-17-2003

Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 3:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
it cant get much worse

'Untouchables' gather tsunami dead


Lancecrossfire
Moderator

07-13-2000

Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 4:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
before and after

Maris
Member

03-28-2002

Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 5:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
It is all very sad and the tragedy continues beyond the event itself. Children disappearing, the caste system alive and well in India.



Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 5:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    


Celebrities Donate Millions to Relief
Jan 4, 12:38 PM EST

Associated Press

Celebrities across the globe were mobilizing to help relief efforts in countries affected by the deadly earthquake and tsunamis in southern Asia and eastern Africa.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who filmed "The Beach" on Thailand's Phi Phi island, donated an undisclosed amount to UNICEF and set up a link on his Web site for others to donate.

The tsunamis have been "devastating, absolutely devastating," the 30-year-old actor said Tuesday during a news conference in Rome Tuesday to promote his new film, "The Aviator" in Italy.

"It is a horrific, horrific situation for all involved," DiCaprio said.

Country singer Willie Nelson will headline a benefit concert Sunday night at the Austin Music Hall in Austin, Texas.

Local musician Michael Hall organized the event, wanting to do more than just write a check.

"I started at the top," said Hall of his first call to build a lineup, "and when Willie said, `Count me in,' I knew we were off and running."

Patty Griffin, Spoon, Joe Ely, Alejandro Escovedo, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis and the Geezinslaws also were slated to perform. Proceeds of tickets for the concert at the 3,000-capacity Music Hall will go to the American Red Cross, UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders.

"Miss Congeniality" actress Sandra Bullock donated $1 million to the American Red Cross, it was announced Monday, and NBC Universal cable will hold a celebrity telethon on Jan. 15.

The hour-long program is set to air live on the East Coast and on tape delay in the West at 8 p.m. Details on performers weren't announced. The special will be shown on the NBC network and on the USA, Bravo, Trio, Sci-Fi, MSNBC and CNBC channels.

Phone lines will remain open throughout the evening for donations, NBC Universal said. Clear Channel has agreed to promote the special on its radio stations nationwide.

Overseas, the 1985 African famine relief benefit song, "We Are the World," was being revived for relief efforts by celebrities including Jackie Chan, Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung. The latest rendition, called "Love," has new Chinese lyrics. The performers, and William Hung of "American Idol" fame, raised nearly $6.2 million at a weekend show.

India's leading classical musicians will perform Friday in Bombay to raise funds.

But, officials say, the average citizen is doing the bulk of the giving.

"We've never seen anything like this before," UNICEF spokeswoman Marissa Buckanoff said Tuesday. "In one day last week we received more online donations that we have received in all of 2003."

UNICEF has received more than $20 million in aid from U.S. citizens. The Red Cross is up to more than $79 million, and Oxfam is at $12 million.

The death toll around the Indian Ocean rim from the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunamis approached 140,000 Tuesday.





Graceunderfyre
Member

01-21-2004

Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 10:54 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Cotsa - CWS and the IOCC are the organizations I am volunteering for. We take the supplies to them and then they distribute. IOCC's headquartered in MD but CWS is closer in Indiana. We are doing this instead of just money becuase everyone feels tapped after the Holidays. This way people can buy a few things or a lot and they don't think about the extra expense. Also, it gives the kids something to do when they put them together - it helps them feel like they have actually done something to help. There will always be people that would rather just give money, but there are also people that like to feel like they are sending specific items of need.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 3:31 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Maris, I heard today that they have restricted all movement of children UNDER 16. I saw it on CBC Newsworld, but I wasn't watching that closely for the details/logistics of it. But it had to do with children being taken and sold into slavery. I'll look online for some more info.

Scary thought though. As if the tsunami wouldn't be traumatizing enough for these kids.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 3:44 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Traffickers threaten Aceh orphans

Tuesday, January 4, 2005 Posted: 9:18 PM EST (0218 GMT)

(CNN) -- Indonesian authorities have taken steps to protect displaced or orphaned children from traffickers after last week's tsunami disaster, barring people from leaving the country with children under 16 from its hard-hit Aceh province.

Riaz Saehu, the press secretary for the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, said Jakarta was implementing the measure because "the government would like to protect the children" from potential traffickers.

"We are afraid the children can be taken advantage of," he said.

The disaster is believed to have left as many as 13,000 children orphaned in the region.

But John Budd, a spokesman for the U.N. children's fund UNICEF, said it was unclear how many children had lost parents or were only separated from their families.

Budd said the fears have been stoked by reports from relief agencies that criminal gang members in Aceh have been posing as aid workers or parents.

And a couple was arrested on charges of attempting to traffic in children in the city of Medan, which he said was "notorious" for the practice -- "both for adoption and for the sex trade."

In addition, an an e-mail message received by UNICEF worker in Malaysia offered 300 orphans for adoption, promising that "All paperwork will be taken care of," he said.

"To even start talking about orphans at the moment is utterly premature," he said.

UNICEF is working with Indonesia's government to set up child centers in the region to help reunite orphaned children with members of their extended families, he said.

Indonesian officials and aid workers began setting up a registration system for children Tuesday, Budd said.

"The Indonesian government -- the president and vice president, as well as the police here -- are deeply concerned about it, and we're supporting them," he said.

Another UNICEF official, Simon Ingram, said there are indications "traffickers are active" in the tsunami-stricken regions. Asked about Indonesia barring people leaving the country with young Aceh children, he said.

"That was a step we were pleased they took."

Ruud Lubbers, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said it is unclear if trafficking is occurring on a large scale, but "we are trying to prevent it."

"We are prepared for this sort of behavior and terrible things, so we are cautious," he said.

UNICEF has launched a four-point plan to save the children in the region:

-- Focusing on basics such as clean water, adequate sanitation, nutrition and routine medical care.

-- Giving a high priority to identifying children who have lost their families, and reuniting them with their extended families and communities.

-- Ensuring the children are protected from child traffickers and sex predators.

-- Helping children cope with the tragedy by getting them back in school as soon as possible and training teachers about signs of severe trauma.

Maris
Member

03-28-2002

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 6:30 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Eeyore, I saw they instituted new restrictions on the travel of children. No children can leave the province without being documented (photographed and fingerprinted) first. no children are allowed to leave Thailand undocumented or proven family members. It is hard to imagine in all this mess that they have to deal with something like this.

Twiggyish
Member

08-14-2000

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 9:42 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Horrible!!

Along with the other wonderful organizations listed above, I want to put a plug in for the Red Cross.



Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 - 1:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
If you donate thru Amazon.com, you are contributing to the American Red Cross Disaster Fund.

The latest numbers from Amazon:
Total Collected: US $14,375,887.00
# of Payments: 177698

That is a whole whoppin' LOTTA money!!!!