Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

It’s already Boxing Day (December 26) in much of the rest of the world, and people are remembering that four years ago on that day a massive tsunami, one of the greatest natural disasters of all time, devastated coastal regions in many countries in the Indian Ocean region. The tsunami, resulting from a 9.2 undersea earthquake near Indonesia, ultimately killed nearly 250,000 people in 11 countries.

The earthquake that generated the great Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 is estimated to have released the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Giant forces that had been building up deep in the Earth for hundreds of years were released suddenly on December 26, shaking the ground violently and unleashing a series of killer waves that sped across the Indian Ocean at the speed of a jet airliner.

By the end of the day more than 150,000 people were dead or missing and millions more were homeless in 11 countries, making it perhaps the most destructive tsunami in history. [National Geographic]

Are we, in Hawaii, better prepared now than we were then? One day it will be us, not them.

December 26 is a day to remember, and also a day to be sure we are ready.

Before a train is built, shouldn’t we fix the warning sirens? Shouldn’t we each know where our emergency shelter is? Shouldn’t we have plans for evacuating those with mobility challenges, including our older folks? When will we get those plans? Who is working on this?

Permalink posted by Larry @ 12/25/2008 02:53:00 PM