seaquake dec 2004 tsunami death wave
emergency web dec 26...31, 2004

- - 1. tools~? - -- - 2. news+reports - - 3. Links - - 4. south.thailand - -

 

1
preventional task: tools ?

earthquake monitor
worldwide data

Intl Tsunami Warning Center
- about work to be done soon...
Earthquake Preparedness Information
sms disaster relief system SRI LANKA
 
Mercer University professor invented an $100 instrument that may lead to an inexpensive early-warning device for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis for use in homes or businesses.
PMEL - pacific tsunami montoring

NASA/French Satellite Data Reveal New Details of Tsunami

radar satellite reconnaissance
U.S. and French teams working in parallel with altimetry data from the joint NASA/French Space Agency Jason and Topex/Poseidon oceanography satellites have independently confirmed the satellites' measurements of the height of the tsunami waves as they radiated from the earthquake's epicenter. The satellites flew over the Bay of Bengal about 150 kilometers (93 miles) apart approximately two hours after the quake.
The satellites recorded a maximum sea surface elevation gain (deviation from normal) of 50 centimeters on the open ocean about 1,200 kilometers south of Sri Lanka at the leading crest of a tsunami wave raging out of the Bay of Bengal. It was followed by a trough of sea surface depression of 40 centimeters below normal. The distance from one wave crest to the next was about 800 kilometers. The first wave was followed by a second with a crest height of 40 centimeters above normal. Near the northern end of the Bay, two waves with crest heights of 40 centimeters and 20 centimeters above normal were approaching the coasts of Myanmar. Spreading across the Bay of Bengal from the earthquake zone offshore from Western Sumatra, these tsunami waves eventually reached shallow waters along the coasts of Sumatra, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Southern India. Their open ocean speeds reduced from that of a jet plane, 800 kilometers per hour, to about 32 kilometers per hour, building the open ocean wave heights of 0.5 meters or less to walls of water up to 10 meters high with great destructive power.

Warning System Org. Chart
 
 
A.
Warning Systems
Earthquake
+ Tsunami Reconn.
Centers / Systems
B.
 distribution centers system
phone chain
radio distrib.
www / email chain
C.
regional structure
 develoment of communication structure, structural research knowledge base, rules, definitions, confirmations
education
D.
local situation
 local communication + community structure
evacuation action-plan
+ training


2
news + reports global



satellite photo, india coast. sea ebbs down in front of the big wave.
here the beach is up to 300m wide - normally its just a few meter.

CASUALTIES - death toll by numbers and information flow timeline
26dec2004 afternoon UTC
29dec2004
30dec2004
31dec2004
7jan05
  
Sri Lanka
1677
22.493
27,268
41,008
49,000
 4,000+ missing
India
2075
6974
12,419
15,648
 5,689 missing
Indonesia
450
45.268
79,940
79,940
101,318
 ??+ missing
Thailand
168
1657
2,394
4,510
11,000
 4,499+ missing
Somalia
100
132
298
 ?
Malaysia
28
64
66
74
 ?
Maldives
  
55
74
 30 missing
Myanmar (Burma)
36
90
290...600
 UNKNOWN !
Bangladesh
2
2
 ?
Kenia
2
1
 ?
Seychelles
  
3
10
 ?
Tansania
  
10
10
 ?
South-Africa
  
2
2
 ?
TOTAL
6.000
23.700
140,082
193,113+
 24,000+ missing
- KENYA + SOMALIA were warned about the tsunami - some coastal regions became evacuated.
casualties number one year later: dec 2005 = 230.000 ...


bengal bay beam - from animation by AFRC, Japan
10 min 30 min 60 min 100 min 150 min

earthquake monitor
worldwide data

Times are in Coordinated Universal Time UTC = GMT time

 Date Time
Mag
LAT
LON
27 dec 20:10 h
5,8
    
O
 26 dec 04:21 h
7,5
6,891°
92,891°
26 dec 01:21 h
6,2
    
O
 26 dec 00:58 h
9
3,244°
95,825°
 

earthquake map of 26 december -
00:58 h First big beam RED >
- - - 04:21 beam ORANGE >

fullview + all asia damage


Die Flutkatastrophe in Südasien gibt der Naturschutzbehörde Sri Lankas mit Blick auf die Tierwelt Rätsel auf: Nach den verheerendsten Flutwellen in der jüngsten Geschichte, die in ganz Südasien mindestens 70.000 Menschen in den Tod gerissen hat, ist die Region übersät mit menschlichen Leichen, bislang sind jedoch keine Kadaver wilder Tiere gefunden worden...  

world earthquake map:

NICOBAR Islands,

Trinkat island
before and after the quake >

Courtesy: National Remote Sensing Agency, India

 

link: pictures of the impact wave: phi-phi-island

3
tsunami relief: LINKS

dive base NEWS - all bay of bengal - TAUCHER.net (german language)

> Tsunami News <
- info+links at blogspot.com
 
> ALERT NET < by reuters foundation
"Alerting humanitarians to emergencies"

Links / Forums:

- newsgroup: asia.rec.travel

- newsgroup: rec.scuba.locations

- newsgroup: rec.scuba
  Situation in East AFRICA [29dec2004]
kitefliers solidarity network linkpage  

 


4
Region: SouthWest THAILAND Andaman-Sea

jan02, 2005 - statement from sawadee.com, thailand:
Our team has toured the affected areas of Krabi, Phuket, Phang-na (Khao Lak) with a truck loaded with food, drinks, clothes and emergency cash. Given the extensive media coverage, we wish to inform of facts, which are not much present in the media:
Phuket: There is severe damage in the selected beach area of about 500m inwards. However, the impression that "Phuket is gone" is wrong. 80% of the hotels are unaffected and full operational. 10% have damages which can be repaired with 1-2 weeks. Phuket is save. Most pictures you see on TV are now taken from the depot where they bring the rubble and trash from the clean-up efforts!
Krabi: Only a few selected areas (like Railay bay) got hit by the wave, but popular destinations like Ao Nang are totally save. There is a protection wall in place for a long time already and even if the main road was flooded (and now cleaned up), 90% of the hotels are not damaged. Krabi is save for visit.
Koh Phi-Phi: A large part of infrastructure was destroyed, leaving the island with only 3 full operational resorts. Many lives were lost on Phi-Phi.
Important: The main damage to Krabi Ao-Nang is done by the media, not the wave. Because Phi-Phi belongs to Krabi Province, there is the wrong impression that Krabi mainland is heavily damaged. They are killing Krabi by thinking in Provincial categories, instead of differentiating between Krabi, Phi-Phi and Lanta !!
Phang-Na/Khao Lak: This area got the worst hit and has the highest number in lost of lives. Most parts of Khao-Lak are virtually destroyed and it will take time to get a picture of the full extend. Khao Lak accounts for more than half of the death-toll.
Summary:
With the exception of Phang-nga/Khao Lak/Phi-Phi, the other destinations are not as bad as it appears in the media. What you see on TV are the sites of destruction, what you don't see is the 90% unaffected part of the area. It should also be mentioned that destinations like Samui and Pattaya are perfectly save, as there was no Tsunami at all.


Thailand, Insel "Ko Bulon Lae" - ALL OK -
2. Hintergrundinfo : Die Insel befindet sich mitten im Katastrophengebiet, und zwar an der betroffenen Westküste ca. 120 km südlich von Phi Phi Island und nördlich von Penang / Malaysia. Sie wird ausschließlich von Individualreisenden besucht. Zur Zeit halten sich ca. 100-200 Touristen auf der Insel auf, davon ca. 50-100 Deutsche (meine Schätzung, da ich die Insel kenne)
3. Aktueller Stand : Gestern Abend (28.11., 19 Uhr) konnte der Betreiber des Bulon-Resorts erstmalig per Satellitentelefon ein kurzes Telefongespräch nach Deutschland führen. Die Insel ist zwar von der Außenwelt abgeschnitten, weil Boote zerstört worden sind, aber es gibt KEINE OPFER, keine Verletzte, und alle Hütten auf der Insel sind noch intakt (Ko Bulon Resort, Punsand Bay usw.).
Da die Verbindung sofort wieder abbrach, kann ich nicht ausschließen, dass die Info noch nicht bekannt ist. Für Angehörige, die nach Individual-Reisenden in KO BULON suchen, mag diese Info von Wert sein ! Allen Inselbewohnern / Touristen geht es gut. MfG T. Krupp [ 29dec2004 ]

map from sawadee.com
more thailand info. -[28dec2004]

 

thailand: list of victims by nation
-[28dec2004]

 

 

photos of the wave from phuket, thailand.

more good news from ko lipe -
Ko Lipe unaffected by the tidal wave
I am staying on Ko Lipe at Daya resort in a bungalow which is only a few metres from the sea at high tide. Amazingly I slept through the earthquake and the tidal wave that followed. Other people at Daya went up into the hills, but they forgot to wake me. When I stepped out of my bungalow an hour after the tidal wave there was some debris on the beach, but nobody was hurt and not bungalows, bars or anything else was affected. It seems that little Ko Lipe (2km long) was protected by 3 large islands that are between our island and Sumatra. - -[28dec2004]

islands northwest of ko lipe are Koh Butang and Koh Rawi.

Ko Lipe was unaffected by the big wave, we had some divers in the water but all are well, thank God. We will close shop for a few days just in case it happins again. Phuket and Ko Phi Phi were hard hit, the news on t.v. here looks bad. Even the King lost a grandson who was swimming at the time.
Regards, Jim Broder, starfishscuba koh lipe, 27-12-04

map "butang islands" south thailand >
I arrived on koh lipe on the 25th dec. The next morning the earthquake hit. There is hardly any damage to koh lipe. So little in fact it is hard to come to terms with what has happened around us. Koh lipe is incredibly lucky to get off so lightly. However it is very quiet here as most tourists left as soon as the quake hit. (Demian, Dec.30)  
  "No damages" reported from Ko Sukorn, Ko Hai, Ko Mook und Ko Bulon.

 

THAILAND: "Warning system to be built" -[31dec2004]-
Mr Thaksin said the government was ready to pay whatever a warning system would cost. If it was US$29-30 million, as the press reported, it would not be a problem, he said.
As Thailand's tourism industry is expected to be adversely affected, Mr Thaksin said, his government would find other ways to make up for the losses.
He predicted the tourism industry would quickly bounce back as the government was doing its best to help affected visitors. Foreign tourists were receiving free meals and accommodations, as well as new passports and convenient flights home, the prime minister said, and they were satisfied with the treatment.
Meanwhile, the Information and Communications Technology Ministry (ICT) is mobilising resources from state agencies to create a central database of tidal wave damage and victims in Thailand.
The database will be accessible through portal websites including thaitsunami.com.
Internet and mobile phone connections are being prepared to facilitate the collection of information in all affected provinces, according to ICT Minister Surapong Suebwonglee.
Meteorological officials will be investigated after the New Year holiday for their roles in warning the public about Sunday's tidal waves, he said.

MCOT TNA 27dec2004:
"Marine police rescue stranded tourists
SATUN, Dec 27 (TNA) – Marine police based in the southern province of Satun said today that they would be able to rescue 400 tourists stranded on islands around the Satun coastline by the end of the day.
Marine police, who were ordered this morning by Satun Governor Manit Wattanasen to rush to the rescue of domestic and foreign tourists still stuck on Koh Lipe and Koh Adang after yesterday’s tsunami tragedy, this morning managed to evacuate 173 tourists from Koh Lipe, of whom 60 were foreigners.
The remainder of the tourists are to be taken to safety by the end of the day. Local sources said that the tourists seemed exhausted, but pleased to have been rescued safely."

Reuters
December 27, 2004

The tsunamis struck the mainland provinces of Phang Nga, Krabi and Satun, as well as Phuket.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, clearly stunned, called the tsunamis unprecedented after officials reported one wave, 5m to 10m high, had struck hotel-lined beaches on Phuket, which appeared to be the worst hit.
Government officials said 50 people were killed on Phuket, 31 in Krabi, 10 in Phang Nga and one in Satun, but the toll was rising last night.
At least 11 were killed on Koh Phi Phi. A maritime police officer said the casualties there could be far higher, as the tidal wave destroyed much of the development on the small island.
It was not immediately known how many of the dead were foreigners, but a Malaysian couple were killed diving in the famous Emerald Cave.
Authorities rescued 80 others trapped at the cave.

'

SATUN, Dec 26, (TNA) – Officials in the southern province of Satun this afternoon rushed to evacuate local islands, amid reports that they could be hit by another tidal wave in the wake of today’s devastating earthquake.

Residents of Koh Lipe, Koh Turatao, Pak Bara beach, Koh Bulan and Rawai beach who this morning faced tsunamis of as high as 4.5 metres, were by this afternoon making urgent preparations in anticipation of yet more disaster.

Several fishing and tourist boats were lost in the tidal waves, and the death toll in the province had this morning risen to at least five, with other people still missing.

Local officials said that they were liaising with the navy and marine police to provide helicopters to evacuate residents to safe areas as soon as possible, in anticipation of another tsunami rolling in from Malaysia’s Langkawi Island. (TNA)-E006


8 Jan 2005

a letter from thailand

 It's been a few weeks after the tsunami. Who knows how many dead in Thailand. This is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, so the same as when the sars epidemy, or the bird flu, they will hide until they can. Sure, tourism it's the main income. More sadly, they will rebuild exactly at the same place, with illegal land titles, with illegal permits to build. Fuck nature. It's election time here in Thailand. Many people have written worrying about me. I thank them. And the whole world has been worrying about the disaster. I believe that this disaster is big in the whole world only because western people have been affected. How many times the same thing has happened, year after year? We made a big fuss about september the 11th. Why? Because it was the west, the defenders of a so called democracy and the free world. What a joke!! The world endures, in different places, the same problems. Which ones make the front pages? The ones that affect us, the rich. Now, everyday, in the "Bangkok Post", they publish the photos of the ones that haven't been found, only foreigners, an exact copy of the "New York Times" after the planes crashed against those buildings. But no thais. Only us. Why? Because it sells. The same tragedy happens every year in some part of the world....yes, it's in the news, for how long? Maybe a day, or two. But shit!!! This big wave fucked up our holidays, and the little blonde boy is searching for his parents.....and what about the sri lankan boy that lost everything? Who sent an e-mail worrying about him? Stop this. International cooperation. The United Nations. The problems are more deep that this. Until when we take advantage of nature. Until when the western people spend their money to turn the third world into our paradise for the christmas season, or haad rin for our party time, same as the big companies outsource their jobs to cheaper places. Yes....tough luck, you died while you sitted at your five star hotel, while the thais made 4000 bath ( 100 dollars ) a month, working 16 hours a day to provide you with.....
If no westerners had been affected....it would have been in the news for two days. Like always. But we own the media, we own the world. And a swedish, an american, a french, a chilean, a whatever, shit, how sad. But who cares about the one that has nothing in the north of thailand that has to come to the south and work endless hours to support a family? Not Thaksin Shinawatra ( the prime minister and richest man of Thailand ). Shit, it's election time, not " Le Monde", not any newspaper. Sorry to say this. But the west sucks!!!!

Carlos

27.12.04 Besides the deaths on Phuket island, Thai officials reported fatalities in Phang Nga, Ranong, Krabi, Satun and Trang.

27-12-04 List of victims / hurt people in hospitals Thailand PHUKET area - use "control F" for name search -


 

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