Well known Sri Lankan survivor of the tidal waves

Arthur C. Clarke Foundation ^ | 12/27/04 | Arthur C Clarke

[Borges]

12.27.04

From Sir Arthur regarding the recent tsunamis in South and Southeast Asia:

Thank you for your concern about my safety in the wake of Sunday’s devastating tidal wave.

I am enormously relieved that my family and household have escaped the ravages of the sea that suddenly invaded most parts of coastal Sri Lanka, leaving a trail of destruction.

But many others were not so fortunate. For hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans and an unknown number of foreign tourists, the day after Christmas turned out to be a living nightmare reminiscent of The Day After Tomorrow.

Among those affected are my staff based at our diving station in Hikkaduwa and holiday bungalow in Kahawa – both beachfront properties located in areas worst hit. We still don’t know the fully extent of damage as both roads and phones have been damaged. Early reports indicate that we have lost most of our diving equipment and boats. Not all our staff members are accounted for – yet.

This is indeed a disaster of unprecedented magnitude for Sri Lanka which lacks the resources and capacity to cope with the aftermath. We are all trying to contribute to the relief efforts. We shall keep you informed as we learn more about what happened.

Curiously enough, in my first book on Sri Lanka, I had written about another tidal wave reaching the Galle harbour (see Chapter 8 in The Reefs of Taprobane, 1957). That happened in August 1883, following the eruption of Krakatoa in roughly the same part of the Indian Ocean.

Arthur Clarke 27 December 2004

[Borges]

He's lived past 2001 already so why not a bit longer? :)

[taxcontrol]

You know, I did not catch the irony of that till you mentioned it.

[Mike Fieschko]

a living nightmare reminiscent of The Day After Tomorrow

This guy just lost any scientific credibility he might have had. Give me a break. He might as well said reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon show or a 1950s atomic monster from outer space comic book.

[JennysCool]

I was wondering about Sir Arthur. Thank you for the post!

[BenLurkin]

So that's what the UFO pilots look like!

[Bogey78O]

Not necessarily. Plenty of people reference fictitious events to contrast actual events.

[fish hawk]

What's Michael Moore doing lurking outside that window?

[Borges]

Yeah. How many times do you hear people say 'something out of 1984' or 'something out of Dante's Inferno'. Or something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey'. :)

[BradyLS]

"I'm delighted, Miss, really, but it just wouldn't work out between us. I'm sorry."

[Mike Fieschko]

Not necessarily. Plenty of people reference fictitious events to contrast actual events.

It wasn't a reference to fictitious events and it wasn't a contrast.

It was a reference to The Day After Tomorrow. He selected that particular work. The only differences between that movie and those of the 50s are the FX and the agenda.

The possibility of the events in The Day After Tomorrow occurring is equal to nuclear tests creating giant mutant ants.

[ApplegateRanch]

Thanks. I've had him in the back of my mind ever since I first heard Sri Lanka had been hit.

[null and void]

[WestVirginiaRebel]

I'd cut the guy some slack. He's what, about 90? And probably still trying to come to grips with the magnitude of what happened.

[Lurking Libertarian]

Good to hear that Sir Arthur is OK. We were just talking about one of his stories the other day.

[Borges]

Gotta love the love stories they put into those '50s classics between beautiful women and ant-men:


You have to love the man and put the insect aside!

Insecticide! Where??

[Ichneumon]

[a living nightmare reminiscent of The Day After Tomorrow]

This guy just lost any scientific credibility he might have had. Give me a break.

Oh, come on... The Day After Tomorrow was a recent film which had huge tsunamis affecting large regions, it's the most obvious comparison. And Clarke isn't saying that the *causes* were the same, just the results in some areas.

[Mike Fieschko]

I'd cut the guy some slack. He's what, about 90? And probably still trying to come to grips with the magnitude of what happened.

I enjoy a lot of his science fiction. I'm pretty sure he was the author I next discovered after discovering Heinlein, back in the 60s. (I don't count 'Victor Appleton II'.) Maybe that's why I got annoyed and mouthed off as quickly as I did.

I hope I live as long as he has. I'll need it to make up for all the stupid things I do and say. That said, sometimes old geezers say dumb things. Heck, even middle aged guys say dumb things -- their teenagers let 'em know.

[Mike Fieschko]

We were just talking about one of his stories the other day.

Thanks for the link. Every Christmas I remember that story, and I'd forgotten he wrote it.

[Lurking Libertarian]

I don't count 'Victor Appleton II'

A name I hadn't even thought of in decades! I loved those books as a kid.

[foolscap]

I've seen a space alien depicted as a giant piece of okra.