Posted on 01/01/2005 1:28:24 PM PST by Pikamax
3 survivors walk for 5 days, find no one alive on coast
By Richard C. Paddock
Los Angeles Times
LHOKNGA, Indonesia - For five days, the three friends walked across a 95-mile wasteland of death and destruction.
Living on coconuts, cassava and unopened noodle packets they found along the way, they hiked along the west coast of Sumatra through 150 villages that had been reduced to rubble by Sunday's massive earthquake and tsunamis.
They swam across 15 rivers where bridges had been washed away. They passed more bodies than they could count, including some that had lain in the tropical sun for so long they had burst.
But for five days there is one thing they didn't see: another living person.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
I said, right when it occurred, that there would be 250,000 dead within a month. That when all was over, it would approach 1 million.
One of those, sure hate being right things.
I don't know if I would say that yet, but don't forget that Indonesia is a very populous country, and some Indonesian islands have some of the highest population denisty on Earth. It sure could be much worse than we know at this point.
It also shows how uncontrollable this planet is. The idea that humans can alter its environment permanently by driving cars is absurd,.
A pilgimige of unmitigated horror.
And the really scary thing is of course that it is all Bush and the Republicans' fault. (There is commentary to that effect at DU and elsewhere, I kid you not).
Yes. Some reported that the waves went inland for 2 miles. Most of these islands have populace right along the shores.
The numbers will be staggering.
Many small islands (and their whole populations disappeared completely.
There have been estimates of 400,000 dead in just one area.
This link shows areas where at one time people lived and now they are gone. Sat. images.
http://www.crisp.nus.edu.sg/tsunami/tsunami.html
Around 154,000 is the last I heard. I would not be surprized if it went to 500 thousands. I wonder what that mega wave they been talking about is going to do?
Bump for later read!!!
That opening package is more terrifying than any cheap horror flick.
Strange - almost all of them seem to be face-down.
If Americans weren't so backwards on their morals, allowing them to kill children without a conscience while turning away from bloated bodies in the news, I would say there was a movie in this sad story, ala "Castaway." To whomever might make it, PLEASE don't use Tom Hanks, the liberal crackpot that he is.
I don't know why people think it was the waves that did this damage. I wish people would get it straight.
The waves were just like other waves that crashed on the beach. They didn't do any damage.
The storm surge is what did the damage and pushed the water inland. This was not as damaging as the sucking back to sea, which was much stronger than the initial surge inland. This was due to people being stunned after being flooded, and weakened from fighting for posture. When the pressure reversed and flowed back out to sea, the weakened people and property were no match for the rip-tide like pressure taking their legs out from under them and ripping their bodies with debris.
I'm looking for a link to the satellite picture of the tsunami occurring. I would appreciate someone pinging me to one if they could. No one in my family has seen it, and I think it's been posted in several spots. Thanks!
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