[airborne]

The Caltech geology professor had studied the history of giant earthquakes just south of the epicenter for about a decade and knew full well the damage such a major quake in that part of the world could inflict.

I'm sorry, but is it that surprising to expect that, over the course of a decade, that an area prone to tsunamis would have one?

IMHO, it took a catastrophe for people to accept a relative certainty.

In other words, it was bound to happen, but until it did, the average person will choose to live in denial.

[Quix]

Can you cite another remotely similar case where

a quality geologist doing quality research

went so far out of his way

to warn a population/geographic area

of a serious quake hazard being looming in the relatively short term

which was followed

within a relatively few months--literally a few months--

by a very devastating; shockingly devastating quake markedly uncommon in our times?

WHY IS IT SO HARD to give this guy his considerably above average due?

SHEESH!