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!
I did not construe airborne's comments in that way. He is simply pointing out the blind spot of human nature that tries to will away potential hazards until they have become actual hazards.
I guess it's just my nature. Not that I'm proud of it all the time, but that's the honest truth.
I just really don't think it was all that difficult to predict a major earthquake in this region, or to associate a potential tsunami with such a prediction (all undersea quakes have some chance of generating a tsunami). I do think that it's quite admirable that he actually attempted to prepare the region, which should've taken measures after the Papua disaster. That received less press because it was more localized and hit much more isolated communities that weren't as densely populated. Actually, people did notice that but most didn't take the threat of tsunami in the Indian Ocean seriously (the Papua wave had been on the Pacific side). Astute people such as him realized that tsunami can hit any sizable body of water, and that the Indian Ocean was past due.