Posted on 12/30/2004 11:21:35 PM PST by crushelits
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A satellite image taken Dec. 29, 2004, shows an overview of Aceh province in the western Indonesian island of Sumatra. The area absorbed the double shock of the world's worst earthquake in 40 years coupled with the resulting catastrophic tsunami |
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BEFORE: This detailed view of the northern tip of the island was taken on Jan 10, 2003 |
AFTER: A photo taken of the same area on Jan. 29, 2004, shows the extreme destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami. On Thursday, Indonesian officials issued a new death toll of nearly 80,000 for that country alone. |
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BEFORE: This detailed view of northern Banda Aceh was taken on Jan. 10, 2003 |
AFTER: News services on Thursday reported that pilots in Sumatra had discovered about 28,000 |
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BEFORE: This detailed view of the island was taken by the IKONOS satellite on Jan. 10, 2003 |
AFTER: Some officials said there was dismal coordination among the Indonesian military, civilians and foreign governments. "We haven't gotten any help at all, nothing, said a resident who was camped out five miles from the airport in Banda Aceh. |
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BEFORE: This detailed view of the west of the island was taken on Jan. 10, 2003 |
AFTER: As of Thursday, several governments had pledged $500 million in emergency aid for stricken areas. |
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BEFORE: This detailed view of the west of the island was taken on Jan. 10, 2003 |
AFTER: On Wednesday, the Indonesian military finally reached the Sumatra town of Meulaboh, closest to the epicenter on the massive earthquake. A bulldozer dug a mass grave the size of a |
I tried the Drudge link, but couldn't get the vids to download. I have DSL so bandwith shouldn't be a problem. Could you recommend a specific link on the site?
My little mistake.
From the information I got from NOAA's web pages, it appears when the tsunami hit northwestern Sumatra the wave was least four meters tall! I think the wave may have been as high as ten meters tall, which explains why the DigitalGlobe pictures taken by the QuickBird imaging satellite show the town of Banda Aceh nearly scoured clean by the tsunami waves.
Man oh man. Beyond the shock of the tragedy, this is a testament to the power of nature, which IMO sillifies our exaggerated notions of how we think we can control and preserve this force. It's far more likely to control us.
MM
It was a big God - an awesome God.
bump...best comparative illustration via a "wide-angle" view of what's been lost...
I have never seen anything so dreadful, horrifying, and sad :(
unreal - this whole disaster just blows me away.
I had no idea what I was looking at in the picture...I just thought it was showing debris and such until I started to scroll...unreal.
Ping
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.
The other night dear, as I lay sleeping,
I dreamt I held you in my arms.
When I awoke dear, I was mistaken,
So I hung my head down and cried.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.
Words and Music by Jimmy Davis and Charles Mitchell (1940)
IN SYMPATHY AND WITH KIND AND LOVING THOUGHTS FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAVE LOST SOMEONE...
--Rambler
Yes .. it should be here! People should know the truth.
This is an horrendous event and it shouldn't be powdered over.
What you are seeing here is one, very small part of the scope of damage and carnage. There is a 3000 mile coastline, for which most is relatively inaccessable now. Roads have been cut, buried with debris or flooded. It will take months to reach some of these places, a herculean effort I am not sure we can muster. Many more villages have all but been erased.
Our capability to conceptualize the enormity of this tragedy is just not there. We have no way to compare. Our combined experiences cannot relate to 3000 miles of coastline let alone the wrath of a tidal action such as this on hundreds of villages. God be with the survivors along that coastline. For many, aid will come too late, if at all.
If there is one thing we could take to heart...we live a delicate existance, treasure it and be as well prepared as we can to endure......
Unbelievable...if the Thia Government when alerted to this earthquake....making a decision NOT to issue a TSUNAMI ALERT....talk 'bout poor decision making....that's not the word for it.
Just when you think you've reached the saturation point, new information and pictures brings the tragedy home and breaks your heart all over again. With tears in my eyes, thank you.
Fing a good, reliable charity that does not feather its own nest.
That picture is gruesome... was is really necessary to post it?
Ping!
I thought about it. It was one of those decisions that could have gone either way.
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