Elders' Knowledge of the Oceans Spares Thai 'sea Gypsies' From Tsunami Disaster

The Associated Press ^ | Dec 31, 2004 | Anon

[Pharmboy]

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Knowledge of the ocean and its currents passed down from generation to generation of a group of Thai fishermen known as the Morgan sea gypsies saved an entire village from the Asian tsunami, a newspaper said Saturday. By the time killer waves crashed over southern Thailand last Sunday the entire 181 population of their fishing village had fled to a temple in the mountains of South Surin Island, English language Thai daily The Nation reported.

"The elders told us that if the water recedes fast it will reappear in the same quantity in which it disappeared," 65-year-old village chief Sarmao Kathalay told the paper.

So while in some places along the southern coast, Thais headed to the beach when the sea drained out of beaches - the first sign of the impending tsunami - to pick up fish left flapping on the sand, the gypsies headed for the hills.

Few people in Thailand have a closer relationship with the sea than the Morgan sea gypsies, who spend each monsoon season on their boats plying the waters of the Andaman Sea from India to Indonesia and back to Thailand.

Between April and December, they live in shelters on the shore surviving by catching shrimp and spear fishing. At boat launching festivals each May, they ask the sea for forgiveness.

AP-ES-12-31-04 2245EST

[Squantos]

There are pics from what I believe is the balcony of the hotel showing the girl in the black bikini up to her neck being swept away. I'm assuming the pics were taken with a telephoto or someone who knew to run like hell after s/he snapped the pick of that wall of water.....

Just a SWAG on my part of course.....

[jpsb]

Along the Gulf of Mexico at strong north wind will blow all the water out of the bays and inlets. If it is strong enough It will even blow the water away from the north side of the gulf. I've never seen the long Island sound drain of water but I have seen the bays on the north shore drained. But in all fairness the draining took many hours. If the bay drain in five minutes I run like hell.

[stlnative]

NEW ASIA QUAKE

Magnitude 6.5 - OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
2005 January 1 06:25:44 UTC

Preliminary Earthquake Report
U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver
The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: A strong earthquake occurred OFF THE WEST COAST OF SUMATRA, INDONESIA about 345 km (215 miles) west of Banda Aceh or about 2025 km (1260 miles) northwest of Jakarta at 11:25 PM MST, Dec 31, 2004 (Jan 01 at 1:25 PM local time in western Indonesia). The magnitude and location may be revised when additional data and further analysis results are available. No reports of damage or casualties have been received at this time.



http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/neic_stak_nr.html

[SuziQ]

I still can't understand why the native born, of all people, wandered out into the waters.

It was the people in Sri Lanka who were caught unawares. They didn't know about that part of the impending tsunami because they'vnever had one in anyone's living memory. Tsunamis usually don't occur in that part of the Indian Ocean apparently.

Our daughter told me tonight that tsunami means 'harbor wave'. tsu is the kanji for 'harbor' in Japanese. It was named thus because the first time it happened in Japan, fishermen who had been out on the ocean came back in to harbor to find the place demolished. Since they hadn't felt any large waves out on the ocean, they just assumed a large wave had developed in the harbor. As wierd as it seemed to them, they had no other explanation.

[jpsb]

6.5? After shock, what I have read is that it takes an 8.0 or more to produces a Tsunami. Now that doesn't make a lot of sence to me, why not a little Tsunami? but that is what I've read.

[Axenolith]

There seems to be this universal thinking of "it's just water" with no concept of the power behind it. I've seen it repeatedly in photo's of this disaster and in old ones. Some of the gawking people even have grins on their faces as they run with 20 feet of water upon them. Others are crowds with maybe a few people who are running while the rest just stand and point or walk away...

[Finny]

Ah! Okay, thanks for the explanation. I've only experienced the Gulf briefly, and from the Florida side. Very different dynamics at work than the Pacific coast.

[stlnative]

USGS reports this latest one as a 6.5 and India is reporting it as a 5.2 (this is exactly what happened on the 26th, India reported the big one as low as a 5.2 at first and the US reported it as 8.1 at first)

Southeast Asia Still in Quake Tragedy - New Year Dawns
Express Newsline, India - 19 minutes ago
New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) "A quake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale was recorded off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia at 7.26 am Saturday," IMD (seismic ...

http://www.expressnewsline.com/0205/fullstory0205-insight-Southeast+Asia+quake-status-17-newsID-1219.html

There have been no reports of any damage or Tsunami's from this latest one. I posted it since USGS posted it on their site.

[Finny]

It sounds like as sensible an explanation as any. That is a very scary pic ... most of those people clearly have no idea what is about to happen, and the ones that do ... I hope they got to safe ground in time. They look like they're running as fast as they can.

[Axenolith]

So what? The countries hit, for the most part, didn't have a tsunami warning network. Some, like Thailand, made a decision not to issue an alert "as a courtesy to the tourist industry" (their words)...

[stlnative]

see post 88

[SunkenCiv]

Anthropology ping. Good idea, Blam.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[stlnative]

Aftershocks can trigger quake in Assam, US scientists caution

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1178741,001301540006.htm

Press Trust of India

New Delhi, January 1, 2005|13:50 IST

Aftershocks of last week's killer quake off Sumatra are moving northwards and can potentially trigger a major earthquake in Assam, scientists in the United States have cautioned the Indian government.

The scientists at the Center for Earth Observing and Space Research in George Mason University in Virginia, who have been analysing the seismic data since December 26, have found the aftershocks moving towards north along 90-degree Ridge.

"If the sequence of these aftershocks moves further north then it may trigger a very big earthquake in Assam region, which is expected by the scientists since long time," Ramesh P Singh, a member of the team and Vice Chairman of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) Risk Commission said.

Singh said that the magnitude-5 earthquake on December 30 near Myanmar reported by the US Geological Survey was probably caused by the aftershocks.

Its epicentre falls on the trajectory of the aftershocks.

---

Aftershocks continue to jolt Andamans; latest quake 6.3

(1/1/05)
http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=53442

[jpsb]

No way another big quake could happen in the same spot. That would be too cruel.

[UCANSEE2]

I have no idea where the communication break down occurred.

I think the question should be why, not where.

IT was Christmas Day, and Asia has no detection/sensor system like ours. There is not a formal system for getting a warning to an area that has no counterpart staff.

As I just explained on another thread, for most, there wasn't ANYTHING (warning, alarms, George Bush standing there and explaining what a tsunami force wave could do, etc.) that would have saved them. Entire villages and cities were wiped out. Small islands, everything is gone or covered with mud. Just where could these people have gone, had they been warned?

[UCANSEE2]

Here is the first one. Notice that there was an announcement that there was no tsunami.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308458/posts

[snopercod]

Makes one think that maybe Darwin was on to something with his "survival of the fittest" theory.

[snopercod]

Why didn't the sea gypsies share this knowledge?

Should they have used their cell-phones (or maybe their Blackberries) to page the other natives?

[R. Scott]

I still can't understand why the native born, of all people, wandered out into the waters.

I lived for a time on a small island in Japan. At extreme low tide a lot of people would run out to the exposed reef to gather and eat sea urchins. As fishing was the dominant occupation I would expect them to know the difference between an extreme low tide and an incoming tsunami
Those whose only link to the sea is a tourist beach would not know the difference.

[Red Sea Swimmer]

All throughout history wise, righteous people able to help and guide others have been ridiculed, marginalized, ignored or silenced.

A government of the wise to oversee the affairs of humankind would indeed be a good idea. The wisest souls on the planet with assistance and support could indeed do a better job than many of the so-called "leaders" of today.