The dead are many (22,000), but each has a story (Vivid, horrifying accounts from the tsunami)

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | December 28, 2004 | Philip Cornford and Connie Levett

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

I went to the sea cliffs north of Santa Cruz once to witness 20+ footers churned up by a severe winter storm. We chose to stay about 25 yards from the cliff edge (even this was dangerously close). The cliffs were at least 40 feet high at this point. The waves smashed into the cliffs with such force that we could feel the ground shake under our feet. The waves shot straight into the air, and reached 20+ feet above the cliff's edge. To say it was an awesome display would be an understatement.

[BunnySlippers]

Bump

[Ciexyz]

Normal running just won't cut it.

That's what the people in the reports were saying, the wall of water came in so fast that they couldn't outrun it.

I remember reading reports about other tsunamis in history, they all said the same thing.

[dead]

Ugh.

Mon Dec 27, 2:17 PM ET
An Indian man cries as he holds the hand of his eight-year-old son, who was killed
in a tsunami in Cuddalore, southern India, December 27, 2004. The death toll in a
tsunami that slammed into coasts from India to Indonesia topped 22,000 as rescuers
scoured the sea for missing tourists and fears of disease grew as soldiers raced to
recover rotting bodies. (Arko Datta/Reuters)

[Jakarta ex-pat]

Thanks.

Jakarta was not affected.

I had just returned home from a holiday in Bali which was also not affected.

Relief work in Aceh and Northern Sumatra seems to be mobilizing very qucikly, with supplies getting through due to the opening of re-opening of the local airport.

Philip.

[CounterCounterCulture]

I think Incindiary was in Indonesia. Hopefully she would not be in the parts hardest hit as those are militant areas as well. Jakarta was far enough away to avoid damage.

Don't know if I've addressed this to you or not, but it turned out Incindiary never made it to Indonesia as scheduled. It would have been Medan had she gone, which wasn't hit too bad considering it was closer to the epicenter. She was in Penang, Malaysia and was reported to be fine and unharmed where she was.

[CounterCounterCulture]

Actually we did communicate on the Penang water supply thread. :-)

Oh well, at least it's on record on this thread for any late-tuners.