"Most powerful earthquake in 40 years." [Archive] - Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board

Samw

12-26-2004, 11:12 PM

That is one unbelievable natural disaster.

I always wondered how our coastal cities would stack up against tsunamis. I was just reading about them not too long ago (about the time we had our puny Earthquakes here) and was imagining what it would be like to see one coming at you. Could it happen in Vancouver if a 9.0 quake hit off the Pacific Ocean?

4,000+ dead in Indonesia alone. 4,500+ in Sri Lanka. Thousands more in surrounding countries. There's no escape. Imagine going to Phuket or some other beach resort in SE Asia and relaxing on the beach and then all of a sudden, Earthquake comes, followed by Tsunami and then whoosh.

StirCrazy

12-27-2004, 01:27 AM

I guess I better stock up on my indonesian rock

Andy

actually this will have broke a lot more stuff off the reefs so there will be a lot more rock available. Sucks that it caught so many by surprise though.

Steve

bluetang

12-27-2004, 01:30 AM

Entire towns vanished. So sad. We could not human'ly imagine what the survivors are going through right now. Say a prayer will ya...

SeaHorse_Fanatic

12-27-2004, 02:19 AM

According to geologists, if the Lower Mainland was hit by an earthquake 8.0 or higher, Richmond & all the Fraser River Delta lands would liquify & disappear into the water. Not a pleasant thought, eh.

It happened so suddenly too that almost nobody had any warning. Makes me realize again that for all our technical know-how, we are but ants compared to the might of Mother Nature (ie. God).

Beverly

12-27-2004, 02:28 PM

Here is a quote from an Asociated Press article in this morning's paper on the earthquake:

"All the planet is vibrating" from the quake, said Enzo Boschi, the head of Italy's National Geophysics Instiute.

Boschi said the quake even disturbed the Earth rotation.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

StirCrazy

12-27-2004, 03:20 PM

the sad thing was American scientists new about the quake 1.5 hours be for it happened, but couldn't get through to warn anyone.

Steve

Samw

12-27-2004, 06:02 PM

Unbelievable. 23,700 deaths and counting. Steve, are you sure they predicted the earthquake 1.5h before? Or do you mean they knew the tsunami was coming after the quake occured?

AJ_77

12-27-2004, 08:10 PM

Tarolisol

12-27-2004, 11:54 PM

Even if they could warnthem about the tsunami it was moving upto 600mph there would not be enough time to evactuate anyone.

Beverly

12-28-2004, 12:57 AM

All people would have had to do to avoid getting killed by the tidal wave was move to higher ground and away from the beaches. There could have been enough time if there was a warning system in place like there is in the Pacific.

According to one of the articles I read about it today, they have been talking about putting a warning system in the Indian Ocean, but have not implemented it for a few reasons, one of which was they didn't think there was significant danger in that region. Guess that'll all change quickly.

Donations can be made to the Canadian Red Cross for those interested in helping out.

Samw

12-28-2004, 01:32 AM

StirCrazy

12-28-2004, 03:05 AM

U.S. officials who detected the quake tried frantically to reach contacts in the region but they were unable to do so because there was no warning mechanism in place.

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1104151701883_84?hub=topstories

Right, they knew the tsunami was coming but they didn't know the Earthquake was coming. So US scientists didn't really predict the Earthquake was coming 1.5h before it occurred.

no one said they predicted the quake, they did have 1.5 hours from the time of the quake till the first wave hit ground which would have been plenty of time to move people off the beaches and to higher ground. needless waist of life.

Samw

12-28-2004, 03:49 AM

no one said they predicted the quake, they did have 1.5 hours from the time of the quake till the first wave hit ground which would have been plenty of time to move people off the beaches and to higher ground. needless waist of life.

Hi Steve. I thought that's what you said when you wrote "American scientists new about the quake 1.5 hours be for it happened" which was why I followed up by asking if you meant the Tsunami instead of the Earthquake that they knew about.

StirCrazy

12-28-2004, 04:53 AM

ahhh, ya I posted that from what they said on the news.

they were wrong :mrgreen:

Steve

Gujustud

12-28-2004, 05:27 AM

Tarolisol

12-28-2004, 05:59 AM

DID you hear, the force of the wave moved the entire island of sumatra 100ft

Quinn

12-28-2004, 07:38 AM

From what I've read, the earthquake itself caused no damage - it was 250km out to sea. However, as said, it was felt around the world, even at a Canadian geological monitoring station in Nunavut. Apparently the first wave of a tsunami is rarely the largest, it's the ones that follow it that are the most damaging. Many of the deaths resulted from people moving toward the water to sight-see, and could have been avoided if people had actually moved inland a few kilometres.

The devastation was felt as far away as Somalia, where dozens of fishermen may have died about 5,000 kilometres away from the epicentre.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2004/12/27/tsunami-warnings041227.html

I don't think a lot of people realize how powerful water is. I had never been in the ocean until this summer and I was pretty amazed - I know if I had never been in swells before and saw a tsunami, I'd think I could somehow swim in it or hold onto a tree or something... but I guess that's a bit like thinking you can hold onto a tree in the middle of a tornado.

Chad

12-28-2004, 01:36 PM

DID you hear, the force of the wave moved the entire island of sumatra 100ft''

I'm not sure how a wave could move land. Islands don't float on water, they are still part of the earth's crust. Perhaps the earth quake moved the plate that much?

AJ_77

12-28-2004, 10:32 PM

According to geologists, if the Lower Mainland was hit by an earthquake 8.0 or higher, Richmond & all the Fraser River Delta lands would liquify & disappear into the water. Not a pleasant thought, eh.

Where did you read this? Most of the geologists that say this, are generally ones NOT from this area.

As its known, if there was to be a tsunami, Vancouver Island would take all the battering. The waves would not reach here, past all the islands. Water level may increase, but it would not cause richmond to disappear into the water.
It's believed that a localised earthquake, not the wave, would shake the lands built on silt (Delta, etc) and they would "settle out" or slide into the Pacific... or at least parts of them. The ground is not solid like the Island - while they may take the brunt of a Tsunami, a strong quake might cause low-lying areas of the coastal mainland to become even lower... :eek:

Chin_Lee

12-29-2004, 04:42 AM

quote="SeaHorse_Fanatic"]According to geologists, if the Lower Mainland was hit by an earthquake 8.0 or higher, Richmond & all the Fraser River Delta lands would liquify & disappear into the water. Not a pleasant thought, eh.[/quote]

Well i worked in Richmond for 8 years between 1995-2003 and saw many high rises go up in the city center during that time period. My observations include:
1) NOBODY has basements in Richmond because I was told they would flood.
2) the building companies put a 20-30 feet high mound of sand in the building area for about a year and then pound that sand and huge poles for months into the ground before building in that area. I talked to some construction workers who explained that it was required to stabalize the ground because it was too soft to build high rises.

I talked to a geologist who did some studies for the City of Richmond (and may be employed by the City) who said that Richmond is nothing more than a build-up of silt from the Fraser River hence the creation of the north fraser and south fraser arm around richmond into the ocean. They said that a strong earthquake could easily settle that silt making Richmond sink or dissolve the silt into surrounding water. I didn't ask him about south delta but i believe its the same type of land formation as Richmond.

Its kinda scary driving all around the perimeter of Richmond and notice that its completely surrounded by a dyke. A few years back when we had the huge snowfall winter and the fraser river rised too high in the spring causing floods in various areas of Richmond. If anybody lives in Richmond, can you confirm if you can purchase earthquake insurance? I've heard from different people that it is not an option for residences in Richmond but then I've also heard otherwise so I can't confirm.

Samw

12-29-2004, 08:44 AM

Imagine going to Phuket or some other beach resort in SE Asia and relaxing on the beach and then all of a sudden, Earthquake comes, followed by Tsunami and then whoosh.

Sadly, I heard from an old friend of mine in Singapore that her coworker was vacationing in Phuket and lost the youngest daughter as described in this report.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/top/story/0,4136,80134,00.html

Delphinus

12-29-2004, 04:45 PM

If you would like to help ....

www.redcross.ca
www.oxfam.ca
www.unicef.ca
www.worldvision.ca

Gujustud

12-29-2004, 05:52 PM

Its kinda scary driving all around the perimeter of Richmond and notice that its completely surrounded by a dyke. A few years back when we had the huge snowfall winter and the fraser river rised too high in the spring causing floods in various areas of Richmond. If anybody lives in Richmond, can you confirm if you can purchase earthquake insurance? I've heard from different people that it is not an option for residences in Richmond but then I've also heard otherwise so I can't confirm.

I live in Richmond. We have earthquake insurance. For the price it is well worth it.

The funny thing about floods, etc, is when it does rain quite heavly I find Richmond NEVER had floods. I believe Richmond is far more prepared for such disasters, from simple heavy rain, you won't find big pools of water on the roads/hwy's. But goto a place like coquitlam, arg, how brutal. Specially up on roads like lougheed/schoolhouse (since we go there for work often), that place is almost always flooded in heavy rain.

cc_bruno

12-29-2004, 07:25 PM

Bah, that's where you're wrong... Lougheed and Schoolhouse never flood... it's a permanent pond that just dries up in the summer :biggrin: . I know what you mean, though, I work in Richmond and live in Poco, and drive right through Lougheed and Schoolhouse... Yup, never found a large pool of water in Richmond, (which always amazes me), but parts of Coquitlam, well, you can have instant water front property... and sometimes, you're close enough to having your own boat house. Here's hoping we never have to see what would really happen if we got hit that bad.

SeaHorse_Fanatic

12-30-2004, 12:51 AM

As of Wednesday:

The official Death Toll has now surpassed 70,000 & continues to rise as aid workers reach secluded villages & areas devastated by the tsunamis. :cry:

For those who can't imagine this many people dead, BC Place stadium in Vancouver can hold just under 60,000 people. The Red Cross predicts that the total will reach over 100,000, not including any future outbreaks of disease or pestilence.

Just hope that people of the world have a long enough memory to continue helping the devastated countries for the long term, since not only were people killed & homes destroyed, but the economies of these areas are toast.

Buccaneer

12-30-2004, 02:14 AM

The owner of our company and senior management ( 20 in all with kids ) were in Phuket when the Tsunami hit ... in fact the VP of sales & marketing and the owner were snorkeling when the wave came in ( wife of VP watching in horror from the hotel windows :eek: and owners wife & kids stopped in hotel lobby to do some shopping prolly saved their lives )

We were really worried for them till we heard the good news that just some bumps and scrapes were all they got and they all survived.

Tarolisol

12-30-2004, 03:47 AM

Canada has just increased its contribution from 4 million to 40 million. Hopfully that will provide a little relief for those in need.

Gujustud

12-30-2004, 06:15 AM

DID you hear, the force of the wave moved the entire island of sumatra 100ft

It was later posted today in the vancouver sun that the LA times who had written this was incorrect.

Tarolisol

12-30-2004, 06:19 AM

DID you hear, the force of the wave moved the entire island of sumatra 100ft

It was later posted today in the vancouver sun that the LA times who had written this was incorrect.

Really i heard it on CNN, i guess they get there information from the LA times.

SeaHorse_Fanatic

12-30-2004, 07:15 AM

American News sources. Going for the SPLASHY HEADLINES & I guess accuracy gets lost along the way, eh. I saw it on CNN too & I think on NBC, but that sounded pretty impossible to me. They said they were going to use satellite technology to measure the "shift". Maybe they should find out who started the rumour that turned into a "news" story.

StirCrazy

12-30-2004, 03:27 PM

the big special on it last night did say the wave moved a couple island a few meters as it raced along, and that they will have to change maps to reflect this.

Steve

danny zubot

12-30-2004, 06:45 PM

First of all I'd like to extend my condolences to anyone who knows victims of the tsunami.

I have heard very little about the theory of the planet's axis changing due to the earthquake. Is there a site available so that I might indulge my curiosity? I wonder if the recent cold snap has anything to do with a possilbe shift in ocean currents? Just like in the movie The Day After Tommorow.

Quinn

12-30-2004, 10:20 PM

http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2004/12/29/quake-science041229.html

G1GY

12-30-2004, 11:17 PM

I concider myself pretty hard and emotionaly detached from most things, but seeing the stories coming out of the area are enough to tug at my very short heart strings.

Since people like us get so much happieness sent to us from this part of the world(The stuff we keep in our glass boxes), I feel obligated to try to give something back. (However small and meaningless my contribution might seem)

I'm quoting Tony's post from another page to let others know that you can help. (Because this post is the one that made me reallise that I can do without my next couple of purchases and try to help.)

If you would like to help ....

www.redcross.ca
www.oxfam.ca
www.unicef.ca
www.worldvision.ca

Thanks for the links Tony.

Quinn

12-31-2004, 07:14 AM

My worry is, how much of the donated money is being skimmed off the top by bureaucrats and shaddy NGO employees, and who's administering where it goes to? I wonder if the $40 million our government has committed will be better handled.

SeaHorse_Fanatic

12-31-2004, 07:30 AM

My wife & I sent our donation via WorldVision, a charitable organization with a stellar (as far as I know) reputation for helping people, especially children, with the funds sent to them.

Chin_Lee

12-31-2004, 08:32 AM

I just used the Red Cross Donate Now Online option and it was easy as pie. I've been talking to my wife alot about how helpless I felt being here and not being able to go there to help. It made me sick to my stomach when i heard the news report of people still going to those areas trying to have a vacation. If i could get away from work, I would gladly take one of those cancelled flights from vacationers and go there to help out in anyway or form. But for now, I made a generous donation to the Red Cross .... the least I could do for such a magnitude of a disaster. The last I heard was 117000 people dead. That number is just shocking to me ..... that over 25% of the population of Surrey and over 39 times the number of people that perished in 9/11. :cry: :cry: :cry:

SeaHorse_Fanatic

01-02-2005, 07:51 AM

Did you hear/read about the Australian woman who was on vacation there when the tsunami hit? She had a 5 yrs old son & a 2 yrs old son & she knew that there was no way to hold onto both. If she tried, all three would be lost. So she made the right, but heart-wrenching choice, & let her 5 yrs old go. Imagine having to choose which son/daughter will live & which will probably die. The guilt & anguish having to make such a life or death decision is unimaginable.

Fortunately, this story had a happy ending & her prayers were answered. 2 hours later, the woman & her husband amazingly found the son still hanging onto a door handle & dog paddling. 5 yrs old & with enough determination to stay alive dog paddling for 2 hrs while grown men & women are being swept away & dying all around you. WOW :exclaim: I would love to shake that kid's hand & tell him how much respect I have for him. If he lives his life the same way, there is nothing he can't do after having already survived such a trial at a young age. When I was 5, I'd have lasted probably 5-10 minutes top & he held on & swam for 2 freakin long hours until mom & dad could come fine him.

Another woman & her twin 9 yrs old daughters rode a huge python that swam by to safety. Another "WOW!!!"

Humbled & deeply moved,

Anthony

Tarolisol

01-02-2005, 08:12 AM

But can you imagine how that decision will effect the women for the rest of her life, or if the kid remembers how it will effect him. Just horrible that she was forced to make that decision even if it ended up being the right one.

Samw

01-04-2005, 05:25 AM

Some satellite images of towns BEFORE and AFTER the tsunami.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/indonesia/aceh-andaman-tsunami-imagery.htm

Looked as if the towns were nuked.

AJ_77

01-04-2005, 06:47 AM

Those pics (and more like them) are hard to look at - it's like the ocean came and reclaimed a whole bunch of coastline. So much of it still looks to be underwater... :sad:

This is likely the largest natural disaster we'll see in our lifetimes.

EmilyB

01-04-2005, 07:54 AM

This is likely the largest natural disaster we'll see in our lifetimes.

We hope.

SeaHorse_Fanatic

01-05-2005, 01:05 AM

UN count is now @ 150,000 & climbing. :cry: Some countries are not even bothering to count anymore.

Samw

01-06-2005, 07:51 AM

As Indonesia and Sri Lanka were the 2 largest hit areas, I've donated to the Canadian Association for United Sri Lanka already and am next considering to donate directly to the Indonesian Embassy http://www.indonesia-ottawa.org/ unless I can find a better Indonesian organization.

After that, I'm also donating to one of the global organizations like Red Cross where the gov't and my employer will match 1 for 1 so essentially, its like getting $3 for the price of $1 before Jan 11th. Although its not clear how much of that donation Red Cross will allocate directly to the Tsunami relief vs other humanitarian projects.

Beverly

01-07-2005, 02:56 PM

As I keep reading about the effects of the tsunami, I can't help but put myself in the place of those whose homes, families, livelihoods have been affected. The disaster on land has been horrendous. It will take years before those regions affected will ever be called home again. In some places, there is no land even to rebuild on.

Yet, that tsunami traveled thousands of kilometers across the ocean floor. Here is where I am completely stymied. We have no idea what was lost on the ocean floor as the wave ripped along the Indian Ocean. How much was lost there? What kinds unique habitats were ruined? To these questions, we will probably never know the answers.

God bless everyone who has donated money to help alleviate the suffering of those affected by the tsunami. And God bless those who lost family, homes and a means to make a living.

muck

01-13-2005, 08:47 PM

Here are some Before and After Pictures...
Toggle between the before and after bar. Click next button to advance photos.

http://homepage.mac.com/demark/tsunami/9.html

SeaHorse_Fanatic

01-13-2005, 08:54 PM

#5- Banda Aceh Shore - it's GONE!!!!

Really demonstrates the killing power of that Tsunami. :evil:

Samw

01-14-2005, 06:47 AM

My coworker is helping out with the UBC Sri Lanka Society fundraiser "Dinner and Cultural Pageant" for Tsunami victims in Sri Lanka. If you are looking for something to do on Saturday night, you can buy a ticket for $10 (see link) come on out, eat some dinner, and see some Sri Lankan culture. I'll be there.

http://www.ams.ubc.ca/clubs/sls/

http://www.ams.ubc.ca/clubs/sls/TsunamiFundraiser.jpg