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

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.

Some satellite images of towns BEFORE and AFTER the tsunami.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...mi-imagery.htm

Looked as if the towns were nuked.

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.

We hope.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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