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Original poster

EARTHQUAKE AND TIDAL WAVES IN S.E.ASIA WHERE IS LOU33??

676 replies

KangaSantaMummy · 26/12/2004 07:51

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE LOU33 IS?

IS SHE BY THE COAST?

THIALAND,

MALDIVES under water we loved them when we were there 3 years ago.

EARTHQUAKE AND VERY FAST TIDAL WAVES REALLY AWFUL

OP posts:
Christmassbee · 27/12/2004 22:29

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StuffTheMagicTurkey · 27/12/2004 22:31

Coverage on BBC News 24 has been exploring why eg Sri Lanka appeared to receive no warning of the impending disaster, despite being 3 hours away from the epicentre of the earthquake. Commentators are saying that many, many lives could have been saved there if Sri Lankan authorities had been warned of what was to come.

lockets · 27/12/2004 22:33

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merrymarthamoo · 27/12/2004 22:34

I saw that too - the waves took several hours to arrive - they had time to evacuate but there were no early warning systems in place (and the technology is available - other countries in earthquake/tidal wave zones have it). Tragic to think the death toll could have been reduced.

Christmassbee · 27/12/2004 22:34

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merrymarthamoo · 27/12/2004 22:34

Why does it always take a tragedy before anything is done?

Christmassbee · 27/12/2004 22:36

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Christmassbee · 27/12/2004 22:47

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lockets · 27/12/2004 22:55

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misdee · 27/12/2004 22:56

that is awful!!!

SueW · 27/12/2004 23:38

FFS, how can they not know who to tell? Failing govt contacts, then how about the biggest media group in every country? Or CNN, the BBC, Assoc Press or Reuters if desperate? Most of those broadcast in those countries and would know who to contact.

I think the excuses that are being given for no warning are pathetic "such systems are expensive and require close co-operation between neighbouring countries".

Am I being completely naive to expect an organisation which knew of the earthquake 15 mins after it happened to have found a way to warn (at least) those countries who were not affected for 2-3 hours?

snowdonim · 28/12/2004 00:14

Having lived in Indonesia, I can well imagine that even if the relevant agencies received such info they simply don't have the infrastructure for it to filter down in time to allow people to get away. Indonesia, for example, has very few helicopters and even fewer people who can safely fly them, which is probably why they're still struggling to reach the SE of Aceh/Sumatra. Not that that means you shouldn't try, of course, and maybe Sri Lanka is more sophisticated, but I think if you've lived there you can understand why actions that seem very obvious to us aren't always taken. We went to see the vulcanology monitoring station for Krakatau volcano and it's one man with a measuring device and a phone, which may or may not get a line out - not exactly high tech.

KateandtheElves · 28/12/2004 00:31

At least 22,000 according to the New York Times, including 8 Britons and 3 Americans.

It's awful and takes me right back to 9/11/01, especially with all those people missing...

And the death toll is so much higher too.

lou33 · 28/12/2004 03:43

Thanks for all your lovely messages. Sarahu, I am thinking of you and hope everypne you know is found safe and well. Still can't find out if anyone I know in libong is ok or not, or nai yang in phuket for that matter. Am waiting for a minibus to take us to phuket this morning. We don't really have any choice as we have to fly from there to bangkok, but if we get there and it isn't safe then we will have to move further inland I think. Don't even know if the house we are supposed to be staying in is still standing, or if anyone is alive or not . My phone still won't let me make outgoing calls, and using the hotel phone got me busy network tones. We spent last night in the bungalow we rented here , nervously but it was all ok. We haven't felt any aftershocks at all, and shops, restaurants etc are all running normally again. The car ferry to the mainland is back working as well.

So my next message will be from somewhere on phuket, will let you all know where when we arrive.

You will excuse me if i don't read any links, it's so overwhelmingly sad being here in the middle of it, I don't think I could bear to read anymore.

The only positive thing to have come out of this, is that I got a text message from my sister, and for the first time in my life she told me she loved me .

sarahu · 28/12/2004 04:14

lou33 you can stay in our school - DUlwich International college if you can get there waht is your mobile number CAT me!!

sarahu · 28/12/2004 04:18

PS to lou33 - dont' go anywhere near the beach here in Phuket we have felt several tremours since the big one and the authorities won't let anyone near the beaches. email me or call me when you get to Phuket am happy to help if I can. Will CAT you my number. Please come and stay at our school - we have lots of people here and it is safe - we are in the middle of phuket surrounded by hills!

heavenlyghost · 28/12/2004 06:25

This is awful ... don't know what to say
Lou, so glad you are ok ...

nailpolish · 28/12/2004 06:28

dear lou, im glad you are ok. take care of you and your family and come home safe xxx

emMerryChristmastmg · 28/12/2004 06:39

I really am speechless at the loss of life and the davastation.

I'm horrified at the reports that people could have been warned, I can't believe the was no-one in their "address book" to tell and as some-one said they SHOULD have tried. FFS it not exactly Mars. It's just so awful.

tigermoth · 28/12/2004 08:21

As I watched the news last night, I was so shocked and saddened by the scale of the disaster. When I saw video footage, the waves came up just as you described, Lou. I would have been totally terrified. Being engulfed in tidal waves was a particular nightmare of mine when I was a child staying near the sea. I hope your children are not too shaken and it doesn't put them off beaches for very long. I am not surprised you are afraid at present of being too near a beach. Hope no more aftershocks occur.

Sarahu, hope today brings good news about those remaining those three family members.

Original poster
KangaSantaMummy · 28/12/2004 08:24

lou thanks for the update

on the maldives they have CNN and satellite tv so they could deffo be warned by USA

sarahu any news yet?

OP posts:
Original poster
KangaSantaMummy · 28/12/2004 08:24

lou thanks for the update

on the maldives they have CNN and satellite tv so they could deffo be warned by USA

sarahu any news yet?

OP posts:
Original poster
KangaSantaMummy · 28/12/2004 08:25

oops

OP posts:
SueW · 28/12/2004 08:50

snowdonim , I appreciate that to get a message to filter through by bush telegraph would be extremely difficult in the most primitive areas of the countries concerned - our family has spent some considerable time talking about this the past couple of days.

But the fact remains that even those, possibly thousands of people, who may and DID have access to mass communication channels such as TV or even radio were given no warning whatsoever and therefore no chance or opportunity to flee the approaching danger.

BTW, has anyone seen the eyewitness on BBC news this morning, talking through her video footage? She'd been to see a palmist in the hotel the day before who told her she was a very lucky person and to 'stay out of the sea, big wave'.

Moomin · 28/12/2004 09:18

my brother flew out to maldives on xmas day to start his new job as a diving instructor there. my dad, dh and i had a horrible couple of hours waiting for news on boxing day. luckily i emailed the diving centre's website on the offchance and the manageress picked it up from austria where she is for xmas. she'd spoken by mobile to her dh who was still in the maldives and he told her my brother and his gf had arrived at 7 that morning and were safe and well - thank god. their island is south west of the bigger islands and were protected from the brunt of it. thank god i emailed the centre - otherwise we'd probably still be waiting for news. we're so relieved - but it's just too too horrific what's happened out there. there mist be so many others who won't be as lucky as my family with the news they hear