Near 60,000 Dead from Tsunami Disaster

Update [2004-12-28 19:18:17 by Armando]:

The reported deaths from the disaster climbed today to more than 50,000, with some reports placing the number near 60,000, as Sri Lanka and Indonesia increased their confirmed tolls.

Update [2004-12-28 19:18:17 by Armando]: More Donation Links.

The number of deaths makes you tremble:

Survivors of the gigantic undersea earthquake on Sunday that swallowed coastlines from Indonesia to Africa - which officials now describe as one of the worst natural disasters in recent history - recovered bodies today, hurriedly arranged for mass burials and searched for tens of thousands of the missing in countries thousands of miles apart.

The reported deaths from the disaster - which climbed today to about 44,000, with many still unaccounted for, as Sri Lanka and Indonesia increased their confirmed tolls - came into sharper relief on a day when it seemed increasingly clear that at least a third of the dead were children, according to estimates by aid officials.

The International Committee of the Red Cross and government officials here, as well as those in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, the Maldives and as far away as Somalia, warned that with hundreds of thousands of people stranded in the open without clean drinking water, epidemics of cholera and other waterborne diseases could take as many lives as the initial waves.

Images from around the region presented a tableau of unrelenting grief. Fathers and mothers wailed over drowned children. Bodies were arrayed in long rows in hastily dug trenches. Villagers sat by ruined homes, stunned. Hotels in some of Thailand's most luxurious resorts were turned into morgues.

"This may be the worst natural disaster in recent history because it is affecting so many heavily populated coastal areas," said Jan Egeland, the emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations, speaking at a news conference in New York.

This is gut wrenching.

A Third Were Children

The reported deaths from the disaster - which climbed today to about 44,000, with many still unaccounted for, as Sri Lanka and Indonesia increased their confirmed tolls - came into sharper relief on a day when it seemed increasingly clear that at least a third of the dead were children, according to estimates by aid officials. Images from around the region presented a tableau of unrelenting grief. Fathers and mothers wailed over drowned children.

Amateur videotape played on television showed terrifying scenes from several countries of huge walls of water crashing through palm trees and over the tops of buildings and roaring up coastal streets with cars and debris bobbing on the surface. To backdrops of screams and shouts, people were shown clinging to buildings, being swept away by the current, running for their lives, weeping, carrying the injured and cradling dead children.

Words fail.

Update [2004-12-28 11:44:17 by Armando]:

IRC Donations.

Oxfam.

India Relief.

Any formal donation drive must wait for Markos.

•  You know what pisses me off?

  There's been some talking points floated out there on radical right-wing talk radio that 1. these are Muslim countries, which they find "interesting"; and 2. that somehow this can be used politically to increase the US's standing among Islamic nations in the world due to our incredible largess.

  Has anyone stopped to consider that this is a massively larger disaster in terms of human death than 9-11?  

  It's amazing the level that the discourse on the far right can sink to.

  by grannyhelen on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:49:56 AM PDT

  •  All fine and dandy for the

    wingnuts.

    But from what little I know about what happened, it is estimate that hundreds of Americans who happened to be in the affected areas have also perished.

    by PhillipG on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:58:57 AM PDT

    •  Perspective

      I couldn't wrap my mind around 60,000 dead until I realized that about 58,000 soldiers died during all of Vietnam.

      Yow!

      by baba durag on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:50:39 PM PDT

  •  Muslim Countries?

    To set the record straight, Thailand, India, and Sri Lanka are not Muslim countries (largely Buddhist, largely Hindu, and largely Buddhist, respectively).  Malaysia and Indonesia are Muslim--but if we want to win hearts and minds, the fact that they are Muslim nations should strengthen our commitment to generous aid to the relief and recovery efforts.

    Pass the facts on to the freeper sites.

    by redstaterabroad on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:04:05 AM PDT

    •  What I find "interesting"

      Is that many people can't differentiate people of other races and religions from each other, especially under the zeitgeist of having a "war on Islamic terrorists" has such a strong hold. It makes sense that wingnuts are talking about "those people" as being a homogeneous mass of Muslims, when really southeast Asia is a strong multicultural region, because they are sheltered and nationalist.
      These are the same people that couldn't tell you the difference between a Sunni and a Shia is, or how the borders of Pakistan and India came about, etc. For them (and sadly, a lot of Americans) everything must be viewed through the lens of "us" and "them", not people are people are people.
      

      by Antioch on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 09:05:52 AM PDT

      •  These are the same people

        who get ticked off if a retail establishment tries not to assume that every one of their customers celebrates Christmas.

        They don't understand a multicultural society in this country. I'm not surprised they don't understand a multicultural continent somewhere else.

        by firenze on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 02:12:21 PM PDT

        •  My favorite David Cross line...

          Used to be my sig.

          If the terrorists hated freedom so much, the Netherlands would be fucking dust.

          by Antioch on Wed Dec 29, 2004 at 06:33:32 AM PDT

  •  It is true that the countries

    that the tsunamies hit had large populations of Moslems, but they also were home to vast numbers of Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists.  The Right Wing is always looking for a convenient spin.

    A comment I read yesterday does seem poignant: that the number of deaths reported to date in this natural disaster is less than half of the number of deaths that George Bush caused in Iraq.  By repeating this comment, I in no way want to diminish the perception of the horror and grief that Africa and Asia are experiencing, but rather, to point to one teaching device to help people comprehend the magnitude of the horror the US has perpetrated in Iraq.

    by DCDemocrat on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:05:17 AM PDT

    •  Bush has caused 100,000 + deaths

      The evil Bush  has caused more than twice the number of deaths with his brutal crusade for oil in Iraq, and they were all easily preventable.  But we had five felons on the Supremes who violated our constitution and installed this madman in office.

      No deaths are easy to take, but the tsunami deaths can not be blamed on anyone.  This is in marked contrast to the deaths in Iraq which can all be laid at Bush's feet.  Now the Chimp will dole out a little miserly aid, and he would not deign to cut down the pomp of his coronation to aid others- he simply doesn't give a damn about anyone else.

      Bush is evil- impeach the Chimp.

      by MD patriot on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:13:38 AM PDT

      •  Excellent Point

        I read that his coronation was going to cost us $35-40 MILLION (!) dollars.  We are, so far, anteing up about $15 to aid victims.  What a travesty.

        I have said it before and I will say it again: the thing I find most intolerable about junior and his asshole compadres (and it's a tough competition) is their absolute lack of intellect and compassion.  When will these bastards understand that only when there is justice (the distributive kind) will the threat of terrorism be controlled?  They don't "hate us for our freedoms"; they hate us because we are sucking up most of the pie and leaving none for them--or worse, taking it right out of their mouths.

        Aiding these people now, looking at what can be done to predict and warn, and developing the rapid response infrastructure for a disaster of this scope helps everyone.  Maybe it's just my ethical viewpoint.  I think we have an obligation to help anyone and everyone to the best of our ability.  I hardly think that $15 million is our best when the Chimperor is going to spend that much on crowd control for the inauguration (Jeez, it's hard to type that word).

        by BigOkie on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:35:28 AM PDT

        •  Minor quibble

          with an otherwise great comment.

          I'm one of those that believes the pie is not a finite number. It is an impression that we are taking it all, or most of it, up.

          However, the rest of your post is dead on. We have been taking it right out of their mouths, as have so many other greedy and scummy people. And if we were to help other peoples with infrastructure and the like the whole world would be a much better and safer place.

          by Mike S on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 09:11:51 AM PDT

          •  I do agree with you

            The "pie", as it were, is not necessarily a finite number.  Our actions, or lack thereof, make the number smaller than it has to be.

            Thanks for the great feedback!

            by BigOkie on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 03:54:49 PM PDT

        •  Yes, a travesty...

          I would have thought that they would have talked about billions, not millions.

          Over here in Italy, all the main TV networks (the 3 State networks + Berlusconi's 3 -- OK, it's about the same thing these days, considering he's in control, but it's the thought that counts) have gotten together with the 4 mobile phone carriers to organize a charity drive: anyone who sends an SMS to a certain number will have donated 1 euro. They figure that with 50 million mobile phone users, they should be able to get up a good amount. Just in the first few hours they had collected over 4 million euro.

          So what on earth are $15 million (or even 30 or 40, for that matter) for the almighty, God-guided, "Christian" United States? And Shrub's going to be spending $40 million or more for inaugural partying???

          It's a total lack of a sense of dimension, reality, humanity, and decency.

          by Donna in Rome on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 03:46:41 PM PDT

          •  They don't care

            I posted this info on 3 of my birth clubs and the lack of response was pathetic.  Especially since most of these women are self-described Christian Rep.  Wanna know what they did instead?  On one board, we have 2 moms in that area, I'm the only the only person who seems concerned for them.  On another board, out of 40 women, only one woman had a response.  The last board, they're doing a posting challenge.  This means, they post stupid questions like "Do you curl your hair?" or "Does your baby get a bath every night?".  The information on aid that I posted this afternoon was a couple of hundred posts down.

            I spent last night and this afternoon with friends shopping for and packing up clothes, shoes and toiletries to send and we're trying to get on a flight out to help.  Know what one mom posted:  "I've never felt more helpless.  If I didn't have a DH or kids, I think I'd devote my life to disaster relief."  This from a woman who runs a ministry.   I mean, I have a DH and a kid, and I have no problem doing this.  

            My biggest peeve on this matter is, I'm positive that if these people were white and/or largely Christian, it would be a different tune.  These "people" who spent so much valuable time over Scott Peterson, can't be bothered with a larger human tragedy.

            by fabooj on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:53:12 PM PDT

        •  how about this comparison

          $200 billion to kill 100,000 Iraqi's vs. 15 million, no wait, 35 million in tsunami aid.  Aid needed to save hundreds of thousands from succumbing to disease and death from the after effects of this tragedy.  There's a real disconnect here with the "culture of life"

          I am looking hopefully for my company to issue a matching plan.  I work for Time Warner and they ususally only match education and arts organization donations (it's a generous 3 to 1 match).  But for occaisional other drives that are done through the company they also match, not always to that proportion.

          Unfortunately this occured when most are out on vacation and when our normal charity drives have just ended for the year.  But I'm hoping, and I've emailed them to ask what is being done, that they will still issue a match for donations.  (I'm going to donate anyway, I just want to do it most effectively I'll wait a little while if they will match it)

          My company, and many others, did it for 9/11 and that was 3,000 people.  It would be hypocritical to consider that tragedy as more worthy because the victims are largely not Americans.

          by Greenfuzz on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 10:50:03 PM PDT

  •  Republicans Are Sometimes Accidentally Right

    A massive aid outreach would improve our image in the Muslim world. It sure wouldn't hurt.

    That's one of the fundamental reasons we're ethically or religiously commanded to help people. Because it really works.

    Of course, we had a crisis in N. Korea in the early Bush admin. Tens or hundreds of thousands were starving but we needed to teach them a lesson. I guess we're still teaching them.

    Has anyone stopped to consider that this is a massively larger disaster in terms of human death than 9-11?

    Nothing has ever been worse than Holy 9/11 except maybe the Holocaust. 9/11 Changed Everything (tm).

    Nobody stops to consider any comparative numbers at home or abroad. I posted on the morning of the tsunami that two adjacent CNN headline crawls were "tsunami kills thousands" and "Florida couple dies."

    Right here we don't consider that 90,000 Americans are killed every year by medical mistakes. We especially don't consider that when we talk about the horror of medical lawsuits.

    Mercy, mercy me.

    by Gooserock on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:07:03 AM PDT

    •  Comparative headlines

      I posted on the morning of the tsunami that two adjacent CNN headline crawls were "tsunami kills thousands" and "Florida couple dies."

      I always (very inappropriately) think of the Monty Python sketch with the Parrot News when I see things like that. A parrot is reading the news, and it's all headlines like, "A British airplane crashed today in a ball of fire. No parrots were on board. The London bridge collapsed during rush hour. Fortunately no parrots were injured."

      All countries do this, though. It's natural to be concerned about your own citizens during a natural disaster, and it brings the story home for people who might be less interested (sadly). It just seems a bit ridiculous when it's 12,000 people dead, 8 of them Americans (which is one of the stories I saw -- not sure about the first number, but sure about the 8).

      by Helen in MD on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:26:16 AM PDT

    •  What I find incomprehensible

      is the general pat on the back the far right is giving our country because of the response of US-based aid organizations to this disaster.

      Stand-in for Rush talking about this right now (12:30 EST) - that US-based efforts are happening "on the ground" as the UN is "holding press conferences".

      It makes my stomach turn that the deaths of tens of thousands of people is being turned into a love-America-or-leave-it, UN-bashing fest.

      Just awful.

      by grannyhelen on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 09:22:49 AM PDT

      •  Could Colin Powell be a bigger whore?

        Colin Powell has come out defending the US aid of $15 million.  He touted the largesse this nation is built on and ESPECIALLY this administration, how charitable Bush has been on a global scale.

        I dare anyone to even know where to begin in comparing the apples and oranges of compassion these immoral bastards possess that occupy OUR White House.  

        by caliberal on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 11:12:21 AM PDT

        •  Well, after that UN thing

          where he pulled out the comic-book version of WMD's in Iraq...I'm not too surprised by much of what Powell does or says these days.

          by grannyhelen on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 12:08:59 PM PDT

        •  That's a whole nickel apiece!

          (If you assume a U.S. population of 290,000,000.)

          I suppose Shrub will use this as an excuse for another round of tax cuts, saying that people will give their tax cuts to the relief effort.

          Seriously, $15 million?  Is this a joke?

          by varro on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 02:20:35 PM PDT

  •  Bush is a world-wide disaster

    Bush's disaster in Iraq was  easily preventable, while this natural disaster was not.  The $200 Billion spent bombing and fighting in Iraq dwarfs the 15 or 20 million for disaster relief.  The Bush  madman has spent so much on war that there is not much left for aid- just another example of the twisted priorities of this sick madman and his crooked cronies.

    A tsunami warning system could have saved thousands of lives, but of course this has no priority with the Bush Bombers even though Loch-Mart could build it.

    The devastation  from the tsunami hit the mostly the poor but the idle  rich vacationers were also affected- this will be the disaster from the wing-nut perspective since they place little value on the lives of "others".

    by MD patriot on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:08:12 AM PDT

    •  hmmm

      death is democratic.
      i find how the coverage is about tourists and how wonderful when a blond baby is reunited with his parents and how the general humanity is pretty much
      about numbers.
      the actual impact is still to come.

      by ralphyboy on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 04:37:09 PM PDT

      •  Enough

        Please, enough with the orgy of flagellation going on.  I have been following the story through none too exotic channels (ABC, NYT, etc) and I have seen and read plenty of ink given (as it should be) to the heartrending stories of ordinary Sri Lankans and Indians who have lost their sweethearts, children, whole families -- and also about miraculous rescues of Malaysian babies, etc.

        What's drawing attention is a number of factors, including the massive amounts of dead, sheer geographic scope of the disaster (so many countries, so much coastline), presence of European tourists, etc etc.  However, I suspect that Americans are far more aware than they would be 10 years ago if only because we are -- in spite of ourselves -- more aware of South Asia's people, culture and economy.  We don't really think of India as a backward nation any more (although the people who are suffering are poor).  India is a high tech place with a growing economy and the home of our friendly call service center personnel, etc.  We think about South Asia differently now in a global economy.  Maybe it seems more real to us.  I don't think it's all just about white tourists.

        I think the American media has been doing a fairly good job, considering the fact that they generally suck in covering international disasters.  This handwringing over "two Americans died" (yes, Americans of Sri Lankan descent, most likely - how is that racist?)

        wow, I can't believe I'm defending the U.S. media...

        by NYCO on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 05:17:34 PM PDT

        •  Oops

          Not to quibble but I just saw CNN give te wrong location for Ko Pha Ngan. What was surprising to me was that they were inerviewing a man whos son is on the island. He was upset because he hadn't heard from him but I kept thinking there was nothing t worry about because that Island in in the Gulf of Thailand. Then a map appears on CNN and there KPG is in the China Sea just above Phuket.

          Now according to both The Lonely Planet guide's map  and my fond recolections of a massive "Full Moon Party" I attended on that Island, it is still in the Sea of Thailand. So while I agree that the media has done a better job of covering the story than they did Sunday it sure would have been nice if they had at least gotten the placement of the island right. And maybe, just maybe, helped allay the poor man's fears.

          by Mike S on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 06:34:02 PM PDT

  •  I don't get it

    What do they mean, it's interesting that these are Muslim countries? Oh, do they actually mean the wrath of God? I'm not even going to comment on that. At first I thought you mean that it was somehow a manmade disaster or something, as if anyone could just come up with the power of 1 million atomic bombs.

    As for 2., are they even aware of how little we are giving? We are paying $8M a MINUTE to fight the war in Iraq and we're not even spending twice that much on this.

    As for the children, I read yesterday that children were running to the beach to watch the "big waves" before anyone realized it was the precursor to a tsunami. Why why why weren't people at least making phone calls to the local authorities? How hard is it to pick up the phone and say, "Hey, in about 2 hours there'll be a massive wave hitting your beach. Make sure people aren't standing on it." It makes me sick. The lost generation indeed.

    by Helen in MD on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:10:50 AM PDT

    •  "Interesting" indeed

      You made my point, but it's worth repeating: people who try to gain off this suffering - and I do mean Falwell, Limbaugh and the whole spectrum of Right-wing hatemongers - are lower than scum.  This point needs to be made to the average American; maybe someone's capturing this kind of gross indecency on an Outrage of the Day page?

      by moltar on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:20:03 AM PDT

    •  $1 billion/week = $6 million/hour

      So if we are spending $1 billion per week or $52 billion per year to devastate Iraq (these are low numbers), then the stingy Bushies are  giving a big three hours of Iraq slaughter money for the relief effort. Here's a new slogan- Stop the slaughter for a day and send the $144 million for disaster relief, or for the bumper sticker:

      Stop the Iraq war, aid the disaster victims

      Just one more example of the Bush backwards  budget.  This is a man who is evil to the core, and he gets cover from the wing-nuts who believe his religious rantings, what a disaster for the world- Bush alone is worse than the biggest tsunami in recent history.

      by MD patriot on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:29:12 AM PDT

      •  Er yes, per hour, sorry

        Thanks for catching that.

        by Helen in MD on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:55:58 AM PDT

      •  Interesting point!

        You get a five for making the comparative. It sets up another interesting perspective when you think about the amount of money (~40 mil) the wingnuts are going to spend on the recoronation of the king. Makes one sick to death to think of the waste (dear God what a waste of money) when it could be used for something far more constructive and helpful. I suggest the wingnuts instead have an old time picnic at the local county park or wherever, BYOG, and send all that dough to CARE or some other useful NGO to help the victims. We'll see if he is a compassionate conservative or a flim-flam man. My guess is the later...

        by exconservative on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 04:56:57 PM PDT

        •  Meant four...

          by exconservative on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 04:58:22 PM PDT

      •  Yes, and cable news anchors (esp. on CNN)

        are visibly scoffing and smirking at the U.N. official's comment that the wealthy nations are "stingy".  And they mistakenly reported that his statement was directed toward the U.S.

        These "journalists" should be reporting the facts, not defending the Bush Administration or the good ol' U.S. of A.  
        

        by diana04 on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 05:20:48 PM PDT

  •  yeah, so Muslim

    Interesting, indeed.  What I find interesting is just how fucking incompentent God can be about smiting the infidel Muslims:

    Sri Lanka = 70% Buddhist (only 7% muslim)
    India = 81% Hindu
    Thailand = 95% Buddhist

    by strannix on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:13:46 AM PDT

    •  Don't you know

      that there are only 3 religions in the world according to right-wing media? Everyone is either a Jew, Christian or Muslim. (Or secular humanist Democrat) It keeps our wars simpler to devise and explain.

      Anything else is just too nuanced.

      by aggressiveprogressive on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:42:36 AM PDT

    •  And...

      All of those nations were 100% people. Which they seem not to understand. But then again, they probably feel that anyone who isn't an evangelical, right wing Christian isn't really a person.

      by mole333 on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 03:33:34 PM PDT

  •  what dumbasses

    last time i checked sri lanka wasn't a muslim country, it was buddhist
    the parts of india hit aren't musilm, they're hindu
    and so on and so forth.  in fact the only muslim country i can think of hit is indonesia
    stupid bastards

    by challah on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:51:01 AM PDT

  •  Another right-wing comment

    Someone said of U.S. aid for this disaster: "These countries did not help us when the hurricanes hit Florida.  Why should we send money to them?"

    by neighborm on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 09:15:42 AM PDT

  •  This is what pisses me off...

    
    
    ...This fucker doesn't even seem to know what he's talking about. Armando has done an excellent job of covering this for KOS. For this asshole to say THIS is just repulsive. Here's is fucking e-mail - pelt him with stuff... I sure am...

    by ContrarianAlexis on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 09:56:51 AM PDT

    •  Dropped a note to Mr. McCullough

      Dear Mr. McCullough,

      Your insistence that private generosity of Americans can in any way make up for the pittance the government has proposed  as aid for the recovery after this weekend's horrendous tsunami is a sad testament to your lack of understanding of human nature.

      You imply that individual Americans woud not donate if they thought the government was going to give more. The stinginess of the government is not my motivation for giving, and it is unlikely to the the motivation for anyone else.  Instead, the government stinginess is simply further proof that human life has no value in the eyes of the current administration and human suffering is not worthy of relief.

      The amount of aid the administration has proposed would fuel a few hours (not days, weeks, or months, but hours) of the Iraq conflict.  Even if we tripled it, we wouldn't divert so much as a day's worth of funds. The President's innauguration party will cost more than we're willing to pay to ease the suffering of millions devastated by a horror whose magnitude we can only begin to imagine.

      What kind of message does that send to the world?  If the president wanted to send a message of generoisty, he could pare his big party down to something simpler and send the remainder to help people in need.  But, then again, it's not in his character, nor apparently yours, to "do for the least among us," as would befit a true Christian.

      by mataliandy on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 12:01:04 PM PDT

    •  Uh

      Isn't Kos on holiday with no Internet access?

      Guess fucktard missed that.

      by Kimberly Stone on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 12:33:49 PM PDT

  •  9/11 vs. Tsunami

    The WaPo recently ran a profile of the director of FEMA, now part of the Dept. of Homeland Security, who said something about the Florida hurricanes being a terrorist attack, "only the terrorist is Mother Nature."

    Shudder. To its core, the Bush administration does not get it.

    My first reaction to the news of the tsunamis was to remark that it is now officially time for U.S. politicians to get over 9/11. Yes, it was a big deal and a major tragedy, and the whole nation was stunned; but somehow I don't think that the president of Indonesia is going to make a TV ad in a couple of months urging people to go out and shop.

    In the grand scope of world history, 9/11 won't even be the top tragedy of the decade now. The lesson? Worse things can happen than planes flying into office buildings, and they do. Nature is not a terrorist, but humans must respect its power, and work hard to understand it.

    One last note: if we can spend $15 billion propping up our airlines, we can send more in aid. This is a tim when Bush can put his money where his mouth is re: kindness to others at the holiday season.

    by eyeroll on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 11:46:27 AM PDT

  •  How many white people died?

    I think when you realize how few white Christians died, you'll come to realize that this isn't as big a disaster as the liberal media is intent on making it out to be. Certainly not as big as 9/11 anyways.

    Have some sense of porportion man!

    by Aexia on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 04:23:21 PM PDT

    •  Easy with that snark

      you may run out again.

      Also there are a lot of tourist resorts that haven't been reached yet - and there are many, many tourists still missing, including 1500 swedes

      by Danack on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 04:53:41 PM PDT

      •  Yeah but ...

        (to paraphrase a particularly obnoxious troll from another blog) The Swedes aren't "standing guard in the watchtowers of democracy." So, they don't count.

        by mataliandy on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 06:28:54 PM PDT

  •  Freeper moral indignation

    Indonesia has a large Muslim population, but it has historically been Hindu and Buddhist also. Winger bigotry is always distasteful, but in the present tragedy it is particularly so.

    I ran across a freeper thread today in which one of them takes issue with Egeland for his comment that the US is stingy with aid. Predictably, they whine about the tax burden and accuse the U.N. of corruption, citing the "food for oil" scandal.

    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1309827/posts  

    What they are essentially saying is that they have a god-given right to be stingy, but no one has any right to call them on it. This, for me, reaches new lows in poor taste and hypocrisy. In the wake of a disaster that could end up costing over a hundred thousand lives, with the possibility of cholera and malaria epidemics, such arguments are shamelessly mean-spirited.

    by LetThemEatWingnuts on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 09:03:54 PM PDT

  •  You know what pisses ME off??

    That American corporations aren't leading the cause to offer any and all help they can.  After all, American corporations have used and abused these nations for years by making the poor citizens of these nations their cheap labor, sweat camps.  Instead the chairman and CEOs of these corporations are enjoying their holidays far away from the devastion, destruction and despair of these people.  

    by lzachary on Wed Dec 29, 2004 at 05:17:25 AM PDT

•  Cribbed from a Steve Gilliard poster

  Oh, it can happen here, and when it does, will the rest of the world give a shit? See this in the Times. Vertical fault lines have been found in a volcano on La Palma, in the Canary Islands. If the crater breaks, a piece of mountain five miles wide and a half-mile long will slide into the Atlantic. It would cause a tsunami to hit the East Coast likely higher than the skyscrapers in NY and Boston.

  by Sprinkles on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:50:22 AM PDT

  •  weak "news" strategy

    I was reading the comments with this posting in the back of my mind - didn't make it to the bottom of the list before running across your thoughts. This is NOT meant to be an attack on Sprinkles' thoughts.

    I was struck by the idiocy of American "news" stations (once again) last night while briefly watching Anderson on CNN. It would appear that the only way to get Americans to give a damn about a news story is to show how "it could happen to us, too!"
    I think it's an insult to the 30k+ who are dead and the millions who are homeless/jobless.

    It also plays magnificently to the long-running strategy of those who would keep us all in fear so as to prevent dissention, forward movement, thought, action... Fear the terrorists! Fear the weather (hurricanes, tsunami, earthquakes, the sun, the snow)! Fear the gays! Fear the liberals!

    by Rainman on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:33:04 AM PDT

    •  As I was watching

      one of the hairdo's on CNN interviewing a UK citizen who had been involved, in Sri Lanka I believe, my jaw dropped to my chest.  I am paraphrasing:

      UK Citizen:. . .the water was aroound my ankles and within seconds it was up to my chest, and I'm six feet, two inches (188 cm).  The next thing, we were being swept out to sea.

      CNN Hairdo: At what point did you realize something was wrong?

      Morons. . .

      by BigOkie on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:45:40 AM PDT

      •  CNN Hairdo- excellent label

        That's the perfect label for those empty-headed commentators.  They are so disconnected from reality that their comments are totally inane.  Yet those same hairdo commentators are good at reading the Bush/Rovian script and presenting the minute by minute details of the Petersen trial or the Condit disappearing intern story.

        This disaster is just one more script for them to read.  CNN is trying to be as biased and "entertaining" as Fox, they are certainly well on their way.

        by MD patriot on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 09:31:10 AM PDT

      •  Somebody should have...

        bitch-slapped this moron just for good measure.

        by exconservative on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 12:33:41 PM PDT

    •  Insulting also

      to CNN's American audience, as if their own viewers were incapable of compassion or empathy.  

      Do these TV hairdos really believe that Americans exist outside of or apart from basic humanity?  Sometimes the focus of such "news coverage" seems expressly designed to lower the "common" denominator to nothing whatsoever.

      by musing graze on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 10:59:43 AM PDT

      •  U.S. donation now $35 million

        CNBC just reported that the reported number of deaths has increased. The anchor said that it has been learned an entire village of 10,000 people is gone.

        CNBC put up the list of donors, including the United States at $35 million and the E.U. countries at $41 million.

        The anchor then said, just to put this in perspective, let's look at the compensation package for some CEOs in the U.S. Five CEOs of major corporations were listed on the screen, with annual compensation ranging from a high of $148 million to a "low" of about $50 million.

        The message was clear to me: If a corporation can find the money to compensate a CEO with $148 million/year, then surely the United States can do better than the equivalent of 11 or 12 weeks of salary for that CEO.

        The last I heard, Canada's contribution is $4 million. Canada's population is about 10% of the U.S. population. Canada should be able to do better, too.

        by True North on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 12:26:47 PM PDT

        •  ... better yet

          Instead of asking more of our tax-strapped public (hell, we're already footing the bill for a war based on lies) - why don't we ask these corporations and their greedy CEO's to fork over a few million each? It's the least they can do given the amount of tax breaks their companies are likely exploiting (again, paid for by our taxes...). If you got the top 50 corporations to shell out a million each they'd surpass the US's current pledge.
          It's a true measure of our society that individuals are willing to give their own money to Red Cross, OxFam, and others at a greater rate than our government is willing to pledge its citizens' tax-monies to the same causes.

          by Rainman on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 01:09:39 PM PDT

          •  Why do you assume they're not?

            Coca-Cola donated six million to the Red Cross's Disaster Relief Fund.  Novartis donated three million.  Two and a half from Cisco, two from Kodak,  and a million each from a whole slew of companies --  from Ford to General Motors to Phillip Morris to Walmart.

            Corporations -- and their shareholders -- are not quite as cold and uncaring as you seem to think.

            by JamesInPDX on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 02:03:30 PM PDT

            •  $1 mil for charity versus $100 mil for top brass?

              Just followed up (where I should've started before I posted, yes) by checking the Red Cross list of corporate donors. You are correct. Yes, scads of corporations, many of which I try not to support with my meager dollars, have given to the Red Cross. I didn't see any CEOs listed individually (a few celebrities were listed for $1 million donations).
              I suppose my main beef is really with the continuing culture of corporate CEO greed. If one person is getting $145 million in a single year, how much is the lowest-paid employee making? What percentage of each paycheck do their rank-and-file employees have to pay for insurance, if they even get it? Perhaps this is cynical, but how much of corporation charity comes back to them in tax breaks?
              I've heard the tired arguments that without CEO leadership, these corporations would go under and no one would have jobs... etc. Granted, there are CEOs out there who are brilliant business people, make the right choices, create jobs, make profits for their shareholders, and so forth. But at the end of the day, how much money is that worth? How much can one person possibly need? Or want? Why can't that be used to elevate the standard of living for their employees? I can see of no better way to earn the respect and loyalty of employees than to pay them a fair, living wage. So, Wal-Mart gave a million bucks - how much do their CEOs make? We all know their employees make squat.
              Lastly, as I stated in the original comment, it's a true testament to the American worker that under many of the corporate donors on the Red Cross list is a break-down of how much came from Employee Dontations. Bravo.

              by Rainman on Wed Dec 29, 2004 at 07:08:38 AM PDT

              •  No doubt

                CEO compensation has become completely decoupled from corporate performance, and is a symptom of some greater malody afflicting our country and corporations.

                by JamesInPDX on Wed Dec 29, 2004 at 12:12:40 PM PDT

        •  US contribution

          I believe $20 million of the $35 million being reported is an "emergency line of credit". In other words, we expect to be paid back.

          by Aexia on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 04:26:22 PM PDT

  •  On La Palma sliding into the sea

    Discovery Channel did a show that featured La Palma recently. I found the following on the Discovery Channel's web site
    

    Geologists are predicting that the volcano on La Palma in the Canaries could explode at some time in the future. The result would send a mega-tsunami 500m high across the Atlantic and could engulf parts of the UK.
    

    
    link

    The details (from the show) are even more alarming. The rock formations on this island have cavities that collect rainwater. When the volcanic heat warms up enough water to the boiling point, the steam forces fissures in the rocks. When the volcano erupts, it is these fissures that cause the entire west face of the island to slide into the Atlantic.

    To summarize, La Palma is the lethal combination of a volcano surrounded by an unstable geologic formation surrounded by water - which as an imcompressible fluid is a great medium for transfering energy.

    Why isn't anyone draining the water out of this island is a question that will only be asked after the island blows.
    

    by ex republican on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:57:13 AM PDT

    •  I doubt's practical

      You'd have to remove the water from thousands of fissures, if not millions, and every time it rained, they would only fill up again.

      What we should be doing is not allowing any further development of coastal areas.  There are so many reasons to do that: to protect the environment, to avoid hurricane devastation, to save the beach for the public and for future generations.  A possible mega-tsunami is just one more.

      by randym77 on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 09:03:40 AM PDT

      •  Not a geologist

        But would draining water LaPalma be any different than drilling for oil?

        This island is a loaded gun pointed at the entire eastern seaboard of the US.

        My point is someone should do something - whether that is draining the water from the fissures, shoring up the island, or carting the whole thing off piece by piece before it slides into the Atlantic is above my pay grade.

        by ex republican on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 09:56:44 AM PDT

        •  yes, definitely

          Oil collects in large reservoirs underground.  It's not worth drilling for otherwise.  And even then, we only get half of it.  It would be a far more difficult task to get small amounts of water out of the zillions of fissures that characterize volcanic rock, and we'd have to get almost all of it.

          We can't do anything, except monitor the situation.  It's like a hurricane - the only thing to do is get out of the way.  

          What we should do is establish a monitoring system, like we have at Mt. St. Helens.  It would be pretty cheap to do that.  And it could at least give us a warning - maybe enough time to evacuate Manhattan, Boston, DC, etc.

          by randym77 on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 10:05:48 AM PDT

          •  Not likely

            According to the chart I saw on the NY Times, this tsunami travelled across the width of the Indian Ocean in 5 or 6 hours. They travel at 500 mph. In a quick search I found this info: "approximately 3,000 miles between Norfolk, VA, and Gibraltar". So at 500 mph, we're looking at just 6 hours. Aren't going to be able to evacuate any of those cities in that amount of time.

            Only 'reasonable' solution is to start carting away pieces of the mountain.

            All this makes me think that religion is a very reasonable response to the world.

            by reklemrov on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 10:45:36 AM PDT

            •  Geologist chiming in

              When Cumbre Vieja lets go, the wave will be 20-50 metres high (so no, no taller than skyscrapers Deep Impact crap) when it hits the Caribbean and eastern seaboard of North America.  Travel time will be 9-12 hours.

              Ironically, for everything else it gets wrong about science, "CSI Miami" got it right when one episode had a tsunami about 10 metres or so high hits Florida.  The 8 hour warning was sufficient to get most people to safety because they just had to go a few kilometres inland to be perfectly safe or to higher ground.
              

              by Northwatch on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 12:16:04 PM PDT

            •  not quite what I meant

              We don't need monitoring to tell us a wave is coming.  We would know.  Geologists in Hawaii knew a tsunami was coming after that earthquake (which was easily detectable, even from there).  They frantically tried to contact government officials in Indonesia, Malaysia, etc., but they didn't have any official contacts there, as they do for developed countries such as Japan.  The people they did manage to contact didn't seem to understand the threat, or didn't know what to do about it.  

              Anyway...I was talking about a monitoring system like we have at Mt. St. Helens, not the kind that measures waves.  Something to tell us that the volcano is going to erupt, not that it already has.  Geologists predicted the last Mt. St. Helens eruption days ahead of the actual event.
              

              by randym77 on Wed Dec 29, 2004 at 11:20:06 AM PDT

    •  Shouldn't we also be asking

      how such an event would affect Spain, Portugal, Gibralter, and all the countries of Europe and West Africa that border the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

      Last time I checked, the Canaries were closer to those than to the U.S. mainland. The idea of a wall of water washing over Gibralter and roaring through the Med is just staggering.
      

      by Mnemosyne on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 05:28:57 PM PDT

      •  I think Spain, etc is safe.

        The impression that I got from the Discovery Channel show was that the landslide will be the west face of this volcanic island. Points East of the Canaries are safe.

        They are postulating that the east side of the island will remain in place while the west side slumps into the Atlantic.

        If the source of the tidal wave was below the ocean, the energy would spread radially and Spain, etc would be in danger. This energy is created by the collapse of a large surface mass into the ocean. The resulting force is a vector aimed straight at Florida and the Carribean basin.

        by ex republican on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 06:50:06 PM PDT

  •  Also fault lines off of No. Carolina and Virginia

    NYT also had an article in 2000 (sorry lost link)about a geologist who found previously unknown fault lines off the No. Carolina and Virginia coast.  

    I'm also not sure that there is any sort of warning system in the Atlantic basin comparable to that in the Pacific--because nobody thinks it will happen

    so it could happen here.

    by barbwires on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 04:26:08 PM PDT

•  Via Atrios

  $15 million in disaster relief from the Bushies.

  $40 million for Dear Leader's inauguration.

  Pathetic.

  by up2date on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:51:56 AM PDT

  •  horrific...I saw that too

    would it be too much to hope for that Bush downsize his coronation and directed the money to the relief efforts?

    don't answer that.................

    by pitbullEmily on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:59:16 AM PDT

    •  coronation

      usurpation

      by DCDemocrat on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:00:01 AM PDT

      •  could someone explain

        what happens to some comments?

        When I saw yet another reference to the cost of Clinton's (second) inauguration, I finally looked it up on Google.

        The WaPo ran a story with this info:
        Clinton's inauguration cost $29.6 million and took in $23.7 million. Money left
        over from his first inauguration was used to make up the difference.

        So, please, stop justifying Bush's inappropriate plans for a "wartime" gala with anything that Clinton did - especially since he spent less money.

        BTW - I couldn't find the comment. Can a troll rating get it removed?

        by compass rose on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 11:31:17 AM PDT

  •  and the amazing thing is

    he's already the president.  I can imagine throwing a (much less expensive) party for the new guy, or the guy who survived dioxin poisoning and election fraud, but for the guy who already has the job?!

    by djinniya on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:09:55 AM PDT

    •  power of consumption

      they are very insecure not quite sure about what to do with all this 'capital' like any adloescent or drunk they indulge themselves.
      pretty bad.

      by ralphyboy on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 04:54:07 PM PDT

  •  all the money should go to the relief

    it is a total shame, total shame

    and thanks for putting the relief information on the front page

    by Liberation Learning on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:51:15 AM PDT

  •  private funds

    to be fair, the 40 mil for the coronation is financed through private donations.  but there are obviously millions of ways to use that money better than letting Jr. know how great he is to actually get elected this time around.

    by jdeliaNYC on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:54:16 AM PDT

    •  security

      The money for security around these events, some 9 balls included, won't be coming from private donors, will it? How many millions will that cost?

      by catnip on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 09:28:15 AM PDT

      •  re: security

        Sorry, I have no idea what that money goes to pay for.  I guess $40 mil would be a lot of balloons and streamers, but I do doubt it's going to pay for security or cleanup.  Good point

        by jdeliaNYC on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 10:38:48 AM PDT

•  Update

  According to the Independent, the death toll is now at 55,000.  And that's expected to rise to about 60,000, if not higher.

  by Brother Maynard on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:52:00 AM PDT

  •  55000 and rising

    Full counts, if they ever can be achieved, take time.  There is enormous confusion in affected areas--no government was prepared for this.  Confusion about responsibilities of central, provincial, and local governments seem to be hampering the identification of remains and of the scope of the disaster in Thailand.  This is overlaid by the fact that in some affected villages, the local government (just like all other villagers) are still in shock and dealing with funerals for their own family members.

    I would assume that similar issues are at work elsewhere.  And Sri Lanka and Indonesia are addressing this in areas where the government is not exactly a trusted friend of the people.

    by redstaterabroad on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:12:25 AM PDT

•  "Gut wrenching"

  may be too mild a term.  As the pictures are broadcast and splashed on the front pages of newspapers, especially those showing parents crying over the body of their child, I can only weep.

  I am making contributions to both the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. Fortunately, there are many options for those that want to help.

  If only our government could actually make a more meaningful contribution.

  By the way, what does being an agnostic have to do with it?

  by JAPA21 on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:54:21 AM PDT

  •  Words fail

    Any word is too mild.

    by Armando on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:01:08 AM PDT

  •  I made my contribution today...

    I went to Unicef...
    I'm just a university student, and I found $100, so I decided to maybe expand the donation by emailing all of my friends and family members to ask them to donate as well; I'm gonna leave the email text here so anyone can use it and proposition all your friends too, a lot of people don't read Kos and don't pay much attention to the news... so try to get the contributions up everyone...

    Email:

    Hi guys,

    I wanted to write to everyone today to say Merry Christmas.  But I have an alterior motive for writing all of you today.  

    So far in South Asia 60,000 people have been killed by the disastrous earthquake and tsunami.  Experts expect this number to double due to the spread of disease in the water supply as bodies of the dead are infecting the water supply with Cholera and other water borne illnesses that spread rapidly and kill thousands, especially in poor areas.  1/3 of the dead so far are children.  I chose to donate $100 today to the effort via unicef as I received a cheque for $100 from my aunt as a Christmas gift from my aunt.  You can donate online to the relief effort, they desperately need money as the death toll is sharply rising and the area is VERY poor.  The UN and other aid organizations are mounting the largest relief effort in world history and they drastically need monetary support.  We are SO lucky to live where we do, in this stable, safe and free country; please realize what you have and what you have to give - the smallest amount makes a huge difference.  

    There are several aid agencies you can donate to via online or phone donations - this is the most useful action you can take, and it's as little as dinner out, or a movie - people are dying by the thousands, and we have so much we can give.  
    I'm going to list some of the agencies that you can donate to, so please check them out, you can do a credit card donation on-line and they will send you a tax receipt and you can get tax exemption for charitable donations on your income tax.

    Some organizations that you can go to are:

    Unicef - www.unicef.ca   (Children Focussed)

    Save the Children - http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/scuk/jsp/index.jsp?flash=true

    Care International - http://care.ca/care_e.asp

    And you can check out the international red cross, but I'm having trouble getting their site to work, so you can search them on google.

    *Please, even if you cannot donate at this time, forward this email to everyone you know!!*

    Thanks a lot guys,

    by L0kI on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 04:44:04 PM PDT

    •  Made my contribution today too

      L0kI, good idea about emailing friends and family with the suggestion to donate any amount they can manage.

      I appreciated the comments people made about the merits of spending money on disaster relief instead of inauguration parties, but I have no control over those parties. The only spending I have control over is my own.

      I've revamped my plans for New Year's, and my plans for the things that I was going to shop for during the Boxing Week sales--things I can live without--and came up with a plan to do my bit to help pay for the things that the people in the affected areas can't live without. Things like clean water, food, medical necessities.

      I made my contribution to the Canadian Red Cross at www.redcross.ca, designating the fund for disaster relief in South East Asia. (I like the idea of donating to Unicef and STC, too.)

      I preferred to contribute to CRCS because I suspect that the Red Cross gets a better exchange rate than individuals do, so there is that tiny additional amount for each contribution.  A difference of a fraction of a cent, over several hundred thousand dollars, adds up to quite a lot.
      

      by True North on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 10:12:09 PM PDT

      •  This may sound trite...

        but my grandmother was infected with Hep C in the blood crisis in the '80's... and we all know who was in charge of the blood... so there's just a bit of 'bad blood' there... but, they are an amazing foreign aid agency....

        :)
        

        by L0kI on Wed Dec 29, 2004 at 08:16:57 AM PDT

•  Even more gut wrenching....

  The US could make a huge difference and regain a little bit of respect of the Muslim world, and what's our response?

  Heres 15 million dollars.  Make sure not to spend it all in one place!

  by pessullivan on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:55:11 AM PDT

  •  we are all East Indians today

    At least W didn't come out and suggest people go shopping.

    by moeman on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:00:55 AM PDT

    •  W will promote Disneyworld next week

      Just wait a few days, the Chimp will be back to promoting the benefits of shopping in your Hummer with a "Support our Troops" magnet and taking a trip to Disney World.

      Bush is such a slimy bastard that a disaster like this is nothing to him, don't believe any of his smarmy lies to the contrary.  Every event is instantly analyzed for his advantage since he has no empathy for others.

      Bush disaster in Iraq:  100,000 plus dead
      tsunami in the Indian ocean:  55,000 dead

      The tsunami deaths will end in a week or so, the Bush War on Iraq will continue for years.

      by MD patriot on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:36:43 AM PDT

    •  W

      didn't have the decency to come out at all. He's still out there "clearing" brush from his made up ranch, and can't be bothered to make an actual statement to the people.

      by SairaLV on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 11:07:04 AM PDT

  •  How much is a Cruise missile?

    Couldn't we cut production of - say - ten cruise missiles and just give that money to SE Asia and E Africa?

    -fink

    by fink on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:26:18 AM PDT

•  "Tremble" is a good word

  Because when all is said and done, and in spite of all or our technology, learning, military weaponry, wealthy, etc., we humans are still puny creatures who are often at the mercy of forces that are much to great and powerful for us.

  by PhillipG on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:57:22 AM PDT

  •  Check out this before/after

    

    Two satellite images show the extent of the devastation caused by tsunamis in Sri Lanka. The bottom photo shows coastline near Kalutara in early 2004. The top photo shows the same coastline shortly after Sunday's massive waves washed ashore.

    From http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/12/28/international1949EST0662.DTL
     

    by MJB on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:25:18 PM PDT

•  It would

  appear that one of the population segments that will be most impacted is the children. I know that sounds inane but there is the very real possibility that a large portion of this new generation may be lost.

  by EthicalWyrm on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 07:58:30 AM PDT

  •  as usual

    Sadly, it's almost always the children who suffer the highest casualties in natural disasters.  They can't run as fast as adults, and don't have the strength to cling to trees, etc., that adults have.  Their growing bodies suffer more during food shortages, and can't conserve heat as well as larger bodies.  

    The typical pattern of natural disasters: men die more quickly than women, and young adults (age 19 to 39) survive better than those younger or older.  This tragedy looks like it followed the pattern.  

    One of the reasons it was so devastating is that tsunami are so rare in the area.  In Japan, Hawaii, etc., people know about tidal waves.  Every child is warned that if they see the ocean suddenly recede, they should run for the high ground.  But in this case, people ran down to the beach to watch, with disastrous results.  

    55,000 victims - it's hard to wrap your mind around that number.  That's a large football stadium full of people.  And the toll will probably only grow.  

    by randym77 on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:19:25 AM PDT

•  Powell: U.S. is not 'stingy' on aid - oh yeah?

  Let's see...at this moment we're looking at a body count of 44,000 and rising from the earthquake/tsunami disaster, and the best the U.S. can do is $15 million for relief? I guess this admin is going to squeeze out whatever few drops of credibility Colin Powell has before he leaves his post. He's out there defending Bush's pathetic aid package. (CNN.com).

  I might add these numbers for perspective:
  

  • Halliburton Iraq Contracts Pass $10 Billion Mark

  • Contrack International had $325m contract before it blew out of town for security concerns; now has won a $63.9 million US Army building deal in Afghanistan

  • Bechtel contract for reconstruction projects -- $1.03 billion

  • An estimated $2 billion goes into paying for security and insurance costs

  

  Perhaps they can find a little more cash under the mattress for this human disaster.

  Pam's House Blend
  

  by pamindurham on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:02:32 AM PDT

  •  Or, think about this:

    The United States can afford $200 billion (and still counting) on a war that has resulted, according to one respected estimate, in as many as 100,000 civilian deaths.

    But it can only give $15 million to assuage the suffering of a natural disaster in which 44,000 have been killed.

    If this isn't a telling statement about America's priorities, I don't know what is.

    by PhillipG on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:06:55 AM PDT

  •  Imagine 44,000 of these dead people

    When I saw this picture on the Yahoo News, I kept looking at the dead person on the beach and thinking, this is VERY real. No religion, No nationality, and no Racism. This is a dead human being just like you and me, out for a little relaxation.

    I have noticed the outrage over the money and Iraq and GW, as well as it should be, but have you really taken a look at this picture? It is death. And to think that a third of the people are children who never even had a chance in life to prosper or make mistakes like the rest of us.

    It was also mentioned about a warning sysyem, and the report was that the Indian Ocean does not have one, but the countries are looking into it now. In the meantime, the report also sites that it would not have mattered a whole lot because in some places there were only minutes after the earthquake to evacuate. Our weather people did know about the possibility of the waves, but sometimes they get false readings also. This was an act of nature. The war is indeed stupid but with the same results. Someone is going to die. This is a very sad sad situation.

    By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY

    "We put out a bulletin within 20 minutes, technically as fast as we could do it," says Jeff LaDouce of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. LaDouce says e-mails were dispatched to Indonesian officials, but he doesn't know what happened to the information.

    "Even if you give the tourist resorts in Thailand a half-hour's notice, it is no easy matter to evacuate vast swaths of coastland,"

    Tsunami waves struck Sumatra minutes after the quake and hit Thailand within an hour.
    

    by BarnBabe on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:56:32 AM PDT

    •  Warning possibilities?

      Amidst my shock and horror at the massive scale of death in so many places, I still can't help wondering if more could have been done to help save people.

      I know it's sometimes a silly American trait to believe that we can prevent all types of tragedies if we only try hard enough (or eat the right foods and take the right pills). On the other hand, though, efforts to prevent or limit tragedy do sometimes bear fruit.

      This was the largest earthquake on the planet in 40 years. Even without an official warning system in the Indian Ocean, for an underwater quake of this magnitude, is there any way to perhaps quickly check satellite images to see if there's a major wave forming? And have some kind of hotlines to emergency officials in various countries?

      Given the speed and scale of the disaster, I don't know if it could have been prevented in full, but perhaps some people could have been saved.

      by firenze on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 02:31:08 PM PDT

      •  Warnings - Tsunami Center Dropped the Ball

        Western scientific agencies, like the U.S. Geological Survey and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center completely dropped the ball on this.

        I know it was a holiday weekend and this sounds harsh, but I have a PhD in this stuff.  

        An 8.0 - 9.0 magnitude undersea earthquake is the MORE THAN ENOUGH INFORMATION to assume a large tsunami threat in the ocean basin.   Geologists had measurements of the quake well in advance of the tsunami -- they should have contacted everyone they could in coastal nations along the Indian Ocean.  
        You simply didn't need to have a fancy tidal guage network or a fancy tsunami detection system to issue some sort of warning to the public.  

        It is true some of these poorer countries do not have perfect plans in place to disseminate the warning.   But still, the Pacific Tsunami Center should have made the effort to contact heads of state/international media.  

        The NY Times ran an article on the Tsunami Center today.  I'm sure the director of the center feels awful.  But excuses like "we didn't know who to call" and "it was a holiday weekend" and "we wished we'd had a better warning system in place for the Indian Ocean" don't cut it, esp. when you are saying these things 3-5 hours in advance of the tsunami!

        by diana04 on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 05:43:39 PM PDT

      •  Russian system

        The Russian Emergencies Minister touted their tsunami warning system in the Far East as a model for the region.

        Unfortunately the article provides no details. If any Kos readers know more about this system, I'd be interested in learning about it.

        In the meantime, give! "Bis das, si cito das (you give twice if you give quickly)."

        by Chukuriuk on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 05:44:36 PM PDT

•  Disgusting

  To think some people want to say we should not help because these are not our allies sicken me.

  We are seriously messed up as a culture when we are spending more to showcase a presidential second term than we are willing to give to help those with nothing!

  Please consider helping in any way you can.  Please consider giving cash that can be used to buy local supplies as opposed to sending your worn out clothing!

  by Lancasterdem on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:04:13 AM PDT

  •  Places to give

    I would be happy to share a few good organizations, from my perspective, if you contact me

    by Lancasterdem on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:07:05 AM PDT

  •  and they're wrong too

    last I checked Indonesia was an important ally in the war on terra.

    by djinniya on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:10:41 AM PDT

•  Horrible

  I grew up in a small town of 23,000 or so.  I imagine that number wiped out two times over now, and I want to throw up.  

  I sent $50 to Oxfam America yesterday and I want to send more and more and more.   If I were, say, a rich government, I'd send a buttload more, and far more than a paltry $15 million.  

  Many more deaths will result from the lack of sanitation. Along with the lack of fresh drinking water, there are the little things, like a lack of resources to deal with wound infection, gangrene, and all other horrible manifestations of a contaminated land.  

  As for those heartless Freepers:  if they consider this a cleansing act of god, one wonders what the a). Floridians who endured three? four? hurricanes and b). Asian children did this year to piss off God.  Or is it just the relief workers the good Lord is annoyed with?

  by magpie02141 on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:08:09 AM PDT

  •  gave $100 via WV

    http://donate.wvus.org/OA_HTML/xxwvibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?section=10025&item=1168287&lid=tsuna mi_donate&lpos=main1text

    by LiveFreeOrDie on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 09:43:17 AM PDT

•  A little news

  I have some Indonesian friends here in the area. Fortunately for them, their families live on Java. I was kind jolted by the news that Penang Island was hit. My friend lives 2 miles from the beach and I was actually thinking of moving there.

  by RandyMI on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:08:19 AM PDT

•  RHUBARB, ARE YOU HERE?

  Any word from your friends who were visiting Andaman?

  by djinniya on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:13:55 AM PDT

•  Video reports on devastation

  .
  REUTERS Television World Channel:
  Available VIDEO reports
  

  • Tsunami Devastation
    
  • Waves Hit Hotel
    
  • Mass Burial Of Tsunami Victims
    
  • Tsunami Survivors Tell Of Horror
    
  • Tourists Lost In Deadly Tsunami
    
  • Total Devastation In Aceh
    
  • Clean-Up Begins In Aceh
    
  • Aftermath Of Deadly Quake
    
  • Recovering The Bodies

  UPDATED with latest news:
  DISASTER STRIKES ASIA -
  QUAKE 8.9 - TSUNAMI WAVE

  Be Liberal, Be Free Especially Amongst Family And Friends

  by creve coeur on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:16:57 AM PDT

•  A comment from a witness

  on an open-source software list where a large part of the development work goes on in Sri Lanka:

  We are so unfortunate to witness such tragedy. Ocean came alive. Ocean came alive.

  That still sends shivers down my spine.

  You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one...

  by imagine on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:17:16 AM PDT

•  When I look

  back on all of the places I stayed in Indo and Thailand, none were hit, I know the toll will be higher. Most everything's built without foundations and would just wash away. And most of the villages just don't have the equipment to dig themselves out of this kind of mess, nor is there any way to get the equipment to them.

  I heard on the news last night that the LA search and rescue team was told to stand down. My impression was that the other countries said they did not need them. With the scope of this disaster I find that hard to believe.

  by Mike S on Tue Dec 28, 2004 at 08:22:55 AM PDT

•  Front page fundraising effort please

  I've got the links that I know of as far as relief organizations posted