Asian Tsunami - Catastrophy Waiting to Happen
On December 26, 2004, an earthquake occurred off the west coast of Sumatra Island, Indonesia. The energy released generated a tsunami that spread in a 360 degree circle from the center of the quake. It now appears that over 150,000 people have died as a result of the tsunamis hitting the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) detected the earthquake and determining that tsunamis would result. The agency did attempt to notify the governments affected of the impending tsunamis but has been criticized for not doing more.
Even if the Indian Ocean had been ringed with tsunami-detecting devices, it would have not saved a single life. What is being overlooked is that the governments of the countries that ring the Indian Ocean need to define who, in their respective governments, needs to be notified of an impending tsunami. There needs to be a warning system in place at all shores and sea-level areas where people congregate or live and clearly defined evacuation routes must be mapped-out and marked with signage and all people likely to be in the potential tsunami areas notified ahead of time what the notification method is and how to quickly find the evacuation routes. None of this is in place in any of the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean. In fact, there is talk that local governments have not planned for tsunami evacuations in fear of scaring away tourists and affecting the local tourist industry.
There is no longer any need for local governments to fear scaring away tourists. The tsunami and worldwide attention to the disaster, makes it clear tourists are unlikely to return to the affected areas, even after they are rebuilt. They now have to do what they failed to do that cost the lives of over 150,000 residents and tourists and that is to finally put in place a tsunami notification systems, evacuation routes that were no where to be found on December 26th 2004.
1/12/05 ( 764 )
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