9.0 Quake Triggers Huge Tsunami in South East Asia

TheLoneInventor

Much of SE Asia has been devestated by one of the worst earthquakes on record. The tsunami that followed has claimed thousands of lives from Sri Lanka to Africa. The current death toll is at 55,000 and growing. Disease is expected to cause more damage then the tsunami itself, as the number of unburied bodies will quickly breed contamination that will spread into the water supply.

Millions more have been left homeless by the quake. This disaster has truly brought many of these countries to thier knees.

The US is sending 15 million in relief funds, Australia 10 million, and the list goes on. But no amount of money can replace the lives that these people have lost. Children, parents, relatives, gone. Very tragic scenario. Perhaps a moment of silence, and a small prayer is in order. Money can't solve everything. Let's hope it's enough to slow the progress of death in the areas worst affected by this disaster.

Google my favorite search engine, and now humanitarian organization has set up a tsunami relief page with information about how you can help with the relief effort.

Google's News about the tsunami can provide you with all the current information regarding this event.

What makes this so terrible is the fact that there were no early warning systems in place that could have prevented many of the human casualties. Many of the residents of the coastal areas that were hit hardest by the disaster, had hours to flee, if they had only known it was comming.

My suggestion is that a large part of the relief effort is dedicated to an early warning system that ensures that a tragedy of this magnitude will not happen again. Such a system was put in place on the west coast of the US after a devastating tsunami hit California. Later another huge wave in Alaska prompted the addition of that region to the early warning system.

With so many people living along the coast, these kinds of casualty numbers will only continue to grow when the next disaster strikes unless something is done to prevent it.

TheLoneInventor

UPDATE:
There are new developments in this story from earlier tonight. The death toll now has hit almost 70,000 with most of the deaths in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Also, after being criticized by the UN for not sending enough relief funds the US is now sending 35 million.

Please update this post if you have any more information.