Tsunami

[James Deuce]

To all you imported noobs - if the water suddenly drains off the beach it isn't time to go collecting free fish.

Run like f__k for the hills.

After the 8.9 on the Richter scale earthquake off the Indonesian province of Aceh, it's looking like a few THOUSAND people in the surrounding countries of the Indian Ocean didn't know that.

I've just been watching some pretty scary pictures on BBC World that are emnating from the entire Indian Ocean/Bay of Bengal region and it is horrific.

If you believe in anything, offer a selfless prayer for someone whose life either ended or went from relative poverty to nothing.

[wari]

WHen I wassa kidd there wassa psu-nami warnin' in my home town WAnganui ... :cry: ... heaps of people went out to the beach to watchitt ...

SAdd thatit never arrived ... :( ... woulda raised the mean IQ levell ofda town ... :killingme ... I HAdda good van-tage point too ... :yeah:

[StoneChucker]

My heart does go out to them, nature works in strange and unpredictable ways.

But the temptation of 100's of "beached" crayfish would be hard to resist :shifty:

On a silly note, maybe the end of the world is neigh. I reckon we should sell ALL our bikes, and buy JetSkis. Nothing would change on here, except the name, to www.kiwijetskier.co.nz.

A thought goes out to all over there :(

[Motu]

WHen I wassa kidd there wassa psu-nami warnin' in my home town WAnganui ... :cry: ... heaps of people went out to the beach to watchitt ...

SAdd thatit never arrived ... :( ... woulda raised the mean IQ levell ofda town ... :killingme ... I HAdda good van-tage point too ... :yeah:

I was around for that one too,my Grandmother said....no way,nothings going to happen.She lived at Bucklands Beach and the tide went out and in really fast,it was the lowest tide we'd ever seen,the beach dropped down into the channel,like a cliff,we'd never seen that before.We were hoping for a bit more drama....

[NC]

Its the natural selection, nature is culling again.

[NC]

I was around for that one too,my Grandmother said....no way,nothings going to happen.She lived at Bucklands Beach and the tide went out and in really fast,it was the lowest tide we'd ever seen,the beach dropped down into the channel,like a cliff,we'd never seen that before.We were hoping for a bit more drama....
Ooooh that's quiet trippy, I've never seen it that low..
Dirty ole Bucklands beach

[Riff Raff]

Fuck 11,500 killed. Scary shit.

[James Deuce]

Fuck 11,500 killed. Scary shit.

That's only in Sri Lanka.

[Motu]

Ooooh that's quiet trippy, I've never seen it that low..
Dirty ole Bucklands beach

I spent my childhood there,some good memories.It was a totaly isolated community,only one road in,with a back road to Howick,it seemed like it would be that way forever,little did we know....

Hey,they had motorcycle races there - down The Parade and up Hathaway,gravel roads,but I was only a baby and don't remember it.

[MOTOXXX]

my best mate is in malasia at the mo

im a bit concerned as i cant get in touch with him

[NC]

I spent my childhood there,some good memories.It was a totaly isolated community,only one road in,with a back road to Howick,it seemed like it would be that way forever,little did we know....

Hey,they had motorcycle races there - down The Parade and up Hathaway,gravel roads,but I was only a baby and don't remember it.
It's crazy eh..
Dad built and owned a few houses on the waterfront down there. I think he wishes he kept them...lol

I remember when Highland Park was still all grass.. and when Mr Somerville was still alive and owned the greater part of Howick, Pakuranga, Whitford, Meadowlands, Botany etc...

[Lord Pac]

That's only in Sri Lanka.
Actually 4850 in Sri Lanka- quoted from bbc.co.uk

Stats-
Sri Lanka: 4,850 dead
Indonesia: 4,440 dead
India: 4,270 dead
Thailand: 430 dead
Malaysia: 44 dead
Maldives: 32 dead
Bangladesh: 2 dead

rather sad...:(

[James Deuce]

Actually 4850 in Sri Lanka- quoted from bbc.co.uk

Stats-
Sri Lanka: 4,850 dead
Indonesia: 4,440 dead
India: 4,270 dead
Thailand: 430 dead
Malaysia: 44 dead
Maldives: 32 dead
Bangladesh: 2 dead

rather sad...:(

Esitmates only. Sri Lankan Government has upped their estimate to 20,000 dead and 1.5 million displaced. I do have a source that I am not at liberty to divulge or I will lose my job and be prosecuted.

There will never be an accurate count, and the BBC "stats" are confirmed dead only. They will change. Each of those "stats" is a person like you Paco. If ANYONE uses the word "stats" to describe loss of life in this thread again, I will personally be very disgusted with you. It is very easy when faced with large numbers of dead to hide behind the inability to grasp fully how many nearly 5000 people are. That is three times the number of students who attended my secondary school at the time I was there. Imagine them laid out and stinking on the school field.

Indonesian estimates will never be accurate. The Indonesian Government will use the devastation in Aceh to cancel their bid for independence, and likely expand the military presence in the region beyond reason.

I don't care if my numbers are later proved wildly wrong. I will not stand for point scoring when discussing dead people.

[Lord Pac]

It's not scoring points- just what was reported.

yes I understand a ''stat''- is a person just like me and you.

I have no more to say on this.

May their souls rest in peace.

[sels1]

Is there anything we can possibly do? some fund raising rides? proceeds to Red Cross?

[James Deuce]

Is there anything we can possibly do? some fund raising rides? proceeds to Red Cross?

Red Cross have set up a number to donate to. I'll find it and stick it in here.

[Teflon]

Is there anything we can possibly do? some fund raising rides? proceeds to Red Cross?
Think NZ has it's own problems, rather see fund raising for the SPCA.

[James Deuce]

Think NZ has it's own problems, rather see fund raising for the SPCA.

You're kidding right?

The Red Cross site has numbers and methods for donations.

http://www.redcross.org.nz/index.php?page=nz_disaster.php

[Teflon]

You're kidding right?

The Red Cross site has numbers and methods for donations.

http://www.redcross.org.nz/index.php?page=nz_disaster.php

No, call me sick, but rather save a cute little puppy than some......... eyed person in a foreign country.

[jrandom]

No, call me sick, but rather save a cute little puppy than some......... eyed person in a foreign country.

The troll-fu is weak in this one.

[Teflon]

The troll-fu is weak in this one.

Was using SPCA as a example, fix the problems here first, until then, fuck everyone else.

[James Deuce]

The troll-fu is weak in this one.

It is pathetic as far as trolls go. Like it or not there are a lot of NZ citizens and residents with relatives in those countries.

It does affect NZ. We ARE part of Asia/Polynesia, not some Western European country.

[Teflon]

It is pathetic as far as trolls go. Like it or not there are a lot of NZ citizens and residents with relatives in those countries.

It does affect NZ. We ARE part of Asia/Polynesia, not some Western European country.

Yeah your right, we got half of them over here.

[Posh Tourer :P]

You do realise that you are still biting don't you Jim...

[Bleck K6]

My Dad is in Thailand on holiday,He left here on boxing day.
Havent heard anything from him yet.Hopefully he calls My sister tomorrow.

[justsomeguy]

I can't get my mind around the magnitude of this - this thing............. TWO MILLION HOMELESS AND 20,000 AND COUNTING DEAD

Can you imagine if such a thing hit NZ - no don't imagine it.

Kinda makes you wonder who is winning god or the devil?

My deepest feelings go out to everyone involved.

[justsomeguy]

Was gonna write some black humour about a forthcoming shortage of Taxi drivers in Auckland but decided this prolly isnt the thread for that..

Hope your Dads ok Tiller.hahahahaha :killingme :killingme :killingme no more funny taxi drivers

OK ok ok ok ok ok ok - now lets joke about the shortage of Ambulance drivers over there shall we????? :killingme :killingme :killingme

[justsomeguy]

Lets not -

and WTF are bort borts?

PS: I think you are an imbecile for the earlier post -- however someone with a job like yours must have a better idea of and psychosomatic conditioning to the damage such occurences cause; endowing you with the ability to find humour in such matters - or maybe you just are what was previously opined.

[justsomeguy]

If I couldnt find humour in some of the stuff I go to/see I would be the next jumper from the Harbour Bridge. Sorry if you were offendedNo offence taken and thanks for doing what you do for a living.:doctor: Very respectable

:( OK got to be up by 6:30

[NC]

Yes I'm just waiting for the call......

BTW have you ever tried driving an ambulance thru the city when the bort borts are triple parked outside bars/clubs etc. Lets hope I'm not coming to you
That shit fucks me off...
Fuck I hate taxi drivers!!!

[justsomeguy]

That shit fucks me off...
Fuck I hate taxi drivers!!!Yes, some of them are a royal pain. But don't worry. I'm trying to get the neighbours cat a driving license ---- looking at all the others that have them - I'm sure the little fellow will qualify. Matter of fact if you look at the drivers we are finding on our roads and their behaviour in the past few years ---- I guess all you have to do to get a license now days is just ask.

[MSTRS]

Think NZ has it's own problems, rather see fund raising for the SPCA.
Nah, give it to the tsunami appeal - you'll be helping to save our fishermen from frivolous prosecution. :rolleyes:

[moko]

The British Government has very genorously given £2 million in total towards relief for victims of the Tsunami or to put that in perspective 1% of the re-fit costs for ONE of our very useful nuclear Submarines,the price of ONE cruise missile of the kind heroically lobbed into Kabul and Bagdhad from hundreds of miles away,less than a third of the cost of the royal family per year and 1/180th of the overspend on one government building in Scotland

[Marmoot]

looks like the death toll may get close to 100k
Sounds like that movie "the day after tomorrow"

Btw, amazing how easy it is for some people to scoff at others death when they don't look alike.
Whatever they are, gooks, borts, blacks, niggers, I can't see why cats/dogs can be more important.
I'm sure the response would have been different if this had happened in other place......like oz or uk?

Moko: U have a very valid point there :(

[F5 Dave]

Yeah the magnitude is unfathomable. I mean a kid goes postal at some school with daddy’s semi killing ½ a dozen kids & the world is saying what an immense tragedy. But this sort of thing puts it in perspective.

Closer to home than you realise. At my small work we think we have a couple in Thailand. Tiller hope your father is ok.

[Ms Piggy]

It's pretty bloody mind boggling alright. :disapint: Too sad for words really.

[riffer]

It's pretty bloody mind boggling alright. :disapint: Too sad for words really.


Just got an email from a couple of friends holidaying over in Thailand.

One of them was scuba diving at the time the tsunami hit and says she was lifted up and back a good 50-75 metres in the water. They thought it was some kind of weird tidal surge, until they surfaced and looked on shore.

Bloody lucky they were in the water a few hundred metres out I guess...

A few anxious days were had waiting for their emails.

[sels1]

Think NZ has it's own problems, rather see fund raising for the SPCA.

Yeah, already doing that - do you?

Thanks for the link Jim2

[Bob]

My stepmother-in-law has a friend holidaying in Thailand. So obviously, we were worried.

So we had been watching Sky News, as they are running messages from people that have contacted them to say they are OK. Then the presenter announced that they were going to speak to a UK tourist... and it was my stepmum-in-law's friend that they were interviewing.

So huge relief all around.

To anyone who has friends or relatives out in any of the affected areas, I hope you also receive good news soon.

Meanwhile, TV programmers need their heads banging together. My father in law had changed channel to catch another news programme - so we caught the end of a game show 'Catchphrase'. And they announced that the competitor was going for the star prize... a holiday to Sri Lanka.

Simple good taste says that show should have been pulled. When you know your show has holidays as a prize, then a quick look at the VTR, which would take all of a few seconds, would let you know and you could drop in a substitute programme.

[Indiana_Jones]

Quite sad indeed, but I guess those kind of things happen.
On a side note I never donate to really as most of those people are poor because of thier governments, taxing them to fund the armies.

-Indy

[Bob]

The British Government has very genorously given £2 million in total towards relief for victims of the Tsunami or to put that in perspective 1% of the re-fit costs for ONE of our very useful nuclear Submarines,the price of ONE cruise missile of the kind heroically lobbed into Kabul and Bagdhad from hundreds of miles away,less than a third of the cost of the royal family per year and 1/180th of the overspend on one government building in Scotland

Looks like that amount has been increased - this from the BBC:

"On Wednesday the UK government pledged £15m ($29m) to help the first phase of the relief effort - making Britain the second largest donor after the US."

Still a drop in the ocean (no pun intended, believe me) compared to things like the overspend on the Scottish Parliament Building, but a big increase. I wonder how much other major countries are putting into the effort? I would imagine our second closest neighbours will not be putting up a brass Centime, but will make their 'technical skills' available... for a price of course.

[gav]

Heres a link to some amazing footage of the tsunami
tsunami footage (http://www.photosphere.org/mirror/tsunami/)

[moko]

As Bob said the Brit government have increased the amount,not once but twice.Bliar runs his government according to how it makes him look in the media,the Overseas minister got a real roasting on a phone-in this morning from angry members of public,silly bitch really thought "it`s a lot of money" was going to wash.Say what you want about us but the average Brit(if not the Govt,)will pitch in and do what they can when it`s required.By this afternoon ordinary people had already given more in donations than the Govt and embarassed them into raising the total to £50 million,so far ordinary Brits have given £35 million,or 3 times what the U.S. Govt. have managed to scrape up.

[El Dopa]

No, call me sick, but rather save a cute little puppy than some......... eyed person in a foreign country.

It may be a troll, but I'm going to bite anyway.

Teflon, have a think about why NZ is nicknamed the 'Shaky Isles'.

What exactly do you think the result would be if, say, something on the scale of the Lake Taupo eruption happened in the present day? Or even if something on the scale of the recent NZ 'quakes happened in a more densely populated area, such as Auck/Welly/Chch?

I don't think you'd be too picky about the skin colour or eye shape of any potential rescuers from our neighbours round the pacific rim, who'd more than likely be the ones on the operating end of a rescue.

Thats assuming you were one of the lucky ones who survived.

[James Deuce]

It may be a troll, but I'm going to bite anyway.

Teflon, have a think about why NZ is nicknamed the 'Shaky Isles'.

What exactly do you think the result would be if, say, something on the scale of the Lake Taupo eruption happened in the present day? Or even if something on the scale of the recent NZ 'quakes happened in a more densely populated area, suck and Auck/Welly/Chch?

I don't think you'd be too picky about the skin colour or eye shape of any potential rescuers from our neighbours round the pacific rim, who'd more than likely be the ones on the operating end of a rescue.

Thats assuming you were one of the lucky ones who survived.

If the Orongorongo "event" happened in modern times, all of NZ wouldn't need aid because we'd all be dead.

The east coast of Australia would be in the crap too. They've found house sized boulders hundreds of kilometers into the Aussie outback from the last Taupo eruption. That means a ballistic trajectory for an object weighing tens of tons.

However you raise extremely valid points, and I am desparing at how hard the "liberal" media, such as BBC World has to struggle to keep the plight of the victims newsworthy.

[El Dopa]

If the Orongorongo "event" happened in modern times, all of NZ wouldn't need aid because we'd all be dead.

However you raise extremely valid points, and I am desparing at how hard the "liberal" media, such as BBC World has to struggle to keep the plight of the victims newsworthy.

Exactly my point. Although if Mr Teflon was on his O/E at the time, I'd hope the citizens of his host country would extend him more hospitality than he seems inclined to do.

The number to call to make a $20 donation to the Red Cross via your phone bill (not listed on their website) is: 0900 31 100.

[El Dopa]

Lets not -

and WTF are bort borts?

PS: I think you are an imbecile for the earlier post -- however someone with a job like yours must have a better idea of and psychosomatic conditioning to the damage such occurences cause; endowing you with the ability to find humour in such matters - or maybe you just are what was previously opined.

Time and place....

Everyone in these occupations tends to use black humour to cope, but can occasionally forget that not everyone outside them and their colleagues will get the joke.

Once upon a time, I used to work for the child protection dept of social services in the UK. Couldn't understand why no-one else down the pub found my 'dead baby' jokes amusing.

[MadDuck]

I saw this thread and was blown away to say the least. They are now talking about 150,000 lost and some. Thats the whole of my damn district gone in a day!

Some of us can relate to losing our entire family and others cant ...yes I will bite and say get a grip. I am amazed the biker community has stayed silent on the issue as well. Yes we can phone the Red Cross OR we can make a public stand, afterall we support every other kind of appeal going....kids whos fathers dont take responsibilty for paying the way of their offspring for example. The Root em and leave em mentality of NZ but we wont support a natural disaster of the like hopefully we will never see again.

The need for assistance world wide will go on for months and they need help for absolutely everything over there.

[SPORK]

Hmmm, this is bloody sad. I heard that an entire island got completely obliterated (sp?!), killing 150,000... Not too sure about that. They say that it had the power of 100 Hiroshima sized nukes... :confused:

[Zapf]

The dead are dead... but the living still needs to be looked after. And all sort of rebuilding that is going to be very very expensive.

I am thinking of a scheme similar to adopt a child. but instead adopt a family and have a monthy donation / $ going to them to help with the rebuilding for the next few years to come. U want them to have their own business / lively hood again. and not work in a sweat shop owned by some mega company from the west.

Anyone interested or know how to get this off the ground?

[Zapf]

Hmmm, this is bloody sad. I heard that an entire island got completely obliterated (sp?!), killing 150,000... Not too sure about that. They say that it had the power of 100 Hiroshima sized nukes... :confused:

Hiroshima sized nukes are small. I think they are only 5 to 20kilo Tonne jobbies. The mega big ass russian ones during the cold war are like 20 Mega Tonne +

That is like 20 Million Tonne of TNT in one bang... scary...

oh and reading yesterday on a russian news site, a russian scientist recons that since the plate at India ocean has moved. Other plates (many) will follow the shuffle. erm "thinks"

[toads]

The dead are dead... but the living still needs to be looked after. And all sort of rebuilding that is going to be very very expensive.

I am thinking of a scheme similar to adopt a child. but instead adopt a family and have a monthy donation / $ going to them to help with the rebuilding for the next few years to come. U want them to have their own business / lively hood again. and not work in a sweat shop owned by some mega company from the west.

Anyone interested or know how to get this off the ground?

Most likely world vision have something set up for this sort of approach already, maybe the red cross and other church based organisations would be familiar with setting up family sponsorship also