Tsunami

That thing was awful. I feel so terrible for those people.

I subscribe to “Cruising World” magazine, which is part technical-sailing and part fantasy. A lot of stories from people who sail to exotic and remote locations around the world. Something, these stories involve excursions to the Indian Ocean.

Lots of small islands with small populations. People living in stilt houses. People eating what they catch during the day.

That thing was awful. I feel so terrible for those people.

I subscribe to “Cruising World” magazine, which is part technical-sailing and part fantasy. A lot of stories from people who sail to exotic and remote locations around the world. Something, these stories involve excursions to the Indian Ocean.

Lots of small islands with small populations. People living in stilt houses. People eating what they catch during the day.

5 thoughts on “Tsunami”

  2. Updated toll: more than 60,000 dead

    I can’t even comprehend the number very well, it’s that big.

    By way of comparison,

    • In 2002, the entire U.S. automotive death toll was 42,815
    • Through 22 December 2004, there have been roughly 10,000 U.S. wounded in Iraq (with a much greater survival rate than during any war in history).
    • The total numer of hostile and non-hostile U.S. deaths in the Vietnam War: 58,202

    —
    Matthew P. Barnson

      1. Perspective…

        I have trouble conceiving of that large of a number of human beings perishing in a tidal wave. For a little perspective on this new number, the entire population of Salt Lake City, Utah numbers 181,743. In other words, 1 out of every 2 people in this entire, bustling metropolis would be dead.

        And the toll’s just going to rise more as people begin to starve from farms being wiped out, medical supplies running low, bodies rotting and infecting others, etc. The reports I’ve read from those attempting rescue efforts are disheartening. Picture walking along a beach with thousands of corpses, trying to find the one that is your daughter, like a local Utah family lost. According to reports, even wearing masks is insufficient now to filter out the overpowering smell, and numerous rescue workers are succumbing to illness attempting to deal with the number of dead.

        It’s… staggering. A single, 9.0 earthquake, and if I understand correctly, the largest death toll in history.

        —
        Matthew P. Barnson

        1. Not The Largest

          The 1931 Yangtze flood killed some 400,000 people and affected more than 50 million people in the Yangtze and Huai River basins.

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