[www-features] PROPOSAL: Deaths rise in Earthquake and Tsunami Tragedy

Wed Dec 29 04:07:59 PST 2004

hi,

in a newsprogram of belgian tv, the presentator talked about the fact
that in amercan congress people were talking about a big wave that would
kill many people(after the earthquake) but nobody warned the local
people.

found this now on the Dutch Indymedia:

55,000 Dead: The Role of U.S. Criminal Negligence on a  Global Scale
Casualties of a policy of war, negligence, and corporate  greed
http://www.iacenter.org/tsunami.htm

greetings, guidoke

On Tue, 2004-12-28 at 21:52 -0600, takver wrote:
> I'm not sure what to do with the early report (27 Dec) from Jakarta 
> IMC. Estimates of the numbers of dead have really changed from 15,000 
> on the 27th, 20-30,000 28 Dec, to nearly 60,000 on 29 dec. With a large 
> number of missing persons, many of which will be assumed dead, I think 
> the total deaths from the earthquake and tsunamis will exceed 100,000. 
> There are likely to be thousands of deaths now arising from poor health 
> conditions at risk of disease, depending upon how rapidly western 
> nations respond in immediate assistance and rebuilding the 
> infrastructure destroyed.
> 
> I tried to use IMC links where possible, then collaborative sources 
> such as wikipedia, and UN and disaster relief reports to supplement the 
> feature. I think this feature summarises the story to date.
> 
> Takver
> Melbourne IMC
> 
> Image: http://www.jakartaresistance.net/attachments/dec2004/acehii.jpg
> Asia: Natural Disaster
> Deaths rise in Earthquake and Tsunami Tragedy 
> 
> ----------- ABSTRACT -----------------------------
> 
> On December 26 an underwater earthquake, later measured at 9.0 on the 
> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_magnitude_scale">Moment 
> Magnitude scale</a>, occurred off the coast of Aceh on the island of 
> Sumatra, in the Indonesian Archipelago. The resulting <a 
> href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunami">tsunamis</a> have killed 
> tens of thousands, with many more people missing, feared to be washed 
> out to sea and drowned. The final death toll, taking into account 
> missing persons, is likely to exceed 100,000 with up to two million 
> people displaced and made homeless. (See Wikipedia article on <a 
> href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake#Damage_a
> nd_casualties">Damages and casualties</a>)
> <p>
> Much of the affected coastal regions in <a 
> href="http://www.jakartaresistance.net/tsunami.php">Indonesia (id)</a> 
> (<a href="http://www.jakartaresistance.net/newswire.php?
> story_id=48">Photos</a> from Aceh), Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma) 
> (<a 
> href="http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/9ca65951ee22658ec12566330040859
> 9/3a79f0bd31037b4785256f78005c20c8?OpenDocument">UNICEF report</a>), 
> Sri Lanka (<a 
> href="http://www.unicef.org/emerg/disasterinasia/24615_24629.html">UNICE
> F report</a>), 
> India (<a 
> href="http://www.unicef.org/emerg/disasterinasia/24615_24633.html">UNICE
> F report</a>),
>  <a href="http://perth.indymedia.org/?
> action=newswire&parentview=7679">Maldives</a>, 
> and as far away as the coast of Africa, have poor communications and 
> infrastructure which have hampered a full assessment of the disaster 
> and immediate disaster relief. 
> <p>
> According to UNICEF <a 
> href="http://www.unicef.org/emerg/disasterinasia/24615_24659.html">Child
> ren account for one third of tsunami dead</a>. The UN Population fund 
> warns that <a 
> href="http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/pop911.doc.htm">women and 
> girls are especially vulnerable</a> to the "second wave" of the 
> disaster as millions of people face health risks due to contamination 
> of drinking water, and devastation of health infrastructure.
> 
> <p>
> IMC Stories: <a 
> href="http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/148162/index.php">
> Barcelona IMC (es)</a> | Italy IMC report <a 
> href="http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2004/12/699742.php">1</a>, 
> <a href="http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2004/12/699707.php">2</a> (it)
> </a>, 
> <a href="http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2004/12/699686.php">Audio (it)
> </a>, 
> <a href="http://www.jakartaresistance.net/tsunami.php">Jakarta IMC (id)
> </a>, 
> <a 
> href="http://indymedia.org.nz/feature/display/23783/index.php">Aotearoa 
> (en)</a>,
> <a 
> href="http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2004/12/85351.php">Melbour
> ne IMC (en)</a>
> <p>
> Links: <a 
> href="http://www.who.int/hac/crises/international/asia_tsunami/en/">Worl
> d Health Organisation</a> | 
> <a 
> href="http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/vLCE/B46020E42CECE0A3C1256F7600
> 3D51A4?OpenDocument&StartKey=South+Asia:+Earthquake+and+Tsunami+-
> +Dec+2004&ExpandView">Relief Web latest News</a> | 
> <a 
> href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake">Wikiped
> ia</a> | 
> <a href="http://tsunamiupdates.blogspot.com/">Tsunami News Updates</a>
> 
> 
> ---------- BODY ----------------------
> 
> 
> Estimates of the numbers of dead have been revised upwards from 15,000 
> 24 hours later on the 27th December, 20-30,000 48 hours later, to 
> nearly 60,000 on 29 December. With a large number of missing persons, 
> many of which will be assumed dead, the total deaths from the 
> earthquake and tsunamis may exceed 100,000. 
> <p>
> There are likely to be thousands of deaths now arising from poor health 
> conditions at risk of disease, depending upon how rapidly Western 
> Nations and Non Government Aid and Development Organisations respond in 
> immediate assistance and rebuilding the infrastructure destroyed.
> <p>
> Although within days, many western nations had pledged medical and 
> material assistance and financial aid, a United Nations official has 
> criticised the limited amount of Government assistance offered.
> <p>
> United Nations Under-secretary General, Jan Egeland, who is also the UN 
> humanitarian chief, said the UN appeal for the devastated countries may 
> become the largest ever because of the wide swath of destruction.
> <p>
> "I think this may be the biggest natural disaster ever," Egeland told 
> BBC radio, adding that the damage was "beyond comprehension."
> <p>
> "A tsunami of this size happens once in a generation only. The 
> population explosion around the Indian Ocean has led to many, many more 
> people being exposed. The first wave of destruction has caused tens of 
> thousands of deaths, but the second wave of misery is really caused now 
> by the water and sanitation systems," he told the BBC.
> <p>
> According to the <a 
> href="http://www.telegraphindia.com/1041229/asp/nation/story_4187142.asp
> ">Calcutta Telegraph</a>, Jan Egeland accused America of being "stingy" 
> in its initial response to the natural disaster, a $15 million aid 
> package. 
> <p>
> "We were more generous when we were less rich, many of the rich 
> countries," Egeland, a Norwegian, said. "And it is beyond me, why are 
> we so stingy, really. Even Christmas time should remind many western 
> countries at least how rich we have become."
> <p>
> The aid package came in for attack by others including Rev. Al 
> Sharpton, an American black leader and a 2004 Democratic presidential 
> aspirant.
> <p>
> The <a href="http://www.ifrc.org/index.asp">International Federation of 
> Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies</a> is <a 
> href="http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/pr04/8904.asp">appealing for more 
> than 50 million Swiss francs</a> to support its largest emergency 
> operation in decades, the agency said on the 28 December. An <a 
> href="http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/pr04/8804.asp">initial appeal</a> 
> for 7.5 million francs was met within 12 hours. Other Aid agencies such 
> as <a 
> href="http://www.oxfam.org.uk/press/releases/asiaquake1_1204.htm">Oxfam 
> UK</a> have also called for donations from the public. (<a 
> href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake#Sites_ac
> cepting_on-line_donations_for_relief_efforts">Sites accepting on-line 
> donations</a>)
> <p>
> 
> 
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