BREAKING: Powerful Quake Hits Indonesia Coast, 2nd Tsumani Possible

CNN article.

Evacuations are underway after a 8.2 magnitude quake hit the coast. There are reprts of panic and traffic accidents as residents scramble for higher elevations away from the coast, fearing another tsumani.

There's very little we can do sitting in front of our computers right now except hope that casualties are kept to a minimum. I'll post links to relief organizations as I find them.

•  well

  There's very little we can do sitting in front of our computers right now except hope that casualties are kept to a minimum.

  Well there is one thing some might try if they wish. Prayer might help, but the way some people on both sides of the Terri Schiavo mess have acted, I'm almost hessitent to suggest it.

  by bluestateLIBertarian on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:18:00 AM PDT

  •  I'm already horrified

    at the rhetoric that will come from the Religeous Right about this. Beyond being horrified at the loss of human life, that is. I'm already praying, because that's all I can do at the moment.

    When I get home, I'm sending another tsunami releif donation.

    by Tuffy on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:21:01 AM PDT

  •  Nonsense

    Those who die from the tsunami most likely deserve it.  They are likely to be brown people and are just  as likely not to be Christians.

    Thus, their fate.

    by Bob Johnson on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:31:58 AM PDT

    •  exactly

      most of them are probably homosexual godless heathens that were responsible for 9/11 so they should all die.  If the Tsunami doesn't finish them off we should just nuke them like Jesus would want.

      by Renegade Prole on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:36:11 AM PDT

•  8.7

  Please update. thanks.

  by A Ball of Lint on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:35:36 AM PDT

  •  asdf

    MSNBC says 8.2
    CNN says 8.7

    Whatever

    by A Ball of Lint on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:47:54 AM PDT

  •  Translation to most people

    "Big fucking shakey-shakey"

    Its probably not worth a quibble on information this preliminary.

    by BrodyV on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 12:08:39 PM PDT

•  From BBC's story on it:

  The quake struck between the Sumatran cities of Padang and Medan at around 2315 local time (1615 GMT) and lasted up to three minutes, according to Indonesia's Meteorological and Geophysics Office.

  ...

  Thailand and India, badly hit by the 26 December disaster, issued tsunami alerts while Sri Lanka evacuated coastal areas.

  However, Thai officials later told local television the threat of a tsunami appeared to have passed.

  Indonesian and Indian officials echoed the comments, saying there were no reports of a tsunami developing.

  by Tuffy on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:41:20 AM PDT

•  In about 3 or 4 days

  Bush will acknowledge this disaster.

  by jrod on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:42:25 AM PDT

•  the location of the quake

  the quake (actually an aftershock of the 26 Dec 04 quake) was further south, in a channel between two small islands off the W coast of Sumatra. because the quake has land pretty much on three sides of where it occurred most of the energy that may lead to the development of tsunamis will be directed out to the south into the open waters of the Indian Ocean. Had there been a threat of tsunamis hitting Sumatra they would have happened within the first hour or so. Greater concern should be, potentially, for the Western coast of Australia and Diego Garcia in the central Indian ocean and, perhaps, the southeast coast of Sri Lanka.  It all depends on the vector the energy released by the quake takes - it was not like a pebble in a still pool of water this time. And it may be there will be no tsunami at all.

  by DanceboyOH on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:42:34 AM PDT

  •  CNN's updated story:

    The U.S. Geological Survey reported that an instrument near the Cocos Islands recorded the passing wave, but the magnitude of the "small" tsunami was not clear.

    The agency said no major tsunami has been observed near epicenter of the earthquake which was upgraded from a magnitude of 8.2 to 8.7. An aftershock measuring 6.0 struck 30 minutes after the initial quake.

    by Tuffy on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:47:51 AM PDT

  •  Tsunamis and quake size

    
    In addition to the geography factor, the type of quake motion matters -- not all 8.7 quakes will generate the same tsunami.  

    If I understand correctly, when the motion has a strong vertical component, you get a wave -- as if you suddenly lifted half of the bottom of your bathtub, water sloshes towards the lower side.  If the motion is mostly horizontal (like the San Andreas), you don't get as much of a wave generated.  Even more compliated than that I'm sure but it's a simple illustration of why it's hard to predict these things.

    by dburbach on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:58:11 AM PDT

•  'Small Tsunami' detected

  Oh dear. I hope they're right about it being "small". No magnitude numbers on the wave yet. Full details at the CNN story.

  by A Ball of Lint on Mon Mar 28, 2005 at 11:54:14 AM PDT