# Earthquake



## digimeisTTer (Apr 27, 2004)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4125481.stm

Very grim, i hope nobody we know on here is on holiday in Phuket/maldives or Asia :?


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

digimeisTTer said:


> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4125481.stm
> 
> Very grim, i hope nobody we know on here is on holiday in Phuket/maldives or Asia :?


That area is my holiday "play ground" (Bali/Phuket/Penang). It is absolutely devastating to see such wonderful places and people devastated by the tsunami (sp).

One of my work colleagues is currently in Singapore and was to fly up to Phuket for a a week or so either today (Sunday) or tomorrow.


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## Chip_iTT (Nov 14, 2003)

One of my friend's sons is studying in Hong Kong and went backpacking in Thailand for Xmas with his mates ... we're all waiting to hear from him  She's really concerned about it obviously....


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

An awful thing to have happened


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## moley (May 14, 2002)

Just seen all the pics in paper this morning - looks horrendous.

Moley


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## dj c225 (Nov 3, 2004)

Terrible 

Estimated 22k dead 

Why did it have to happen over xmas, why did it happen at all :? :x


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## Chip_iTT (Nov 14, 2003)

Chip_iTT said:


> One of my friend's sons is studying in Hong Kong and went backpacking in Thailand for Xmas with his mates ... we're all waiting to hear from him  She's really concerned about it obviously....


Just heard from him...he's OK. Was in Phuket(sp?) and was in his hotel room at the time on 2nd floor, apparently wave came over the balcony!!!!

Apparently it pretty much chaos there right now, lot of infrastructure lost, communications down, etc...


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

Chip_iTT said:


> Chip_iTT said:
> 
> 
> > One of my friend's sons is studying in Hong Kong and went backpacking in Thailand for Xmas with his mates ... we're all waiting to hear from him  She's really concerned about it obviously....
> ...


Thank god he's safe!!

Normally, my brother-in-law would be out there this time of year but decided to spend Christma/New Year with his mum in Bologna.


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## Parrot of Doom (Dec 18, 2004)

http://members.chello.se/mbg/tsunamiphuket.wmv

http://www.dn.se/content/1/c6/35/94/87/wavw_patong.rm


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## paulatt (Oct 28, 2002)

My cousin is on holiday in Sri Lanka at the moment.
She managed to text home a few days ago to say that she is okay. She was staying in a hotel on top of a cliff - very lucky apparently.


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## 55JWB (May 7, 2002)

Fi and I spent most of yesterday watching the news  it is terrible this morninng now 68k confimed dead and 1000's still missing with little hope 

For those parents amongst us there was a sickening clip of a chap hegging his dead 8 yr old son and screaming.. Fi did not stop crying for about an hour afterwards....

Just makes you hug your kids and count your blessings 

Our thoughts our with them all just does not seem enough :?

Good to see the aid agencies pulling together and getting geared up today...


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

Got in to work today to find an email from one of the guys we work with to say he and his family are fine.

He's half Sri-Lankan and was there for the Christmas hols. Apparently 17 people in his hotel were killed, but he's alright.


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

55JWB said:


> Just makes you hug your kids and count your blessings


This is soooo true!!


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

Greece has lots of earthquakes as just below Crete two earth plates meet each other. So I remember one of the biggest one when I has about 14 years old and it went on just after 10 when I went to bed. It is a terryfing experience as you are afraid that the ceiling is going to fall over your head. We had to evacuate the house and sleep outdoors as more earthquakes follow the first one.

I guess we were lucky and the epicentre was on land and not in the sea to create a tidal wave.


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## pas_55 (May 9, 2002)

Why are they blaming it onto Newcastle United supporters?


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## Mayur (Jan 29, 2004)

Truly a dreadful event. In many countries there was no effective census and therefore its going to be very difficult in assessing the true death toll which from all accounts is going to rise significantly. One can but pray and donate what we can.

Vlastan... your post is as usual and once again about you and you and you.... I couldn't care less about your earthquake experience. This thread was about the events in the East.


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

Mayur said:


> Truly a dreadful event. In many countries there was no effective census and therefore its going to be very difficult in assessing the true death toll which from all accounts is going to rise significantly. One can but pray and donate what we can.
> 
> Vlastan... your post is as usual and once again about you and you and you.... I couldn't care less about your earthquake experience. This thread was about the events in the East.


My post was about sharing my personal experience with you. Because as I have been to an earthquake I understand how these people suffered, much more than any of you here than never experienced one.

So I can understand this dreadful event a lot more as I have experienced it and suffered through it.


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

Just out of interest, wasn't Mr C in that region for Christmas?


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## t7 (Nov 2, 2002)

Kell said:


> Just out of interest, wasn't Mr C in that region for Christmas?


I think Goa was okay... :?

http://www.********.co.uk/ttforumbbs/vi ... highlight=


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## borsTT (Mar 22, 2004)

t7 said:


> Kell said:
> 
> 
> > Just out of interest, wasn't Mr C in that region for Christmas?
> ...


Goa should be OK, as it's on the west coast of India, away from the affected region. Terrible catastrophe, though - hope everyone will contribute the money you can afford.


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## steveh (Jan 14, 2004)

Went into work today and found out that one of my work colleagues was out in Phuket with his wife and kids. He goes there every year for three weeks over Christmas. There were only a few of us in the office so we were ringing round to see if anybody had heard from him. So far no one has. Even though I don't know him that well it still makes you realise what people with missing family in the worst hit areas are feeling at the moment.

My wife and I had our honeymoon in Patong eight years ago over Christmas and New Year and knowing the town and then watching it being devastated by the deluge of water is quite gut-wrenching. The people of Thailand were some of the friendliest I have ever come across and my heart goes out to them and all the other people who have been affected.


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

Just thought i would post the telephone number for the apeal having visited Phuket and surrounding islands on 3 occasions and having friends who live there.

+44(0)870-60-60-900 or online at
http://www.dec.org.uk

Come on these people need our help!

cheers
Jonah


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## davidg (Sep 14, 2002)

jonah said:


> Just thought i would post the telephone number for the apeal having visited Phuket and surrounding islands on 3 occasions and having friends who live there.
> 
> +44(0)870-60-60-900 or online at
> http://www.dec.org.uk
> ...


Thanks Jonah
I was about to post the web site , cant get through as the site looks like it is busy ,


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

davidg said:


> Thanks Jonah
> I was about to post the web site , cant get through as the site looks like it is busy ,


Keep trying i got through after 5 minutes of redial


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## davidg (Sep 14, 2002)

jonah said:


> davidg said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks Jonah
> ...


I have only tried on line ,,, will phone if the if i cant get through on the web ,


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## davidg (Sep 14, 2002)

News say that Â£40 will keep someone supplied water for a week

Â£100 wiil build a shelter for a family


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## Dotti (Mar 9, 2003)

This is very terrible and very sad. Makes us all realise that we have no control what so ever freak conditions that may occur in the world.

I saw a man carrying a small child on the news tonight. I wept!


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## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

jonah said:


> Just thought i would post the telephone number for the apeal having visited Phuket and surrounding islands on 3 occasions and having friends who live there.
> 
> +44(0)870-60-60-900 or online at
> http://www.dec.org.uk
> ...


Thanks Jonah.

The site appears to be working ok at the moment.


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

The guy I work with is back in the office today and it's simply amazing how random something like this is.

He said that there were 57 people in his hotel killed in the end and that, despite him being in bed with a hangover, both his brother and sister were on the beach when the wave came in.

There was a high wall surrounding the beach separating it from their hotel and it was just down to sheer luck that the place they ran to had tables against the wall. They were able to get on the tables and over the wall - most of the others on the beach weren't that lucky.

He seems incredibly blase (can't do the accent) about it all, despite losing absolutely everything that they had with them.


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## scott28tt (Jul 30, 2002)

Kell said:


> He seems incredibly blase (can't do the accent) about it all, despite losing absolutely everything that they had with them.


They're a hell of a lot luckier than the 150000+ who died, and those who face years trying to recover :?

I bet your colleague has the most overwhelming sense of things being 'in perspective' :?


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## steveh (Jan 14, 2004)

steveh said:


> Went into work today and found out that one of my work colleagues was out in Phuket with his wife and kids. He goes there every year for three weeks over Christmas. There were only a few of us in the office so we were ringing round to see if anybody had heard from him. So far no one has. Even though I don't know him that well it still makes you realise what people with missing family in the worst hit areas are feeling at the moment.


Just a quick update.

He and his family were okay and this is the email he has just sent us. I am sure he won't mind me quoting it.

"As many of you know I was staying in the Hotel Alamanda 10 miles north of PATONG in PHucket when the tsunami hit . We were very fortunate as our hotel was protected by a three other hotels and a large lagoon .

Our beach was 6 miles long and littered with restraunts ,massage parlours and various shops and stalls .We new many of the owners as this was or third visit.

Sally had run along the beach at 10.15 am. At 10.30 I was told that the beach was closed due to a "big wave". I looked out of the hotel to see debris including a car and lorry floating in the lagoon. At I 10.45 wondered down to the beach. the sun was shining and the sea was calm.Every restaurant , shop and stall had been destroyed and had collapsed. The beach was littered with umbrellas ,beds and debris and the owners were standing dumbstruck, their businesse ruined.. the sea was full of turned over longboats and catermerns . THe wave had hit the beach at 18 foot . The slope of he beach and the depth of the seabed had kept the damage to a minimum

We think two people were killed. The ground floor accommodation of the seafront hotels were destroyed with the occupants losing most of their belongings.

in Patong 100s were killed as the beach and town are at sea level.over 50 people drown in a downstairs carpak/supermarket

Up the coast in Ko LAk the wave reached 30 feet and travelled 2km in land thousands were killed many of them being tourists.

On xmas night we has eaten at restaurant in Patong that was allegedly destroyed

On the 27th we were booked to take a long boat to Krabi via Phi PHI both of which were decimated by the waves.

we were simply very very lucky .

The Thai people are amazingly resilient and even in times of such despair were able to smile On the my walk onto the beach an hour after the wave had hit I walked into one the the collapsed restraunts were we often ate called the Lotus . All the tables and chairs were smashed and the kitchens ruined. Unsure what to say I asked the owner for a table for two, the owner smiled and said sorry were fully booked.!

Thailand is a pretty wealthy country with a solid infastrcture with good roads and hospitals . It will bounce back.The same cant be said for Indonisia , Sri lanka and India where it will take months if not years to recover".

Apparently, although offered a flight home almost immediately, they decided to stay on as they reasoned that there were other people more needing of a seat on the plane.

A terrible experience to go through and he says it's only just starting to hit home how lucky they were.


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

Some of the people that stayed (the tourists) went back to the beach sunbathing and swimming. 

They wanted to make the most of their holiday apparently, ignoring the dead bodies around them and the fact that the sea and the whole area is contaminated.


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

vlastan said:


> Some of the people that stayed (the tourists) went back to the beach sunbathing and swimming.
> 
> They wanted to make the most of their holiday apparently, ignoring the dead bodies around them and the fact that the sea and the whole area is contaminated.


Too quick to criticise. The Thais need tourism, and people on the beach shows they are still able to cater for tourists in the face of adversity.

I know had I been out there (I have stayed in Patong Beach twice in recent years) and I had survived the Tsunami, I would have helped the Thais to clear up, but would also have taken some time to reflect on the scene by relaxing on the beach.

Whole area contaminated - elaborate!

I would guess once the tide has been up the beach a few times the beach would be quite clean. Any other debris was probably removed within days.

Knowing the Thais (backed up by the TV reports) Patong is still in business, businesses are re-opening daily, what they now need is customers, tourists, to return, so as to help them become independant of charitable aid.

And Vlas, rather than criticising, for change do something with the massive salary increases you boast about, and help those in need at this time!


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## t7 (Nov 2, 2002)

Can I echo Richards post - apparently resorts all across SE asia have seen a massive downturn in trade - even in areas that have been unaffected. Tourists spending has a massive benefical impact on those coastal communities and the sooner it retunrs to normal levels the easier it is going to be for these folks to rebuild their businesses, homes etc. The few hundred quid in "loose change" you spend on holiday is worth so much more once it enters their local economies.

We are off to Goa next week and it's been incredible how many people have said "ooooh I wouldnt want to be going on holiday there" even when you point out that the west coast of india wasn't affected. :?

L


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

So you think that hundreds of dead bodies under the rubble doesn't cause contamination? Why do people wear masks then?

It was reported that just two days after the tsunami, some people went back to the beach. There were pictures showing this. And don't tell me that in two days the place was not contaminated like hell. Even dead bodies came out of their graves with the force of the wave. 

But you are right. If you were there you would have helped instead of sunbathe which is how I would expect the others to do too.

Tourisms is very important to the region, but not within a week or two. There are still so many people missing around. Can you really go there for a holiday now when the people around you are desperate looking for their families?

The region will eventually recover slowly as the financial help they receive from all over the world will help them to rebuild the place. But money doesn't bring dead people back.


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## Nando (Feb 5, 2004)

t7 said:


> We are off to Goa next week and it's been incredible how many people have said "ooooh I wouldnt want to be going on holiday there" even when you point out that the west coast of india wasn't affected. :?
> 
> L


Goa has been affected - but little permanent damage. I am pretty sure that there are still some fishermen that have not been accounted for. I do know that some valley/lagoon regions *were* flooded.

Have a good holiday!
Ryan


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## Dotti (Mar 9, 2003)

Someone I know has just come back from this earthquake in Thailand having just survived on rice, coconuts and mangos for a week!

Swimming in on the second big wave, they survived thank god as the wave brought him further into the shore apparently even though it had been swept away and was deep calm water. My friend was confronted by a little girl's shoe in the water right before his eyes. He brought it home with him. Now he is having help to come to terms with this ordeal as he has gone into shock sadly.

In terms of contamination breaking out from dead bodies, I think Malaria is the biggest fear.


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## MacBuff (Aug 11, 2004)

mighTy Tee said:


> vlastan said:
> 
> 
> > Some of the people that stayed (the tourists) went back to the beach sunbathing and swimming.
> ...


They need to recover first..

To try and rebuild their community, and recover from loss of their families would go a lot smoother if they didn't have to cater to the whims of tourists..

John


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## paulatt (Oct 28, 2002)

My cousin was in Sri Lanka over Xmas but was staying in an hotel on top of a cliff which was unaffected by the waves.
The local authorities brought survivors to her hotel and she gave her help, clothing etc.


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

MacBuff said:


> mighTy Tee said:
> 
> 
> > vlastan said:
> ...


Yes they do need to recover and the economy and community in Patong Beach is based around tourism. None of us can imagine what it is like out there, but with most of Thailand the recovery will be based around the resumption of Tourist money. The Thais are well aware of this, each day as I watch news reports from Patong, it begins to look more like is should do, and given a relatively short space of time the Thais will have Patong back to "business as usual".

Now Indonesia is something different, with little outside income their economy is decimated.


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## t7 (Nov 2, 2002)

Nando said:


> t7 said:
> 
> 
> > We are off to Goa next week and it's been incredible how many people have said "ooooh I wouldnt want to be going on holiday there" even when you point out that the west coast of india wasn't affected. :?
> ...


Ryan - thanks. 

btw my employer (american multinational) has not only given a multimillion $ contribution towards the relief effort but has offered to match all employee donations worldwide. Are other companies doing the same?

L


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

A lot of large companies have been donating money. Companies such as BT and others. I was reading about this in the papers.

BT gave Â£500k
Vodafone gave Â£1m
Astra Zeneca gave Â£260k
BP gave $3m (is this yours Louise?)
M&S gave Â£250k
....and plenty more

In fact BT's chairman Christopher Bland is voluntarily helping the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) to raise money.


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## r1 (Oct 31, 2002)

vlastan said:


> A lot of large companies have been donating money. Companies such as BT and others. I was reading about this in the papers.
> 
> BT gave Â£500k
> Vodafone gave Â£1m
> ...


Disgraceful amounts when you consider Schumacher gave Â£10m personally. :?


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

Really? 

Well done for Schumi. Although, he may have seen this as a publicity stand.

I think the affected areas will be rebuild at a very high standard with all the money they get.


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## Nando (Feb 5, 2004)

t7 said:


> Nando said:
> 
> 
> > t7 said:
> ...


I only know this as I am Goan :wink:

My employer - American multinational again - are giving a couple of mill, plus they are matching all contributions employees have made.

Pretty decent of them -

Cheers
Ryan


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## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

vlastan said:


> Really?
> 
> Well done for Schumi. Although, he may have seen this as a publicity stand.
> 
> I think the affected areas will be rebuild at a very high standard with all the money they get.


Can't you give they guy a break? He lost his bodyguard and the bodyguards two kids! :x


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

I didn't know that he was affected that way as well. I guess this is why he contributed so generously.


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## r1 (Oct 31, 2002)

vlastan said:


> I didn't know that he was affected that way as well. I guess this is why he contributed so generously.


Maybe if you thought sometimes rather than jumping in with your bullshit you wouldn't be such a cock...just a thought.


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

r1 said:


> vlastan said:
> 
> 
> > I didn't know that he was affected that way as well. I guess this is why he contributed so generously.
> ...


Think of what? How am I supposed to known who is affected and how much they contribute? Do you know every single celebrity in this world on how much they contributed and why? :roll:


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

vlastan said:


> Really?
> 
> Well done for Schumi. Although, he may have seen this as a publicity stand.
> 
> I think the affected areas will be rebuild at a very high standard with all the money they get.


Hardly as he doesn't really like publicity and this was the first i heard about it.

Oh and no publicity is worth 10million :?


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

Our company made no mention of matching any employee contributions, but hten it's hardly on the scale of some of the others mentioned.


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## PammyV2 (Jan 6, 2005)

I find this "dutch auction" side of things quite saddening really. At the end of the day this has been a disaster beyond most of our comprehension. What matters is that people, businesses and countries give what they can and that they do give - not just say they will. How much doesn't matter - just whatever they can.

There are some incredibly poor communities out there devastated by this and the rebuilding of those communities where it's possible will take years.

Immediate aid is needed to prevent disease and to keep people alive. Over the coming weeks, months and years aid will continue to be needed.

Let's stop this point scoring and just help in whatever way we can.


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## Multiprocess (Aug 9, 2004)

I just read this list of people that died in the Tsunami, made me quite upset.

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,3 ... 90,00.html


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