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treddy
Dec 26, 2004, 2:12 PM
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Not that its not front page on every major newspapaer, but a huge earthquake(s) struck SE asia this morning. While it's still too early to tell, but it appears massive tidal waves struck Phuket, Phi Phi, and many of the other favorite southern Thailand climbing spots. Keeping everybody in that part of the world in my prayers...
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wingnut
Dec 26, 2004, 2:45 PM
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I heard. 3500+ people killed, death toll still climbing. 8.9 quake I think that's a new record. tsunami washed over 100s of miles of sri lanka, india, thailand.horrible.
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arun
Dec 26, 2004, 3:05 PM
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We were just at the beginning of Nov in Sri Lanka (Kalutara), which has been wiped out last night by a 10m wave! My prayers go out to all the families who have lost members and to all those working on the relief efforts.
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rendog
Dec 26, 2004, 4:16 PM
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currently the death toll in asia is 7000 according to the news. the province of Phuket and Krabi were hammered by the Tsunami. many of the resorts were either destroyed or washed out to sea. different news agencies report widespread disasters throught 6 different countries I have friends over there and I have no way of getting a hold of them except through e mail my heart and thoughts go out to everyone over there that is missing freinds and family God speed darran
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killclimbz
Dec 26, 2004, 4:29 PM
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Hopefully all of our friends from that part of the world are ok, and their families too. It is sad, sad news.
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darkhalf
Dec 26, 2004, 4:47 PM
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I`ve been at rai leh / ton sai beach in thailand till 18th this month .... & I was thinking I wish i havn`t had to go allready .... dunno what to say more, hard to realize everythings seems to be gone, not to mention the people & what they had to go through ... I just hope they all made it, at least let me wish...
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runningclimber
Dec 26, 2004, 5:49 PM
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Anyone heard anything about the state of things at Phi Phi? One of my best friends (and climbing partner) was headed there for a few days and planning on doing a kayaking trip. I'm worried!
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hasbeen
Dec 26, 2004, 6:10 PM
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Just emailed my friends in the area but I imagine they have more pressing matters than responding, even if they can. If all the restaurants are destroyed than I don't see how there could be no casualties at all but hopefully that report is accurate. Please keep posting info as you hear it. As a community, we could probably be a great help to rebuilding Tonsai. I imagine the Railay resorts have plenty of money those cooler little operations at Tonsai could be devastated. And things are probably worse for Cat et al on Phi Phi, but I don't know that area well.
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chitowngirl
Dec 26, 2004, 6:21 PM
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Wingnut, there was a 9.2 in Alaska in 1964. Doubt if that was the highest ever, but I can't say. Regardless, 8.9 is darn big, and especially troubling given there was just an 8.2 in Antarctica just days ago. The Earth's plates are a'movin'. Other news sources are reporting 10,000 plus dead. I hope to God they are wrong. My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by it, and I hope and pray the guesstimates on death tolls are wrong, and I hope there are no major aftershocks and no more quakes anywhere on the ring of fire in the near future. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
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pk
Dec 26, 2004, 6:25 PM
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In reply to: Wingnut, there was a 9.2 in Alaska in 1964. Doubt if that was the highest ever, but I can't say. Regardless, 8.9 is darn big, and especially troubling given there was just an 8.2 in Antarctica just days ago. The Earth's plates are a'movin'. Other news sources are reporting 10,000 plus dead. I hope to God they are wrong. My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by it, and I hope and pray the guesstimates on death tolls are wrong, and I hope there are no major aftershocks and no more quakes anywhere on the ring of fire in the near future. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. Highest ever was a 9.5 in chili I believe. P.K.
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karlbaba
Dec 26, 2004, 6:41 PM
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My girlfriend and I just got tickets to Thailand for the Month of February. They aren't refundable so the only question is how to make the best of it. We were thinking of doing Railay and Phi Phi but climbing isn't totally essential. I suppose we could hope off thailand to other countries as well, although money is an issue. Prayers and Best wishes to those who suffer in SE Asia from this recent disaster. Peace karl
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b3a
Dec 26, 2004, 7:16 PM
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I am suppose to leave for krabi this coming wednesday to join my friends but have cancelled the plan. 3 of my friends are already there and they reported that krabi is abit wrecked up in certain areas. Anyway, my prayers goes out to everyone who is affected by the earthquake..
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kalcario
Dec 26, 2004, 7:23 PM
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http://www.czechclimbing.com/ The World Champion and the winner of the World Cup 04 in climbing Tomas Mrazek and his partner Helena Lipenska just have escaped from the lethal tsunami today in Thailand. According to his father info on Czech version CzechClimbing.com (Lezec.cz) they have survived the large earthquake wave by good luck without any injuries. The quake caused huge casualties in Southeast Asia. Tomas and Helena have been evacuated and will return home tomorrow. General info about the quake e.g. on CCN “We are in Aonang in the town. It was horrible. We should go by boat, but we saw the wave. The beaches are damaged, we saw a dead corpus. We have through jungle to the town. The emergency helicopters are everywhere,” Helena Lipenska said later according to the Czech national web news side iDNES. Afternoon a message came from Thailand by Czech clímbing team coach Tomas Kysilka who spent several weeks there with his daughter Czech climbing reprezentant Tereza Kysilkova: "It was hard. Fortunately we just climbed 3O m above tha sea, when it came. It lasted abut a half hour. Nobody understood it, sea was as usualy calm here and weather was excelent. We are O.K. We are in Railay. Everything is destroied in 50 m from the sea. There is a little bit panique here, whether tsunami would come again, but weather is absolutly calm. We will help tomorrow with tidying."
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csgambill
Dec 26, 2004, 7:37 PM
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It's the 5th largest quake ever recorded. That completely sucks. I love that part of the world. To those of you who have friends over there, my hopes and prayers go out to them.
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treddy
Dec 26, 2004, 7:38 PM
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I'm in much the same position, I have a ticket leaving for Bangkok in less than 72 hours, and another ticket booked out of Bangkok and flying into Krabi on December 30th. The current plan, depending on how things play out in the next few days, is to leave my rope behind, and spend some/most/all of my trip volunteering in aid efforts down there, and any remaining time traveling about. I figure it's the least I can do to pay back an area that, as far as I can tell, has been more than receptive to the international climbing community. -Tim
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jumpingrock
Dec 26, 2004, 8:06 PM
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In reply to: Thousands lost to killer waves At least one million Sri Lankans displaced Tourist resorts washed into sea LELY DJUHARI ASSOCIATED PRESS JAKARTA, Indonesia - The world’s most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered massive waves that slammed into villages and seaside resorts across southern and southeast Asia on Sunday, killing more than 7,200 people in six countries. Tourists, fishermen, homes and cars were swept away by walls of water up to six metres high that rolled across the Bay of Bengal, unleashed by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake centred off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In Sri Lanka, 1,600 kilometres west of the epicentre, more than 3,000 people were killed, the country’s top police official said. A Canadian was among those killed in Sri Lanka, a Foreign Affairs spokesperson said in Ottawa. At least a dozen Canadians were reported injured in Thailand, the spokesperson said. No information was immediately available on their names or hometowns. At least 1,870 died in Indonesia, and more than 2,000 along the southern coasts of India. At least 289 were confirmed dead in Thailand, 42 in Malaysia and 2 in Bangladesh. “The final figures will go up, definitely,” said Reynald Dorion, spokesperson for Foreign Affairs in Ottawa. “We hope that it won’t affect any more Canadians, but all Canadian embassies in the area have been alerted and are working on this.” Embassy officials are also trying to assist any Canadians stranded in hotels left without electricity, running water or communications. Dorion said it’s not known how many Canadians are in affected areas because registration with embassies by tourists is voluntary. Checks were being done to determine the extent of injuries among known Canadian casualties, he said, and it’s likely more reports of injuries will come in. Officials in Asia, too, expected the death toll to continue to rise, with hundreds reported missing and all communications cut off to Sumatran towns closest to the epicentre. Hundreds of bodies were found on various beaches along India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, and more were expected to be washed in by the sea, officials said. The rush of waves brought sudden disaster to people carrying out their daily activities on the ocean’s edge: Sunbathers on the beaches of the Thai resort of Phuket were washed away; a group of 32 Indians — including 15 children — were killed while taking a ritual Hindu bath to mark the full moon day; fishing boats, with their owners clinging to their sides, were picked up by the waves and tossed away. “All the planet is vibrating” from the quake, said Enzo Boschi, the head of Italy’s National Geophysics Institute. Speaking on SKY TG24 TV, Boschi said the quake even disturbed the Earth’s rotation. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at a magnitude of 8.9. Geophysicist Julie Martinez said it was the world’s fifth-largest since 1900 and the largest since a 9.2 temblor hit Prince William Sound Alaska in 1964. The epicentre was about 250 kilometres south-southeast of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province on Sumatra, and 10 kilometres under the seabed of the Indian Ocean. On Sumatra, the quake destroyed dozens of buildings — but as elsewhere, it was the wall of water that followed that caused the most deaths and devastation. Waves levelled towns Aceh province on Sumatra’s northern tip. An Associated Press reporter saw bodies wedged in trees as the waters receded. More bodies littered the beaches. Health ministry official Els Mangundap said 1,876 people had died across the area, including some 1,400 in the Aceh provincial capital, Banda Aceh. Communications to the town had been cut. Relatives went through lines of bodies wrapped in blankets and sheets, searching for dead loved ones. Aceh province has long been the centre of a violent insurgency against the government. The worst known death toll so far was in Sri Lanka, where a million people were displaced from wrecked villages. Some 20,000 soldiers were deployed in relief and rescue and to help police maintain law and order. Police chief, Chandra Fernando said at least 3,000 people were dead in areas under government control. An AP photographer saw two dozen bodies along a six-kilometre stretch of beach, some of children entangled in the wire mesh used to barricade seaside homes. Other bodies were brought up from the beach, wrapped in sarongs and laid on the road. “It is a huge tragedy,” said Lalith Weerathunga, secretary to the Sri Lankan prime minister. “The death toll is going up all the time.” He said the government did not know what was happening in areas of the northeast controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels. The pro-rebel www.nitharsanam.com website reported about 1,500 bodies were brought from various parts of Sri Lanka’s northeast to a hospital in Mullaithivu district, 270 kilometres northeast of the capital, Colombo. About 170 children at an orphanage were feared dead after waves pounded it in Mullaithivu, the Web site said. No independent confirmation of the report was available, but TamilNet — another pro-rebel Web site — said some guerrilla territory was badly hit. “Many parts ... are still inaccessible and it was difficult to provide damage estimates or death tolls there,” it said. In India, beaches were turned into virtual open-air mortuaries, with bodies of people caught in the waves being washed ashore. In Tamil Nadu state, just across the straits from Sri Lanka, 1,567 people were killed, said the state’s top elected official, Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa. Another 200 died in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh state, 102 in Pondicherry, at least 116 people in Kerala state and elsewhere, according to the governments in each state. “I was shocked to see innumerable fishing boats flying on the shoulder of the waves, going back and forth into the sea, as if made of paper,” said P. Ramanamurthy, 40, who lives in Andra Pradesh’s Kakinada town. The huge waves struck around breakfast time on the beaches of Thailand’s beach resorts — probably Asia’s most popular holiday destination at this time of year, particularly for Europeans fleeing the winter cold — wiping out bungalows, boats and cars, sweeping away sunbathers and snorkelers, witnesses said. “Initially we just heard a bang, a really loud bang,” Gerrard Donnelly of Britain, a guest at Phuket island’s Holiday Inn, told Britain’s Sky News. “We initially thought it was a terrorist attack, then the wave came and we just kept running upstairs to get on as high ground as we could.” “People that were snorkeling were dragged along the coral and washed up on the beach, and people that were sunbathing got washed into the sea,” said Simon Clark, 29, a photographer from London vacationing on Ngai island. On Phuket, Somboon Wangnaitham, deputy director of the Wachira Hospital, said one of the worst hit areas was the populous Patong beach, where at least 32 people died and 500 were injured. Another survivor on Phuket was Natalia Moyano, 22, of Sydney, Australia, who was being treated for torn ligaments. “The water kept rising. It was very slow at first, then all of a sudden, it went right up,” Moyano said. “At first I didn’t think there was any danger, but when I realized the water kept rising so quickly, I tried to jump over a fence, but it broke.” On Phi Phi island — where The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed — 200 bungalows at two resorts were swept out to sea. Indonesia, a country of 17,000 islands, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on the margins of tectonic plates that make up the so-called the “Ring of Fire” around the Pacific Ocean basin. Quakes reaching a magnitude 8 are very rare. A quake registering magnitude 8 rocked Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido on Sept. 25, 2003, injuring nearly 600 people. An 8.4 magnitude tremor that stuck off the coast of Peru on June 23, 2001, killed 74. The Canadian Red Cross is making an appeal tody for immediate aid. "We're appealing to Canadians to give cash donations. We ask for cash because it's the fastest way to get aid to the areas in need and ensures we buy the appropriate goods that people actually need," said spokesperson Pamela Davie. That would include items such as tents, blankets, water purification tablets and generators, "these are things people will desperately need if they've lost their home." Those wishing to donate can reach go to the Canadian Red Cross' website or by calling toll free 1-800-418-1111. My heart and wishes go out the the millions affected by this tragedy.
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jumpingrock
Dec 26, 2004, 8:08 PM
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In reply to: How did massive quake create tidal waves? BETH GARDINER ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON - The chain reaction that set off enormous, deadly tidal waves that struck six Asian countries Sunday started several kilometres beneath the ocean floor off the tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Geologic plates pressing against each other slipped violently, creating a bulge on the sea bottom that could be as high as 10 metres and as long as 1,200 kilometres, one scientist said. "It's just like moving an enormous paddle at the bottom of the sea," said David Booth, a seismologist at the British Geological Survey, Britain's geoscience agency. "A big column of water has moved, we're talking about billions of tonnes. This is an enormous disturbance." Moving at about 800 kilometres per hour, the waves probably took about two hours to reach Sri Lanka, where the human toll has been horrific, Booth said. But because the tidal waves known as tsunamis rarely occur in the Indian Ocean, there is no system in place to warn countries about to be hit as for countries in the Pacific, Booth said. "With 20-20 vision of hindsight, that'll be reconsidered," he said. An Australian scientist suggested in September that an Indian Ocean warning system be set up, but it takes a year to create one, Booth said. He added that those living on the Indian Ocean were less likely than Pacific coastal dwellers to know the warning signs of a tidal wave about to hit — water receding unusually fast and far from the shore. Thousands died in the tidal waves in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh. The underwater earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey put at magnitude 8.9, is the biggest since 1964, when a 9.2-magnitude temblor struck Alaska. "All the planet is vibrating" from the quake, Enzo Boschi, the head of Italy's National Geophysics Institute, told Italian state radio. He likened its power to a million atomic bombs the size of those dropped on Japan in the Second World War, and said the shaking was so powerful it even disturbed the Earth's rotation. Alessandro Amato, director of Italy's national earthquake centre, said an effect on the rotation was possible but he did not know whether it had yet been established by the most sensitive instruments. There were at least a half-dozen powerful aftershocks, one of magnitude 7.3. The quake occurred at a spot where two massive geological plates press against one another with enormous force, Booth said. The Indian Ocean plate is gradually being forced underneath Sumatra, which is part of the Eurasian plate, at approximately the speed at which a human fingernail grows, he explained. "This slipping doesn't occur smoothly," he said. Rocks along the edge stick against one another and pent-up energy builds over hundreds of years. It's "almost like stretching an elastic band, and then when the strength of the rock isn't sufficient to withstand the stress, then all along the fault line the rocks will move," he said. The quake probably occurred about 10 kilometres beneath the ocean floor, Booth said, causing the huge, step-like protrusion on the seabed and the resulting tsunami. As the waves move across deep areas of the ocean, they may be almost undetectable on the surface, swells of about a metre or less. But when they near land, and the sea grows more shallow, the huge volumes of water are forced to the surface and the waves get higher and higher. "On the beach itself, the wave can be as much as 30 feet (10 metres) high," Booth said. Indonesia is well known as a quake-prone country, sitting along a series of fault lines dubbed the Ring of Fire. But scientists are unable to predict where and when quakes will strike with any precision.
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prezwoodz
Dec 26, 2004, 8:44 PM
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all i can say is *holy crap* ....that sucks mother nature is a harsh mistress. We had a tiny little earthquake but noticable up here in Alaska hope things are not shifting this way *gulp* hopefully all those effected get out ok...
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healyje
Dec 26, 2004, 8:50 PM
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Folks might consider going anyway and helping out with the clean up and putting Rai Ley back together, the more hands that pitch in the better...just a thought. If you are looking for alternatives, I'd say go to the Blue Mtns. up at Katoomba 2 hours due east of Sydney on the train.
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leemeans
Dec 26, 2004, 9:17 PM
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I got you in my prayers Southeast Asia.... I miss you....
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philbox
Moderator
Dec 26, 2004, 9:40 PM
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There are reports that buildings shook in Tasmania which is many thousands of miles away. The sea rose several feet above normal on the west Australian coast which is also thousands of miles away from the epicentre. The quake was reported to have occured along an inordinately long fault line. We are talking about the earth shifting along a fault that was hundreds of miles if not thousands of miles long. Billions of tons of water was displaced to cause this amount of havoc over such a wide area. I`m seeing images of huge flows of water far inland. One report tells of a huge crest of water twice as high as the palm trees. That would make it 60 feet high in places. Folks this really is a big deal.
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imgumbydamnit
Dec 26, 2004, 10:28 PM
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Does anyone know whether or not geological agencies posted any warning whatsoever from the time of the earthquake till the tsunamis started to hit? If not why? All news reports from eyewitnesses all seem to say that the waves came suddenly and without warning. From what I understand the quake happened 2 hours before the tidal waves hit. Isn't that enough time to send warnings out? I'm in Japan and we often get tsunami warnings after an earthquake...are there similiar warning systems worldwide? It's horrible what happened and my heart goes out to all those who died and their families. We should all pray for those who are still missing. If anyone has information on rescue/volunteering efforts, please post them.
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mchaff2
Dec 27, 2004, 1:39 AM
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Does anybody have any info on whether or not Railay was hit hard by the tidal wave caused by the earthquake in Thailand. i have a lot of friends there right now. any info would be appreciated....
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thatweakguy
Dec 27, 2004, 1:54 AM
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Tragedy struck South-East Asia, as the Western world celebrated Boxing Day, as an earthquake in the Indian Ocean sent tsunami waves crashing through villages and resorts on the coasts of South-East Asia. Over 10,000 people have been reported dead, in what is believed to be the most powerful tidal wave in the Asian region for over 40 years. Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and India are in a flood of ruins with lives, cars, houses and businesses destroyed. On the coast of Thailand, the worst affected areas were fishing villages and tourist areas between Krabi and Phuket, with the island of Koh Phi Phi (famous for the location of the shooting of the film ‘The Beach’), having 200 bungalows and two resorts swept out to sea. Helicopters and rescue personnel have the massive task of searching the ocean for bodies and survivors of local and foreign fishermen, divers and swimmers who were in the water or boats when the tsunami struck. World Class climbing destinations, Ton Sai, and Railay, located between Phuket and Krabi have both suffered massive damage to bungalows, restaurants and resorts. It is unknown the injuries or fatalities of locals or foreign climbers in the region, but many people are now temporarily stranded with all local long tails and boats sunk, destroyed or swept out to sea. The development and economy in these areas is completely reliant on the tourist dollar, with tourist resorts and bungalows at Ao-Nang and Railay and simple climbers accommodation at Ton Sai. In the last 7 years the area (for good or bad) has seen growth and development almost entirely due to western discovery of spectacular rock climbing and scuba diving. The death of so many people in one incident is a reminder of the power and dynamic forces of nature. This reminder comes at a time when much of the worlds population and economy is unsettled and suffering great losses at the hands of one and other, through war, famine and terrorism. Whilst the earth is forever going to have droughts, floods, earthquakes and fire, one must wonder why if we have to fight to survive these elements, would we choose to fight each other as well. So many individuals that have family and friends, as well as a place in a community have died. More have been injured and lost homes and businesses. If Mother Nature can give the earth one big almighty shake that not only hits South-East Asia, but also sends shockwaves all the way to both Canada and Tasmania surely the world will recognise this power and pull together to offer aid and support. Today for so many people, amongst so many incidents throughout the world, unless immediately affected, or threatened, people find themselves detached, even desensitised from the reality of death and suffering. Even more-so people continue to ignore or remain ignorant of the suffering in war torn regions, constant drought and famine-riddled countries, wide spread Aid epidemics and others. People live and die through these every day, whilst other people complain of a paper-cut or a small Christmas bonus. Even wars that rage for years and kill hundreds of thousands of people do not necessarily affect the same amount of people as one incident of the fury of Mother Nature. Hopefully, whether through sympathy, empathy, education, guilt, religion or awareness people take the time to do something, for someone, somewhere else in the world, suffering more than they are. It’s the time of year people may use their Christmas spirit to make a New Years Resolution to do whatever is possible in their circumstances, from pledging a donation, sending a care package, taking time off to travel to a region and assist in rebuilding, to the least that one can do and anyone can afford is to spare a thought for other people who are truly suffering and struggling to live and survive, without the leisure and luxury of the western world and our trivial industries and interest that can seem so important, whilst others live so much more simply, yet purely, working a lifetime just to exist. In life they may have nothing more than food, family and some sort of shelter, yet remain happier, have some sort of faith/belief and give and receive more love than others with merely material wealth. Stephen Hunter --- Note; I travelled to some of the worst affected area’s in Thailand and Malaysia from the recent Tsunami, including; Penang, Kho Phi Phi, Phuket, and Krabi in 2002/2003. I spent weeks climbing and resting at Ton Sai and Railay, and have fond memories of the community, sense of humour and happiness of the staff and locals in these areas. My thoughts and best wishes go out not only to the climbers, but these locals and their families who have suffered true loss and hardship. Climbing partners of mine are heading over to Thailand in mid-January, and not only will I twist their arms to try and do some aid work over there, but will send over some cash to help re-build and restart the economy that is now almost solely reliant on climbers and tourists in the region. I have set up a donation tin at the Northern Beaches Rockhouse to go directly to the affected areas in Thailand.---
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