Monday, January 03, 2005

Tsunami update: Chennai, India: 30, Dec 2004


A message from the Ad-Marketing discussion list:

I'm in Chennai currently. I went to school and college in this city, normally a peaceful, placid place. This disaster is unparalleled in Chennai's history -

The quake per se had minimal effect, at least in Chennai. Not too sure about other places - I hear that the entire island of Sumatra has been displaced by 100 feet! That should tell you how powerful the earthquake was

The tsunamis were the real killers in South India, Sri Lanka and the islands of the Indian Ocean (Andaman, Nicobar, Thailand, Maldives). Tsunamis don't really gain height until they're very close to the shore. And given their tremendous speeds, (up to 500 miles per hour), the danger was evident too late if you were unlucky enough to be on the water or near the shore.

Fishermen and their families

Tourists and early morning strollers..

Children playing cricket on the beaches.

All gone.

And the death toll continues to mount.

A plea to all: even $10 can make a difference.

Some relief agencies that my staff and I have donated to

Doctors Without Borders
Oxfam
The Red Cross
Save the Children

There's information about other agencies and all other aspects of this
disaster on Tsunami Help Blog.

A somber ending to 2004.

Peace to all and best wishes for 2005

Regards
Prashant

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