Posted on 12/31/2004 9:06:24 PM PST by Pharmboy
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Knowledge of the ocean and its currents passed down from generation to generation of a group of Thai fishermen known as the Morgan sea gypsies saved an entire village from the Asian tsunami, a newspaper said Saturday. By the time killer waves crashed over southern Thailand last Sunday the entire 181 population of their fishing village had fled to a temple in the mountains of South Surin Island, English language Thai daily The Nation reported.
"The elders told us that if the water recedes fast it will reappear in the same quantity in which it disappeared," 65-year-old village chief Sarmao Kathalay told the paper.
So while in some places along the southern coast, Thais headed to the beach when the sea drained out of beaches - the first sign of the impending tsunami - to pick up fish left flapping on the sand, the gypsies headed for the hills.
Few people in Thailand have a closer relationship with the sea than the Morgan sea gypsies, who spend each monsoon season on their boats plying the waters of the Andaman Sea from India to Indonesia and back to Thailand.
Between April and December, they live in shelters on the shore surviving by catching shrimp and spear fishing. At boat launching festivals each May, they ask the sea for forgiveness.
AP-ES-12-31-04 2245EST
Bump.
maybe these guys should be running the U.N.....they sure have more common sense
That's a big duh and I have no knowlege of the ocean. I thought the first time someone being interviewed about the water receding that that was a huge indication that something was sucking it out and it would come back 10 fold and you'd better get outta there quick. I still can't understand why the native born, of all people, wandered out into the waters.
Curiosity
You are educated - they are not.
GGG Ping. (anthropology)
Hey Jim, how are you doing over there?
bingo....or reappear in his back account in the same quantity
Or freetraders saying "if the JOBS disappear fast they will reappear in the same quantity in which they disappeared"!
Unless the activity in which the jobs were involved gets abandoned, the disappeared jobs WILL indeed reappear (someone will have to do it), but not necessarily in either their former number (quantity) or the same location.
I thought you would appreciate this story.
Ping and happy new years!
Why didn't the sea gypsies share this knowledge? They could have saved a lot of lives.
Smart move mate.
The sea gypsies, local governments, the UN...none of them cared enough to put up beach signs with a picture of receding water preceding a big wave.
...But at least the sea gypsies warned those around them when they saw it, unlike those local governments and the UN.
I had a similar experience on a beach in Hawaii. Someone here called it a rogue wave. I was standing about 6 feet from the waters edge and the water sucked back and up about 10 feet and before I could get away it came crashing down. I was in water almost to my waist and fighting to get to safety.
It's a one-world economy now and love it or hate it, the genie isn't ever going back into the bottle.
We need to be able to do our jobs cheaper and better than anyone else anywhere else on the planet can. Considering that the USA unemployment rate is about half of Germany's, we are NOT doing badly with this at all!
It's called, "learning from history". A subject not really taught in schools any more.
If the ocean pulled back, I would run like the wind.
It's not what you know, but how you feel about yourself. [/sarcasm]
There was a report on NOAA that our location in Hawaii detected it and sent warnings out too.
I have no idea where the communication break down occurred.
"A subject not really taught in schools any more"
Schools primary purpose in the last 30+ years has been to remove the ability to think and reason.
If you retain that ability you are no longer a mind numbed robot that takes direction from the government.
Yes, found the warning. We sent out a bulletin to all of the affected area's governments.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2004/s2357.htm
Dec. 26, 2004 — NOAA scientists acted quickly when a warning was issued about the powerful undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean that triggered a devastating tsunami. Within minutes following an alarm signaling the strong earthquake, the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued an information bulletin to nations in the Pacific at 8:14 p.m. EST Saturday, indicating that a magnitude 8.0 earthquake (later upgraded to magnitude 9.0) had occurred off the west coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Because the earthquake, reported to be one of the strongest in the world in the past 40 years, occurred in the Indian Ocean, not the Pacific, there was no threat of a tsunami to Hawaii, the West Coast of North America or to other coasts in the Pacific Basin—the U.S. area of responsibility. (Click NOAA image for larger view of Indonesia tsunami epicenter map. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)
The breakdown occurred at multiple levels. The UN had no Tsunami education program in place in that region, for one thing (Kofi was too busy snow skiing on UN money). For another, the local governments didn't put up signs to educate their own people about the warning signals of an impending tsunami.
Failing the above, the local governments received the American tsunami warning but didn't tell their own people on the shores.
So the only people who were warned were those who heard the American alert from our in-place tsunami detection system, and those few who were told face-to-face by some wise elders (but even those elders bear some fault for not putting up warning signs at beaches years ago).
But I'm emphasizing this: Within minutes following an alarm signaling the strong earthquake, the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued an information bulletin to nations in the Pacific at 8:14 p.m. EST Saturday, indicating that a magnitude 8.0 earthquake (later upgraded to magnitude 9.0) had occurred off the west coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
The affected governments of the nations were warned before it happened.
Bump and Happy New Year.
Now that I think about it....
Is this why there was that sudden defensiveness to us about how much aid we offered? Was that defensive posturing because we gave warning and someone(s) dropped the ball and the death toll didn't have to be this massive?
bttt
Hey BigLook,
If NOAA had computer models of this Tsunomi and sent out information bulletins about it...why was the death toll so high? Any thoughts?
NOAA clips of Tsunomi hours before it happened that was sent out in bulletins can be seen here:
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami/time/
NOAA had computer generated models of the Tsunomi hours before it hit and sent out information bulletins with warnings.
Did the death toll need to be this high if there was forewarnings?
You must be from the old school like me.
Tsunamis are extremely rare in the Indian Ocean.
People who live on the coasts of the Pacific Ocean are much more familiar with them.
Good question Calpernia.
NOAA had computer generated models of the Tsunomi hours before it hit and sent out information bulletins with warnings.
Did the death toll need to be this high if there was forewarnings?
"The elders told us that if the water recedes fast it will reappear in the same quantity in which it disappeared," 65-year-old village chief Sarmao Kathalay
Interesting.
A blessed 2005, FRiends.
LOL Right, they should have just jumped on the cell phone and called the authorities. Every gypsie has one you know.
We are well in the North but sad as is everone. You know that people you chatted with are either dead or destitute in the wake of the tragedy. We are still thinking of Pan Yee village where the tour boats stop near Bond Rock. The entire town is built on piles over the sea with no land except steep cliffs to run to. At Puket, we usually went to one little restruant -- plastic chairs and rickety tables -- where the owners are particularly friendly and talkative. No way of knowing but our prayers are with them as well as all the thousands of others.
All in all, Thailand seems to be holding up quite well -- Buddhism and a culture which values compassion. People yet wish eachother a healthful and happy New Year which they face with optimism.
Sabai Pii Maay
Yes some of the countries knew about it and they decided not issue a warning because they thought it would hurt tourism BUT at the time they were told it was a 5.9 or something like that. I think India has admitted this.
When the quake occurred it took a while for them to know it was at least a 7.9
Every beach area in these countries should have signs on the beach and/or at the hotels (on the backs of the doors) about Tsunami's and I bet most of them now will do this.
Do a search on FR for the very first thread of the Quake. I was told it took the online quake sites at least 15 minutes to get up on the internet after it happened and almost 2 hours before it hit the 24 news headlines.
>>>When the quake occurred it took a while for them to know it was at least a 7.9
That isn't what the report says at NOAA. The links to the computer models that was generated AND SENT OUT were made from a quake registering at 8.0.
Why do a search at FR for 3rd hand information when I posted the information and links to NOAA with the actually reports that went out with the dates, times and graphics with the data that was sent?
The info on those sites has been changed. The first FR posts have the information as it came out. There was even posts on how it was changed or altered on the websites you mentioned.
But hey I was just trying to answer your questions and surely would not lie to you over this. Believe what you want.
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