Elders' Knowledge of the Oceans Spares Thai 'sea Gypsies' From Tsunami Disaster

The Associated Press ^ | Dec 31, 2004 | Anon

[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

[Sooth2222]

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.

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!

[taxesareforever]

It's called, "learning from history". A subject not really taught in schools any more.

[GodOfmercy]

If the ocean pulled back, I would run like the wind.

[VRWC For Truth]

It's not what you know, but how you feel about yourself. [/sarcasm]

[Calpernia]

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.

[dalereed]

"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.

[USNBandit]

If I recall correctly the Sea Gypsies are a very small muslim ethnicity. They are pretty much subsistence fisherman, some even live on their junks. I saw some while in Thailand and they don't look like the type to carry inmarsat phones and they definitely don't I-M their buddies when they find a good school of fish. I don't think they have much contact with other peoples and they don't seem to dig tourists, either.

[Calpernia]

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.”)

[Southack]

"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."

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).

[Calpernia]

I post pinged you again with the link.

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.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Bump and Happy New Year.

[Calpernia]

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?

[shield]

bttt

[Calpernia]

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?

[Calpernia]

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/

[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?

[taxesareforever]

You must be from the old school like me.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I still can't understand why the native born, of all people, wandered out into the waters.

Tsunamis are extremely rare in the Indian Ocean.

People who live on the coasts of the Pacific Ocean are much more familiar with them.

[Cindy]

Good question Calpernia.

[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?