On the other hand, A. C. Clarke lives!

[Robert_Moriyama]

Arthur C. Clarke, in Sri Lanka, Calls Tsunami 'Disaster of Unprecedented Magnitude' <br>By SPACE.com Staff<br><br>posted: 27 December 2004<br>09:47 pm ET<br> <br>Sir Arthur C. Clarke, author of "2001: A Space Odyssey" and other popular science fiction novels, is among the survivors of Sunday's tsunami that hit his home nation of Sri Lanka and other Asian countries. <br><br>Like scientists who focus on the dangers of these incredible sea waves, Sir Arthur has written about them. He provided this message Monday on his foundation's web site:<br><br>http://www.clarkefoundation.org/<br><br>"Thank you for your concern about my safety in the wake of Sunday’s devastating tidal wave. <br><br>"I am enormously relieved that my family and household have escaped the ravages of the sea that suddenly invaded most parts of coastal Sri Lanka, leaving a trail of destruction. <br><br>"But many others were not so fortunate. For hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans and an unknown number of foreign tourists, the day after Christmas turned out to be a living nightmare reminiscent of The Day After Tomorrow. <br><br>"Among those affected are my staff based at our diving station in Hikkaduwa and holiday bungalow in Kahawa – both beachfront properties located in areas worst hit. We still don’t know the fully extent of damage as both roads and phones have been damaged. Early reports indicate that we have lost most of our diving equipment and boats. Not all our staff members are accounted for – yet.<br><br>"This is indeed a disaster of unprecedented magnitude for Sri Lanka which lacks the resources and capacity to cope with the aftermath. We are all trying to contribute to the relief efforts. We shall keep you informed as we learn more about what happened.<br><br>"Curiously enough, in my first book on Sri Lanka, I had written about another tidal wave reaching the Galle harbour (see Chapter 8 in "The Reefs of Taprobane," 1957). That happened in August 1883, following the eruption of Krakatoa in roughly the same part of the Indian Ocean."

[Robert_Moriyama]

When I first heard the news of the devastation, I was concerned for him, but I remembered seeing a photo of his compound up on a mountain, so I figured he'd be okay if he stayed home on Boxing Day...

It's a disaster of unprecedented proportion -  and a strong reminder of how little our technology can do when it is not universally available.  Whole portions of what we call the Third World (and the places struck by the tsunami were not all in that dubious category) are effectively off our radar screens as we concentrate on the Advanced countries.  

Think how a little warning would have done a lot of good.  And how if a similar disaster struck on the east coast of the US (not a far-fetched idea) there would be TV and radio warnings which would save a lot of lives.

A tsunami  struck the Pacific Northwest about 30 or so years ago...I should look it up.

Kate

<br>It ain't often that a whole island (and not a small island, at that) moves 30 meters in a matter of at most hours ... but imagine the splash California will make when half the state slides into the Pacific. (How far inland are you?)<br><br>The problem with high-tech warnings in this context is that in many areas, the people don't have access to them there high-tech communication methods. Remote fishing villages in Third World countries probably don't have the TV tuned to The Weather Channel if they have TV at all, and wouldn't get those urgent e-mails and warnings over ICQ, either. Then, of course, there's the problem of evacuating thousands of people over lousy roads with relatively few vehicles.<br><br>Even in the U.S., consider what would happen if L.A. received a tsunami warning. You think traffic in LaLaLand is bad on a normal day? And what about the people (even in L.A., there are a lot) who don't have their own vehicles? Even with several hours' warning (as the more distant countries affected by this event had), many people would be unable to get to high ground in time.<br><br>(Me? I live near the northern edge of the amalgamated City of Toronto, maybe 15 or 20 kilometers north of Lake Ontario. Even earthquakes are rare here, although I've slept through a minor tremor or two, and once watched a shelving unit sway back and forth in my 10th floor apartment ... that one left permanent cracks in the walls.)<br><br>Still, as more than one Important Person has pointed out, the death toll from this event pales next to the ongoing effects of starvation and disease (30,000 children die of starvation every day according to Stephen Lewis, Canada's ambassador to the U.N.).<br><br>Personally, I'm waiting for the Earth's axis to shift (viz. the old thriller 'The H.A.B. Theory') or even just a realignment of the magnetic field (viz. Robert Sawyer's current paperback, 'Hybrids') or some cosmic event that affects brain function ('Hybrids' again, or Poul Anderson's 'Brainwave'). We'll need the jumbo tub o' popcorn to sit through one of those.<br><br>Robert M.

[Robert_Moriyama]

I too immediately thought of the only person I know over there...well...don't really "know" him but read him now for over 40 years so it "seems" like I do...

Glad to hear he's fine, thought too that he might be as I saw a doc on him about 10 years ago that showed his home and the view down to the sea....

Real glad...now I can settle back and await 2021: Odyssey xxx

:-)

Jim

<br><br>Don't be silly -- A. C. Clarke doesn't write pornography. Or did you mean a story about an extreme-sports nut who gets drafted to make first contact with an alien species?