Poseidon's Wrath

05/10/09 21:10 Filed in: Environment
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In all of its beauty and wonder, the ocean can also be an awesome, devastating force. This week, the Samoan islands and Tonga experienced the desolation of a tsunami. There was little warning; it came in the middle of the night. At least 149 lives were lost, likely more. And while scientists have warning systems in place this is a reminder that we remain vulnerable to the wrath of the seas. Here is some of the coverage:

Pacific tsunami rescue stepped up (BBC, Oct. 1, 2009)
Rescue workers on the Samoan islands and Tonga are continuing to search for survivors after a tsunami struck, killing at least 149 people.

No warning as Pacific Ocean tsunami strikes (The Australian, Oct. 1, 2009)
The most intensive international disaster-relief effort since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami swung into action last night, as the official death toll from the Pacific tidal waves that struck Samoa and Tonga climbed to at least 113, and shocked survivors described the terror unleashed by walls of water up to 9m high.

They have just minutes to issue tsunami warning (CNN, Oct. 1, 2009)
When an earthquake threatens to turn part of an ocean into fast-moving walls of water, tsunami warning scientists can do nothing for the first five minutes except wait for information. But within the next five minutes, they have to decide whether to issue a warning of danger.

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