anyone else watching the Tsunami programme.
Discussion
jeez.
I love that 'tribesman' type guy who spoke of spirits pulling the sea back and all the villagers knowing they had to run as far inland as possible because the evil spirits would push the sea back in much further, so they ran inland and waited for the sea and the land to decide on the new boundarys.
Whatever works!!
I love that 'tribesman' type guy who spoke of spirits pulling the sea back and all the villagers knowing they had to run as far inland as possible because the evil spirits would push the sea back in much further, so they ran inland and waited for the sea and the land to decide on the new boundarys.
Whatever works!!
hedders said:
jeez.
I love that 'tribesman' type guy who spoke of spirits pulling the sea back and all the villagers knowing they had to run as far inland as possible because the evil spirits would push the sea back in much further, so they ran inland and waited for the sea and the land to decide on the new boundarys.
Whatever works!!
I thought that too. Strange how people that we would call "uncivilised" all survived, yet the others just looked at the wave, then ran when it was a couple of hundred yards away or less.
Amazing footage there of just how un-relenting the waves were. And the amount of debris they carried along with them 
What I don't understand was how everyone was just standing on the beach wondering why the water just disappeared, but weren't running for high ground. Is it not bloody obvious that a bloody big wave is about it hit (those tribe people seemed to know what was going to happen!). And then they could see that it was coming, but still just stood and watched
What I don't understand was how everyone was just standing on the beach wondering why the water just disappeared, but weren't running for high ground. Is it not bloody obvious that a bloody big wave is about it hit (those tribe people seemed to know what was going to happen!). And then they could see that it was coming, but still just stood and watched
mrmaggit said:
I thought that too. Strange how people that we would call "uncivilised" all survived
They had lived there for generations and lived and worked with nature - so they knew when something was wrong.
KITT said:
What I don't understand was how everyone was just standing on the beach wondering why the water just disappeared, but weren't running for high ground. Is it not bloody obvious that a bloody big wave is about it hit (those tribe people seemed to know what was going to happen!). And then they could see that it was coming, but still just stood and watched
Few people seem to have the survival instinct any more. Maybe because in Western civilisation they don't need it.
>> Edited by simpo two on Tuesday 6th December 09:29
simpo two said:
Few people seem to have the survival instinct any more. Maybe because in Western civilisation they don't need it.
>> Edited by simpo two on Tuesday 6th December 09:29
I think that's a very good point. Most are now sheeple who would have been waiting for someone to tell them what to do. KITT said:
Is it not bloody obvious that a bloody big wave is about it hit (those tribe people seemed to know what was going to happen!). And then they could see that it was coming, but still just stood and watched
The footage of that one guy who was still standing on the beach, just staring at the sea, when a 10 foot wave engulfed him was quite scary.
What I found incredible was the chap who was scuba diving off shore. He remembered that the currents felt a bit different, and that he didn’t feel the wave, but upon resurfacing a while after and returning to shore on his boat, he was met with the sight of corpses floating about, buildings that had been flattened, and tons upon tons of debris in the sea and on the beach. How crazy must that have been, to be underwater in such a peaceful environment, to resurface and find your whole world had been destroyed by a tsunami 
Last night’s footage was chilling
Last night’s footage was chilling
I had the experience of being in The Maldives at the time. Watching this on TV with hindsight just was terrifying - I had relatively nothing in comparison, but the power of the sea in these conditions is just breath-taking.
I, too, thought how cool (if that's an acceptable word here) the Andamanese were to have retained instincts and used the stories passed down from previous generations to understand the situation. Reminded me that everyone thought it amazing that there weren't devastating casualties amongst animals. But animals instinctively know what to do, too. We've just lost that.
Although I didn't witness the tide dropping before the first wave hit where I was, I talked to others and, had I witnessed it, I could imagine just standing there in amazement, caught between the puzzle and the panic. It's not like (at the time) you have the behaviour of a tsunami in your mind all the time. Even (immediately) after the event there was a long time of uncertainty with no communications, so you didn't know whether another wave was coming (which would have coincided with high tide) or not. You tend to spend at least some of the time then, between panicking and setting about doing sensible things, with your head in your hands going "hello, this is very strange, how do I make sense of what's happening?".
Looking back you realise that in some ways we're conditioned out of instinct, other ways we're not.
I, too, thought how cool (if that's an acceptable word here) the Andamanese were to have retained instincts and used the stories passed down from previous generations to understand the situation. Reminded me that everyone thought it amazing that there weren't devastating casualties amongst animals. But animals instinctively know what to do, too. We've just lost that.
Although I didn't witness the tide dropping before the first wave hit where I was, I talked to others and, had I witnessed it, I could imagine just standing there in amazement, caught between the puzzle and the panic. It's not like (at the time) you have the behaviour of a tsunami in your mind all the time. Even (immediately) after the event there was a long time of uncertainty with no communications, so you didn't know whether another wave was coming (which would have coincided with high tide) or not. You tend to spend at least some of the time then, between panicking and setting about doing sensible things, with your head in your hands going "hello, this is very strange, how do I make sense of what's happening?".
Looking back you realise that in some ways we're conditioned out of instinct, other ways we're not.
Freightening. Not really knowing what was involved, I wondered what the problem was- I'm a string swimmer, and as long as I can keep above the water, I woill just keep going until it peters out.
To see that footage, where the water is shared with cars, lorries, busses, tress and everything else it was amazing. I dont think I have ever been more-wrong in my life.
And more humbled
To see that footage, where the water is shared with cars, lorries, busses, tress and everything else it was amazing. I dont think I have ever been more-wrong in my life.
And more humbled
mrmaggit said:
I thought that too. Strange how people that we would call "uncivilised" all survived, yet the others just looked at the wave, then ran when it was a couple of hundred yards away or less.
I've been saying for a few years that what we have is not really civilisation. I guess it comes down to Ancient Civilisation and Modern Civilisation. I think I prefer the former...
williamp said:These were my exact thoughts, before I saw the footage. I couldn't understand how so many people died, as surely you just had to keep above the water. However, when the water's full of debis you don't stand a chance
Freightening. Not really knowing what was involved, I wondered what the problem was- I'm a string swimmer, and as long as I can keep above the water, I woill just keep going until it peters out.
To see that footage, where the water is shared with cars, lorries, busses, tress and everything else it was amazing. I dont think I have ever been more-wrong in my life.
And more humbled
Your posts highlight my behavior in a small TSUNAMI I experienced in Rabaul in Papua New Guini, in 1974.
I had sailed into Rabaul in my yacht & was anchored in the harbour with a dozen or so other visiting yachts, & some local ones.
The water went out slowly, about 20 Ft down, but there was no wave. It came in over about 15 minutes, & rose about 8 feet above the main street. It did no damage comming in, but it ran out very quickly, taking cars, houses etc with it. It did this 3 times.
Although many of the yachtsmen had had a few survival exoeriences [cyclones & such], we all joined the townsfolk, local & expat, watching from the harbour wall. It was only when we started to get wet feet that anyone did anything. People then started
to move cars to high ground, etc.
Rabaul is volcano country, & has since been mostly destroyed by one, & we lived with earth quakes on a daily basis, & would have done something in a volcano. But in this event we all stood in
awe, & wonder, as if transfixed. If it had been a big one, we would have died.
I had heard the word, & I knew it was a bad thing that happened in Japan, & that was about it, we did not know that it was what we were experienceing.
I remember seeing a Grand Paino, sitting in the park by the sea wall between waves, & thinking it was funny. I think we all went into a daze, but then no one was hurt, & our yachts appeared safe, & we had no idea of what, if anything, to do.
A few months later, when one of the volcanos played up a bit, we had our boats out of there quick time, & the locals, getting out of town had the only traffic jam in the towns history.
I had sailed into Rabaul in my yacht & was anchored in the harbour with a dozen or so other visiting yachts, & some local ones.
The water went out slowly, about 20 Ft down, but there was no wave. It came in over about 15 minutes, & rose about 8 feet above the main street. It did no damage comming in, but it ran out very quickly, taking cars, houses etc with it. It did this 3 times.
Although many of the yachtsmen had had a few survival exoeriences [cyclones & such], we all joined the townsfolk, local & expat, watching from the harbour wall. It was only when we started to get wet feet that anyone did anything. People then started
to move cars to high ground, etc.
Rabaul is volcano country, & has since been mostly destroyed by one, & we lived with earth quakes on a daily basis, & would have done something in a volcano. But in this event we all stood in
awe, & wonder, as if transfixed. If it had been a big one, we would have died.
I had heard the word, & I knew it was a bad thing that happened in Japan, & that was about it, we did not know that it was what we were experienceing.
I remember seeing a Grand Paino, sitting in the park by the sea wall between waves, & thinking it was funny. I think we all went into a daze, but then no one was hurt, & our yachts appeared safe, & we had no idea of what, if anything, to do.
A few months later, when one of the volcanos played up a bit, we had our boats out of there quick time, & the locals, getting out of town had the only traffic jam in the towns history.
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