Here I have been, having a bit of a moan since the weather warmed up, got more tropical. But where do I live … in the tropics!
In the last week, however, in several other places around the equator there has been a bit more than just humidity happening.
Last week it was floods in the Philippines, caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana.
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/asiapac/stories/200909/s2699997.htm
Three days ago there was a 8.0 earthquake in American Samoa, which initiated a monstrous tsunami which swept ashore killing hundreds and injuring many more, and destroying villages before it.
http://www.news.com.au/features/0,,5019260,00.html
Two days ago there was a 7.6 earthquake off Padang in Sumatra, Indonesia, collapsing buildings and causing another tsunami. The death toll increases with each news broadcast, but is at least 1000, with many, many more still trapped.
Look at the earthquake map on the link below and see what I mean.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/
It will update by the minute, but I am sure you will get the picture; when I copied this link there had been 73 aftershocks in Samoa and 5 in Sumatra.
All this is happening so relatively close to us.
This is all too glum and I felt I would post the latest Swamp cartoon to lift our spirits. It sort of seemed relevant really. It hasn't been a good week.
Copyright 2009 Swamp Productions Pty Ltd
3 comments:
It must be somewhat unsettling to have that east-west line of outbreaks running "just" north of you. Has anyone come up with an explanation why there seems to be such widespread activity right now?
Earthquakes freak me out. I'd rather deal with the yucky heat than the ground beneath me shaking. Hubby says i'm crazy but then he grew up in California he knows from crazy. :p
Swenglishexpat
We get a bit of a rumble here now and then, once at our favourite coffee shop when the large plate glass windows started "rippling" - I ran into the street, with my coffee!
My worst experience was in the 16th floor of a Singapore hotel when the Nias (8.6) earthquake shook Indonesia about 400km away and we really knew it was happening! Very scary!
Cairo Typ0
As I have said above, I don't like the earth moving for me in that format! We have cyclones here, but there are ways to prepare for them - and you can run from then too, especially if you have been through a bad one already. Earthquakes are just too spontaneous. I have a son living in California, so I know what you mean.
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