Germans Want Lead Role in [Tsunami] Alert System

[Kellanved]

Germany said Saturday that it was prepared to lead efforts to help set up a tsunami alert system for the Indian Ocean within three years, relying on the use of e-mails and mobile phone text messages.

"Germany should take the lead in establishing a tsunami alert system in South Asia," a spokeswoman for the German Education and Research Ministry said in the wake of the Dec. 26 quake and resulting tsunamis that killed around 160,000 people across the Indian Ocean.

She added that the federally-funded Geophysical Research Center (GFZ) in the eastern city of Potsdam had been tasked with looking into the idea.

...
In Germany, the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster sparked an unprecedented outpouring of donations from the public and companies, which together have pledged more than €330 million ($431 million), according to an independent watchdog for German charities. It makes the country one of the most generous contributors worldwide to the huge relief effort, and is additional to the €500 million promised by the government.
...

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1453426,00.htm...


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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/09/content_24...

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Not if Haliburton has anything to say about it!!!!!!!

[Kellanved]

2. We'll see

The Potsdam institute seems to be a good choice for the job. They had their tsunami warning out seven minutes after the quake, correctly classifying it as a 9.

[Igel]

4. And warning who? n/t

[Kellanved]

5. well, nobody

Nobody in the affected areas was paying attention to the European Seismic Services.

[goforit]

3. Well, why not!!!......Keep Bush at bay.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. The Japanese would be good at it, too..

since they probably have more experience with the prctical effect of seismic activity than anyone else.

But, the problem is not to identify a potential tsunami-- that's the easy part.

And, getting the word out is simple--shortwave, email, phone, fax, diplomatic communications... Someone just has to do it.

The real problem is just what to do with information on the beaches and small towns-- many of which don't have phones, much less evacuation plans.

Note the almost annual damage in Bangla Desh when they know well in advance that a typhoon is coming. And, the Maldives where there is no high ground to go to. Could they put all the islanders on boats soon enough?

Methinks, cold as it may sound at first, that we put our energy into solving problems like malaria and AIDS that are ongoing. And those little tossups in Africa that are killing and displacing millions for no good reason at all.

Do we really have to set up a Rube Goldberg warning system for the next Indian Ocean tsunami that will hit in about a hundred years?

[MasonJar]

7. No to all US corporate warmongers and money-grabbers. You

go Germany!

[KSAtheist]

8. Achtung Panzer!.

Sorry, but the Germans invented warmongering.

[njdemocrat106]

9. As long as Bush and his cronies are running things here...

I'd rather trust the Germans on such a matter than our own "Great Leaders".