WaIIy wrote:

On Tue, 28 Dec 2004 22:06:32 GMT, Skip VerDuin
wrote:



Today I hear the US
(maybe USGS or NOAA) says "there was nothing we could do even though we
knew for hours it was going to happen" so maybe these agencies need a
swift kick to change an attitude.



What would you have them do?

The infrastructure to warn the people it affected is not in place.


Legitimate question, one that needs answering with time without sweeping
the effort under the rug.
And a multi-faceted issue that touches a lot of people with individual
answers.
The US has gone so far as to place sensors on the ocean floor with
satellite communication for early warning in places.
One answer is that big bucks are being spent for high risk areas with
wealth.
In other parts of the world today there are phones, radios, etc; lesser
forms of communications and readiness.

My statement goes more to attitude.
It is one thing to "shout" a warning but not be heard, a commendable and
frustrating position.
It is another thing to sit on your butt and attempt nothing when the
information is at hand.
As an outsider truly I don't know the reality, I can only guess the
reporter is accurate in his/her insinuation that our people in the know
sat frozen, or worse indifferent. It has happened that way in the past,
protected by bureaucracy.

I don't expect to ever know the whole answer. That's OK.
I do hope that we (humanity) will use the experience to hone our ability
to reduce the impact in the future.
Especially those of us who can do something about it, not so much we who
sit on the sideline.
As for myself, I expect to choose a little deeper anchorage from time to
time.

Skip