Tsunami

The aftermath of the tsunami that occurred in South Asia on December 26 is almost beyond description. The scale of devastation and the suffering that has followed goes beyond anything we have witnessed in modern history. Simon Winchester (who wrote Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded) wrote an interesting Op-Ed piece for the New York Times. He points out that we are going through a period of increased seismic activity and points to the earthquake that occurred at Bam, Iran a year ago as well as several other events. The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 was accompanied by a similar period of activity.

Most tsunamis occur in the Pacific—a fact that may help to explain the lack of an early warning system in the Indian Ocean. The image of a 500 mph tsunami bearing down on heavily populated coastal areas is enough to get us thinking about our own early warning system.

International efforts have been impressive. There is a realization that the tragedy is still unfolding and that speed is of the essence. It is a bit frustrating to see this initially turned into a political football, but the finger-pointing seemed to die down pretty quickly. Some have suggested that this is a big enough event to change the way we deal with each other as nations. I am hesitant to go quite that far, but there is the potential for some good will to come of this.

The tsunami has devastated the fragile economies of these coastal areas, and the cost of rebuilding will impose an added burden on the governments involved. A suspension of foreign debt payments will help, but the task remains a huge one. Tourism is important to the economies of these areas, but it may be some time before that sector recovers.