TODAY IS AUGUST 8TH 2008


30TH JUNE 2008

3 die when Kandy-Matara train derailed at Hikkaduwa


3 people were killed and many others were injured when express train from Kandy to Matara was derailed at Hikkaduwa Bridge.

Reports say several passengers fell into the river when three compartments were derailed on the bridge.

Karapitiya Hospital sources say seven passengers brought to the hospital are in critical condition. The guard of the train too is among the injured say reports reaching us.

The coastal train service has been interrupted due to the accident.


A Committee has been appointed to investigate into the incident.

This happened in between Seenigama and Hikkaduwa, just off the spot where the Train was toppled over by 2004 Tsunami.


TODAY IS 30TH JUNE 2008

6.7 2008/06/30 06:17:44 58.160 21.894 10.0 EAST OF THE SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS



TODAY IS 29TH JUNE 2008

THER ARE SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKES IN THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS TODAY: KEEP WATCH.

Strong quake shakes islands off India's coast
6.7 temblor causes panic on remote Andaman Islands; no damage reported

NEW DELHI, India - A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck off India’s Andaman Islands on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, officials and police said.

The quake, which was centered some 75 miles southwest of the Andaman capital, Port Blair, caused panic among residents but no damage or injuries, said Ranjit Narayan, the director general of police in the Andamans.

The Indian Meteorological Department said the quake, which they described as moderate, struck at 5:40 p.m. (7:40 a.m. EDT) at a depth of 6 miles.


SEE OFFICERS LOG FOR CURRENT EARTHQUAKE STATUS:

29TH of June 2008

5.0 2008/06/29 00:32:11 11.041 91.756 6.8 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

JUNE 28TH 2008

4.7 2008/06/28 17:17:00 10.854 91.897 28.5 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

5.4 2008/06/28 15:29:15 10.971 92.078 35.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

4.7 2008/06/28 14:30:11 10.841 91.877 35.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

5.0 2008/06/28 13:57:04 10.733 91.697 10.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

6.3 2008/06/28 12:54:50 10.821 91.762 35.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

5.1 2008/06/28 04:35:05 10.899 91.749 26.8 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

4.9 2008/06/28 03:26:53 10.886 91.916 28.3 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

Today is 27TH of June

4.8 2008/06/27 19:19:52 10.937 91.927 55.2 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

5.2 2008/06/27 18:05:14 10.892 91.855 25.7 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

5.0 2008/06/27 14:16:22 0.247 96.699 35.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA

Significant Earthquakes in ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

6.1 2008/06/27 13:07:11 10.914 91.786 30.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

6.7 2008/06/27 11:40:17 11.031 91.906 35.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION


12TH APRIL HAPPY SINHALA NEW YEAR:

A QUIET HERO who goes by the name of SEAN PENN ( who is also an American actor) rescued CTEC today. We hadn't had a donation in 3 months and were close to closing when Sean heard of our distress and immediatly sent them a Western Union to save the day and make it a Happy New Year for everyone.
WE HONOR YOU AS OUR HERO OF THE MONTH. THANKYOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS SEAN.


6TH APRIL 2008 SHOCKING NEWS TODAY: SUICIDE BOMBER kills Hon. Sri Lankan Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle who was a good friend of CTEC and the Godfather to Peraliya village. Our deepest respect goes out to his wife and family. A very sad day today. Suicide bomber kills senior Sri Lanka minister at marathon Published: Sunday April 6, 2008 A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber killed Sri Lanka's highways minister as he opened a marathon Sunday in an attack that left 11 others dead and nearly 100 wounded, police and officials said. Senior minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, 55, was killed in the town of Weliveriya outside of the capital when the blast ripped through the large gathering at the event, police said. The minister had walked up to the starting line where more than 100 athletes had lined up and at the count down a huge blast shattered the occasion. "Ready, on your marks, steady...," the official had said over the public address system, moments before the huge explosion. "It was a suicide bombing of the Tigers," media minister Anura Yapa said. Fernandopulle, a vocal critic of the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels and a member of Sri Lanka's failed peace talks with the guerrillas, is the second government minister to be killed this year.

Television footage showed an explosion close to the minister, the Leader of the House in parliament and regarded as a potential prime minister, at the start of the marathon. "We suspect a suicide bomber pretending to be a marathon runner carried out the attack," a police officer at the scene told AFP, confirming that the minister was blown to pieces by the force of the blast. He had been opening elaborate celebrations marking the traditional New Year shared by both the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils on the troubled island. "I hope you will be able to successfully end these games...," the minister said just before the bomb claimed his life. Bloodied victims were rushed to hospital from the Kanthi Grounds. Among others killed was Sri Lanka's leading athletics coach Lakshman de Silva and several top local sportsmen. Fernandopulle was one of the most tightly-guarded politicians in the country, and was protected on Sunday by a ring of bodyguards from the elite police Special Task Force. Another senior politician's bodyguard was killed Sunday when his motorcycle collided with another vehicle while returning from the hospital to which most of the injured were rushed, police said. Nearly 100 people were wounded in the suicide bombing, they added. President Mahinda Rajapakse condemned the assassination as a "cowardly" act of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "While calling on the people to be calm and collected in the face of such extreme provocation by the forces of terror, I wish to reiterate that this dastardly act will not weaken our resolve to eradicate terrorism from our midst, and bring peace, harmony and democracy to all our people, which was also the constant and unqualified wish of Mr. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle," the president said in a statement. Nation building minister D.M. Dassanayake was killed in a roadside bomb attack in the same district earlier this year. A pro-rebel Tamil politician was also killed in a roadside bomb attack blamed on security forces this year. The government denied involvement, and blamed the Tiger rebels. The latest attack came as security forces remained locked in heavy combat with the Tamil Tigers in the north of the island where the defence ministry has been reporting a daily death toll among the guerrillas. Two policemen were wounded Sunday in a roadside mine explosion in the north, police said. Sri Lanka pulled out of a six-year-old Norwegian arranged truce with the Tigers in January, since when fighting has escalated. The guerrillas have been accused of setting off a string of bomb attacks in Colombo and other areas targeting civilians and political figures. The LTTE have been fighting for autonomy for ethnic minority Tamils in the Sinhalese-majority island's north and east since 1972, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people.


21st MARCH 2008 CTEC Founders and Managing officers have just returned from an amazing trip to Hawaii where we formed major partnerships in the Tsunami effort. The Hawaiians are a very accepting, amazing, happy, caring community. We don't see that very often around the world. It must be something to do with what their ancestors have taught them. The highlight of our trip was meeting Ed Teixeira and Ray Lovell and everyone at the Oahu Civil defense department and also the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. They are a great bunch of caring men and women working hard to protect their people. More news of the trip and photos will be going up on the site in the next few days.

Great job men!!


STOP PRESS : DOUG KENNEDY has officially been made into an Honorary CTEC board member for all his great efforts towards CTEC. Thankyou New Hope Church for Sponsoring the trip and believing in us.


STOP PRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!************* EXCITING NEWS:!!!!!!!!!********* 26th FEb 2008: CTEC OFFICERS VISAS WERE APPROVED BY US IMMIGRATION.
THEY WILL BE HEADING TO HAWAII ON MARCH 14TH TO MEET WITH HAWAIIAN TSUNAMI EARLY WARNING CENTER OFFICERS. NEW HOPE CHURCH OF HAWAII WILL BE SPONSORING THE EVENT.

THANKYOU DOUG KENNEDY WHO MADE SEVERAL CALLS ON OUR BEHALF!!! WE LOVE YOU. IT HAD BEEN THREE LONG YEARS IN THE ORGANIZING. WELL DONE MEN!!!!!!! NEVER NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


MARCH 3rd 6.0 reading in SUMATRA, INDONESIA. FEBRURAY 25th 2008 *****Today was a very busy day at CTEC there were 7 earthquakes above 5.5 magnitute today in Indonesia with one recording at 7.2 and 6.7. The area is dangerous and the pressure is growing.
A TSUNAMI WARNING WAS ISSUED and people were led to safety.

It comes the day before our 2 ctec officers are going for their 2nd attempt at getting visas through USA immigration for a trip to the big Hawaiian Tsunami center to train for 6 days. During the first visa interviews they were questioned for 5 hours and were treated like terrorists. These men are heroes.
If they are denied visas tomorrow it will be a real error.

These earthquakes are growing everyday and we need to be prepared.

FEBRUARY 25TH 2008: 8 Earthquakes rock Sumatra. TSUNAMI WARNING ISSUED. Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake Strikes Indonesia's Sumatra (Update2) By Karima Anjani Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) -- A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck near the Indonesian island of Sumatra at 3:36 p.m. local time with no immediate reports of damage or casualties, the country's Meteorology and Geophysics Office said. A second temblor struck the same region 10 hours later measuring 6.7 magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The larger quake hit an area 165 kilometers (102 miles) southwest of Muko-muko, in Bengkulu province, at a depth of 10 kilometers, the Indonesian agency said in a text message. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 7.0, revising from 7.3 earlier. The quake had a depth of 35 kilometers. No casualties have been reported, an official said. An earlier tsunami warning was lifted, the Indonesian office said. The temblor sparked panic in Bengkulu and the west of Sumatra, sending people into the streets, Jakarta-based ElShinta radio reported. Tremors also rocked buildings in downtown Singapore, located 365 miles from the epicenter.

There have been hundreds of earthquakes in Indonesia since a 9.1 quake in 2004 caused a tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean, devastating coastlines and leaving more than 220,000 people dead or missing in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and other countries. The Indonesian archipelago lies in a region where tectonic plates are constantly shifting. The 6.7 quake struck 164 kilometers southwest of Padang, Sumatra, at 1:06 a.m. local time Tuesday, at a depth of 35 kilometers, the USGS said. There were no casualties so far from today's earthquake, Rustam S. Pakaya, head of crisis management at Indonesia's Health Ministry, said in a text message. Authorities will continue to monitor developments on damages and casualties.

A magnitude 7.5 quake hit the west of Sumatra on Feb. 20, killing at least three people. To contact the reporter on this story: Karima Anjani in Jakarta at kanjani@bloomberg.net FEBRUARY 20th 2008

A 7.6 earthquake has hit the same area in Sumatra as the 2004 tsunami. It is being reported on CNN all day.

NEWS ARTICLE: Strong quake hits Indonesia, tsunami warning issued February 20, 2008 15:07 IST Last Updated: February 20, 2008 17:46 IST Japan's [Images] meteorological agency has issued a tsunami warning following a powerful quake off western Indonesia. Three people were killed and 35 injured in the quake, measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale, which struck Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday afternoon. The undersea quake struck at 3:08 pm local time, some 312 kilometres west-southwest of the North Sumatra capital Medan, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake was followed by an aftershock measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale. However, authorities said that there was no possibility of a 'destructive tsunami'. The tsunami might be a local one and it would affect areas within a 100-kilometre radius of the epicenter, they said.
The quake triggered panic among locals, most of whom ran out of their buildings, said news agencies. A massive quake, measuring 9 on the Richter scale, struck off Sumatra's coast in 2004, triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia. Tsunami warning cancelled after quake strikes western Indonesia Last Updated: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 | 8:10 AM ET CBC News Officials have cancelled a tsunami warning after a powerful earthquake rocked the coast of western Indonesia Wednesday morning, killing three people.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, which struck under the island of Simeulue off the western coast of Sumatra island, had a 7.6 magnitude. At least 25 others were seriously injured in the quake, which damaged "many" buldings, said Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Indonesian Health Ministry's disaster centre. Earlier, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said parts of the Sumatran coast closest to the epicentre and India's Andaman and Nicobar island chain were at risk of a possible tsunami. But two hours later, it said sea gauges had not detected any large waves. Indonesia is located on the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. The fault that ruptured Wednesday off the coast of Sumatra is the same where a magnitude-9 quake in 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them on Sumatra.

ANOTHER ARTICLE Three killed in quake; tsunami warning issued From the Associated Press 3:47 AM PST, February 20, 2008 JAKARTA, INDONESIA -- A powerful earthquake struck western Indonesia on Wednesday, killing at least three people, injuring 25 others, and damaging several buildings, officials said. No tsunami was detected. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 and struck under the island of Simeulue off the western coast of Sumatra -- the region worst hit in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Minutes after the quake hit, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a bulletin saying parts of the Sumatran coast closest to the epicenter were at risk of a possible tsunami.
However, it canceled the alert two hours later, saying sea gauges had not detected any large waves. Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Indonesian Health Ministry's disaster center, said "many" buildings on Simeulue were damaged and three people were killed. He said at least 25 others were seriously injured. The quake was felt across much of western and northern Sumatra island, witnesses said. Many people fled their homes. "Everything shook very strongly for more than a minute, and I ran along with the others. I heard people screaming in panic," said Aceh resident Ahmad Yushadi. Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago with a population of 235 million people, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. The fault that ruptured Wednesday off the coast of Sumatra is particularly deadly.
A magnitude-9 quake there in 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them on Sumatra. Three months later, an 8.7 quake farther down the fault killed 1,000 on the islands of Nias and Simeulue.

JANUARY 2008 BIG SAD NEWS: The US Govt has denied immigration visas for our Sri Lankan CTEC manager and co-founder to go and meet with the NOAA Hawaiian tsunami center for FURTHER tsunami learning and instruction to protect their country.

26TH DECEMBER 2007 THIRD YEAR TSUNAMI ANNIVERSARY. Today we remember the people who were stolen by the tsunami on that morning of December 26th 2004. We will never forget them or forget our bursting pain by their loss.
As each year passes the pain still remains with us. We will always have their memory in a special place in our hearts where we can always visit them and still be able to move forward with our lives. We look to a safer future and walk proud in growing CTEC to all coastal areas.
Let us bow our heads in prayer... in remembrance.

NOV 10th 2007: A NOTE FROM ALISON ( CTEC FOUNDER) Running the tsunami center has been a full time job for the past three years. We are on target and are growing along the coast into new villages. In the past few months we have had 50 earthquakes over 5.1 magnitude in the same area as the 2004 Asian Tsunami. The area is volatile and we push forward to defend this country from an even larger tragedy. Although we do not get a lot of help, we will not go quietly into the night.
We are open 24 hours a day 365 days a year. We believe CTEC will one day help save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Great News: New Hope Church Hawaii are sponsoring two of our main CTEC managers to come to Hawaii for a week of diasaster management training, discussions and fundraising. They will be visiting the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), operated by NOAA in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, USA, which is one of two tsunami warning centers in the United States.
PTWC is part of an international tsunami warning system (TWS) program and serves as the operational center for TWS of the Pacific issuing bulletins and warnings to participating members and other nations in the Pacific Ocean area of responsibility .
It is also the regional (local) warning center for the State of Hawai'i. The other tsunami warning center is the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WC/ATWC) in Palmer, Alaska, serving all costal regions of Canada and the United States except Hawai'i. PTWC was established in 1949, following the 1946 Aleutian Island earthquake and a tsunami that resulted in 165 casualties in Hawaii and Alaska.
I can't wait to see the smiles on their faces as they walk into the mothership and trade tsunami center shirts!!

Thankyou Doug Kennedy and the New Hope Church of Hawaii. This is a dream come true for all of us!

OCTOBER 26TH Indonesia's big one 'on its way' Story Highlights Experts: 3 major quakes in past week increase chance of major disaster On the equator, Sumatra holds the deadliest stretch of ocean in the world Driven by the plate beneath the Indian Ocean, the entire coastline is flexing Next Article in World » PADANG, Indonesia (CNN) --

An international team of earthquake specialists says Indonesia faces another potential "giant" quake in the near future. The scientists, including a team from the California Institute of Technology, says three major quakes in the last week have increased the likelihood of a major disaster.
CNN traveled to the earthquake zone with a scientist who deliberately puts himself in the path of the world's most powerful quakes. Smack on the equator, Indonesia's Sumatra island holds the deadliest stretch of ocean in the world. "You'd see a strip 30 meters high, stripped down to bedrock," says John Galetzka, a former U.S. Army ranger who is now adventuring on another frontline as an earthquake geologist.
He is investigating the fault line that sparked the 2004 tsunami and, in recent days, three more powerful quakes. Last Friday, Galetzka shot video footage of the shaking beach, with startled locals scrambling upshore. His thoughts turned immediately to the tsunami danger, and his command ship offshore. Just moments later he caught the panic near the beach, as he saw families evacuating to the hills about 200 meters behind their village. The day before, another big quake struck -- larger, but further away.

Galetzka recalls the long slow waves and a shivering water bottle. For the American geologist, this is where theory meets reality. "I just felt like the luckiest man alive to feel two strong events," he says. "You can almost hear the excitement in my voice -- oh my gosh, this is it, this is it ..." Galetzka is now examining the evidence that his team believes indicates the arrival another giant earthquake, and possible tsunami. He has established a network of position-markers, linked by satellite, that show a constant creep, northeast, among the islands on Indonesia's Indian Ocean frontier. The first one was placed in August 2002.
The 30 measuring stations along Sumatra's western coast tell an ominous tale. Driven by the plate beneath the Indian Ocean, the entire coastline is flexing, as the earth literally bends. The pressures are already enormous, and at some point probably soon, they will become intolerable. The implications are terrifying. "Eventually it has got to release in (the form) of giant earthquake," states Galetzka matter-of-factly. It could be a rare magnitude-9 quake, and with the plates so tightly sprung, it will happen sooner, he believes, rather than later. Knowing what he knows, does he worry about the people living along this coast? "I absolutely do," he replies. "I tell them to be prepared. Whenever I am in Padang I think about my escape routes, almost every moment." As he criss-crosses around the islands, searching for data, Galetzka says his aim is to save lives. But he, more than anyone, knows the risks -- that one day he'll confront a giant wave, a tsunami powerful enough to swallow islands. The geologist's voice quivers as he imagines "the big one." "If we saw it, we'd just head right into it. I'd shake your hand and say, good luck!" All About U.S. Geological Survey • Sumatra • Indonesia

SEPTEMBER 2007: A NOTE FROM ALISON. ( CTEC Founder) CTEC AND THE PEOPLE OF SRI LANKA WOULD LOVE TO DEEPLY THANK AND HONOR THOMAS POARCH OF NEW YORK WHO HAS MADE A KIND DONATION TO HELP KEEP THE CENTER RUNNING FOR A FEW MONTHS.

Thomas is an amazing caring person who is not a rich man himself but believes in opening the channel of love in giving. CTEC is the only tsunami center in Sri Lanka and is funded by poor volunteers who really believe in caring and protecting the people. This donation came at a time when it was just becoming too hard to keep this place alive by myself but i will not give up no matter how hard the journey! Faith and unconditional love is the secret to everything!.

We are now is our third year and CTEC is growing in community points throughout the whole coast daily. The 'Ring of Fire' earthquake region is still very active ( 52 Earthquakes of over 5.1 magnitude in the past few weeks). On Sept 12th 2007 (a few weeks ago) a ten foot tsunami was generated in Sumatra wiping out thousands of homes. CTEC plays a very important part in the tsunami disaster preparedness response.
We still need more help to take us through to the end of this year so if anyone would like to help please contact us. kindly Alison:)


Indonesian Volcano Erupts, No Damage Caused By Trish Anderton Jakarta 25 October 2007 Anderton report (MP3) - Download 381k Listen to Anderton report (MP3) A volcano on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has erupted, spewing a column of smoke and ash high into the air. But, officials say the activity at Mount Soputan does not present a threat to people living nearby. Meanwhile, villagers near Mount Kelud on Java island remain on alert for an eruption there. Trish Anderton reports from Jakarta.
All eyes have been on Java's Mount Kelud for the past two weeks, but it was Mount Soputan on the northern tip of Sulawesi that blew its top instead. Authorities say the volcano shot ash a thousand meters into the air, but no lava flowed from the mountain. Authorities say they are not planning to order an evacuation. Agus Budianto of Indonesia's Centre for Vulcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation says his agency is advising people to avoid breathing the ash directly. "I think it is not so dangerous right now but we recommend for the population to use a mask, if possible," he said. The nearest village to Soputan is a relatively distant 11 kilometers from the peak. Some of Java's most dangerous volcanoes, including Mount Kelud, have populations much closer to their craters. Budianto says scientists are continuing to monitor Soputan, but they do not expect a larger eruption. "If the volcanic tremors happen continuously perhaps the eruption will occur," he said. "But there are no indications for that." Meanwhile, authorities are keeping a close watch on Kelud, where a high alert has been in effect for several days. Local authorities have ordered more than 100,000 people evacuated from a 10-kilometer radius of the crater.
But some residents are defying the order, saying they cannot leave their homes and farms unattended. About 5,000 people were killed when the volcano erupted in 1919. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common in Indonesia, which is located in a geologically active area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.


OCTOBER 23RD 2007 The epicenter for the 6.2-magnitude quake was about 90 miles (145 km) west-southwest Bengkulu and struck around 10:44 a.m. (11:44 p.m. ET Monday.) There was no sign of large waves on beaches and authorities lifted the alert an hour later. A series of powerful earthquakes in the same region last month killed 23 people and damaged or destroyed thousands of buildings. There were no immediate reports of deaths, injuries or damage from Tuesday's temblor. Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. A massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami on December 26, 2004, killed more than 131,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province and left a half-million homeless.

SEPT 12TH 2007 :POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES TERRORIZE INDONESIA, EXPERTS WARN OF THE BIG ONE Indonesia's quake toll rose to 23 Indonesian quake toll at 23, more than 15000 buildings damaged AFP - 9 hours ago Death Toll Rises from Indonesia Quake, Aftershocks PADANG, Indonesia (AP) — Days of colossal earthquakes and tsunami warnings have forced traumatized Indonesian villagers to seek safety in the last place imaginable: graveyards. With only plastic sheeting to keep her family dry, Dasima joined hundreds camping in the mud between headstones on the flat, high ground, far from the ocean's reach. "I am very afraid of another tsunami," the 50-year-old said two days after an 8.4-magnitude temblor sent a towering wave into her remote fishing village. "We will stay here until we feel it is safe." Seismologists warn, however, the worst may be yet to come. Kerry Sieh of the California Institute of Technology has spent decades studying the fault line that runs along Indonesia's western coast. He is among several experts predicting a repeat of the powerful earthquake that triggered the 2004 Asian tsunami, which killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen Indian Ocean countries. "No one can say whether it will be in 30 seconds or 30 years," he said. "But what happened the other day, I think is quite possibly a sequence of smaller earthquakes leading up to the bigger one." Wednesday's quake shook four Southeast Asian countries, damaged hundreds of houses and spawned a three-metre-high tsunami.

At least 13 people were killed. A series of powerful earthquakes and dozens of strong aftershocks followed, including ones Thursday measuring 7.8 and another 7.1. There was a 6.4 quake on Friday. The wall of water that slammed into several fishing villages along Sumatra island's coast Wednesday swept away nearly a dozen houses, but overall damage was "minimal," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said after an air force aerial survey.
A nine-member UN assessment team reached the same conclusion after visiting the area, saying that a major international relief operation was not required, John Holmes, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, said in a statement from New York. Many people said a public awareness campaign launched after the 2004 tsunami paid off, including warnings issued over mosque speakers and training provided by local officials on how to escape a disaster. "When the earth started shaking, some people yelled, 'It's time to go up the hill ... Let's get going,"' said Fadil, 35, a father of two, describing how he and hundreds of neighbours watched from above as the three-metre wave approached. Hundreds of houses were damaged, but no one died. Elsewhere, however, electricity blackouts prevented some sirens from going off. The latest quakes, together with the 9.0-magnitude temblor in 2004 and an 8.7 quake in early 2005, deeply concern experts. The fault, which runs the length of the west coast of Sumatra about 200 kilometres offshore, is the meeting point of the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic plates, which have been pushing against each other for millions of years, causing huge stresses to build up. "There is a strong indication this foreshadows the big one," said Danny Hillman, an earthquake specialist at the Indonesian Institute of Science. "We all agree there is an 8.5 or stronger earthquake waiting to happen." That's exactly what residents along Sumatra's western coast, which is expected to bear the brunt of the next disaster, are worried about. The island was hardest hit by the 2004 tsunami, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the deaths. In the fishing village of Sungai Pisang, just south of the badly damaged city of Padang, hundreds of people were too scared to return home after the recent tremors sent a large wave washing into their bay. Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, with a population of 235 million people, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

DISCUSSION ON RECENT SEPT 12TH 2007 8.4 SUMATRA EARTHQUAKE: The magnitude 8.4 and 7.8 southern Sumatra earthquakes of September 12, 2007 occurred as the result of thrust faulting on the boundary between the Australia and Sunda plates. At the location of these earthquakes, the Australia plate moves northeast with respect to the Sunda plate at a velocity of about 60 mm/year. The direction of relative plate motion is oblique to the orientation of the plate boundary offshore of the west coast of Sumatra. The component of plate-motion perpendicular to the boundary is accommodated by thrust faulting on the offshore plate-boundary. Much of the component of plate motion parallel to the plate boundary is accommodated by strike-skip faulting on the Sumatra fault, which is inland on Sumatra proper. The magnitude 8.4 earthquake of September 12, 2007 is the fourth earthquake of magnitude greater than 7.9 to have occurred in the past decade on or near the plate boundaries offshore of western Sumatra. This earthquake occurred just north of the source region of the magnitude 7.9 earthquake on June 4, 2000. The September 12, 2007 magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred about 225 km northwest of the magnitude 8.4 earthquake at the northern end of the aftershock zone. These two earthquakes and their aftershocks overlay the southern portion of the estimated 1833 rupture zone, which extends from approximately Eggano Island to the northern portion of Siberut Island. The great magnitude 9.1 earthquake of December 26, 2004, which produced the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of that date, ruptured much of the boundary separating the India plate and the Burma plate. Immediately to the south of the great 2004 earthquake, the magnitude 8.6 Nias Island earthquake of March 28, 2005, ruptured a segment of the plate boundary separating the Australia and Sunda plates. Since the December 26, 2004 earthquake, much of the Sunda trench between the northern Andaman Islands to Eggano Island, a distance of more than 2,000 km, has ruptured in a series of large subduction zone earthquakes.

RELIEF EFFORTS BEGIN IN INDONESIAN QUAKE ZONE. By Nancy-Amelia Collins Jakarta 13 September 2007 Relief efforts are underway on Indonesia's Sumatra Island after the country was hit by four powerful earthquakes and a succession of large aftershocks in less than 24 hours. The tremors toppled buildings, killed several people and injured dozens more. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins in Jakarta has more. A local girl at her house destroyed by earthquake in Bengkulu, Sumatra island, 13 Sep 2007 Government and international emergency teams headed to Sumatra to survey the earthquake damage and help those in need. Officials say dozens have been injured, several people killed, and many buildings have been destroyed. Sutrisno, the head of Indonesia's National Disaster Coordinating Agency, says representatives of various government ministries are already on the scene. "They will have a meeting with the vice governor there and they are going to make also a rapid, very rapid assessment regarding a needs assessment and damage assessment ... But meanwhile, we are also in here still collecting the food for the relief assistance, like food and medicine, and we will send there by special aircraft, by Hercules," said Sutrisno. Sumatra has been jolted by four powerful earthquakes since late Wednesday. The U.S. Geological Survey says the first was centered about 105 kilometers southwest of Bengkulu, a major city on Sumatra's southwestern coast.
At a magnitude of 8.4, it was the most powerful earthquake to strike anywhere in the world this year. Two more quakes followed early Thursday - the first of 7.9 magnitude, and a second several hours later measured 7.1. There have also been more than 20 sizable aftershocks, all situated along the coastline between Bengkulu and the city of Padang. A fourth serious quake struck late Thursday north of Indonesia's Sulawesi Island, far to the east of Sumatra. Indonesia issued five separate tsunami warnings during the period, and two small tsunamis were reported, but neither caused any serious damage or injury. An Indonesian official said that despite the number and severity of the tremors, injuries have been far fewer than feared. Country Director Craig Redmond, of Mercy Corps, an international relief organization, says aid teams have reported considerable physical destruction. "Lots of houses destroyed, [there are] needs for shelter, things like that," he said. "Right now they are up there seeing where we can add value and how we can coordinate with local officials."
The 9.1 magnitude quake that devastated Indonesia's Aceh province in December 2004 and triggered the Indian Ocean tsunami occurred not far north of the latest tremors off Sumatra's west coast. The U.S. Geological Service reports that more than 283,000 people in a dozen countries were killed in that disaster. More than half of the victims died in Aceh. Indonesia's presidential spokesman, Andi Mallerangeng, says these disasters have made the nation stronger. "We know that we are living in the ring of fire with all different kinds of natural phenomenon... But I think we are a strong nation, every time we are getting stronger. We deal with the situation," he said. Indonesia lies on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a geologically active area that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Indonesian quake toll at 23, more than 15,000 buildings damaged 9 hours ago MUKOMUKO, Indonesia (AFP) — The death toll from a series of major earthquakes striking Indonesia's Sumatra rose to 23 on Saturday, while officials tallied more than 15,000 collapsed or damaged buildings. An initial 8.4-magnitude quake struck at dusk off Sumatra's west coast on Wednesday and was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks, jolting the coastal provinces of Bengkulu and West Sumatra most severely. Rustam Pakaya from the health ministry's crisis centre told AFP the toll had risen to 23, with 88 wounded.

Rescue teams have been continuing their hunt for victims feared trapped under thousands of buildings toppled by the quakes, and many traumatised survivors have been too petrified to return to their homes. In Bengkulu, nearly 2,000 houses were totally flattened and nearly 4,000 others badly damaged, said Bowo Santoso from the governor's disaster rescue centre. About 90 local hospitals and clinics were also damaged, he added. In West Sumatra, more than 9,700 houses collapsed or were too badly damaged to be inhabitable, said Suryadi from the disaster rescue centre there. More than 100 mosques and about 20 school buildings were also damaged, he said. Aid has been flowing to many of the affected areas, though some survivors had still not seen any of it. Hercules transport planes were to try to drop aid on several islands in the Mentawai group off Sumatra, which were badly hit by the quake and a small tsunami, said an official in the city of Padang. Frans Karel, an official on Pagai Utara island in the group, said no aid had yet been received and many frightened villagers were sheltering in the hills. "We haven't yet received aid. All the kiosks have collapsed and their food stocks are wet," he told AFP by telephone. "Almost 75 percent of houses on the coastline along a 10-kilometre (six-mile) stretch are badly damaged and collapsed." In the city of Mukomuko, about 260 kilometres north of Bengkulu, residents were desperate for help. "We have no rice, we have clothes, we have no kerosene. We want to buy supplies, but there is no one to sell them to us," 50-year-old resident Muslimar told AFP. The scale of the damage, considering the initial quake's size and subsequent shocks, has been much lower than initially feared. The UN has said no international aid effort would be required to help with recovery efforts.

Death Toll Rises from Indonesia Quake, Aftershocks By VOA News 15 September 2007 Indonesian authorities say the death toll has risen to 21 from a series of strong earthquakes and aftershocks that have hit the western island of Sumatra this week. Authorities announced the new death toll Saturday, as rescue workers tended to quake survivors. The health ministry now says at least 88 people have been injured. Seismologists say Indonesia has been hit by at least 40 big aftershocks after an initial eight-point-four magnitude earthquake struck Wednesday. Thousands of people are still sleeping outdoors for fear of falling debris. The quakes damaged hundreds of houses, leaving many people homeless. Despite the destruction, a U.N. assessment team says there is no need for a major international relief effort. The team visited Bengkulu, an area near the epicenter of the quake on Thursday. The Indonesian archipelago is prone to seismic activity because of its location on an arc of volcanos and fault lines circling the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a tsunami triggered by an underwater earthquake killed an estimated 230,000 people near Indian Ocean coastlines, including more than 160,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS ORIGIN TIME - 0602Z 14 SEP 2007 COORDINATES - 4.2 SOUTH 101.3 EAST LOCATION - SOUTHERN SUMATRA INDONESIA MAGNITUDE - 6.5 SEPT 14th: 5.2 2007/09/14 03:07:14 -3.010 101.083 39.2 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA 5.0 2007/09/14 01:31:57 -3.757 100.759 27.5 KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA 5.5 2007/09/14 01:02:07 -3.696 101.845 35.0 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA Sept 13th TSUNAMI WARNING /ADVISORY ISSUED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY-

SRI LANKA WITHDRAWAL of TSUNAMI ADVISORY WARNING ISSUED ON 13TH SEPT 2007 at 0610 HOURS has been WITHDRAWN AT 0900 hours 13/09/07 NEW: Quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 struck late Thursday 6.2 2007/09/13 16:09:10 -3.247 101.439 3.3 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA 6.2 2007/09/13 09:48:44 3.794 126.411 21.1 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA 7.0 2007/09/13 03:35:27 -2.160 99.581 10.0 KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA 7.9 2007/09/12 23:49:04 -2.506 100.906 30.0 KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA 5.1 2007/09/12 23:19:44 -4.082 100.907 10.0 SOUTHWEST OF SUMATRA, INDONESIA 5.3 2007/09/12 17:04:33 -7.598 126.085 307.3 KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA 5.9 2007/09/12 16:37:02 -3.142 101.377 21.2 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA 5.2 2007/09/12 15:35:09 -4.262 101.008 35.0 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA 6.0 2007/09/12 14:40:03 -3.227 101.361 18.8

SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA SEPT 13TH 2007 : 0600 HOURS TSUNAMI WARNING ALERT FROM METEOROLOGY DEPARTMENT!: MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND NOW! JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 struck late Thursday off the western coast of Sumatra, the same area shaken by a major 8.4-magnitude temblor that killed nine people Wednesday. A woman salvages items from her newly built house at Air Besi in North Bengkulu Thursday. The region has been wracked by quakes and aftershocks for the past two days. The most recent quake struck at 11:09 p.m. (12:09 p.m. ET), 110 kilometers (65 miles) west-northwest of Sumatra's Bengkulu province at a depth of only 3 km (2 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Indonesian government issued, then canceled, a tsunami alert. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. A quake with the same magnitude struck the region several hours earlier, at 5:48 p.m. (6:48 a.m. ET). The temblor vibrated under the Celebes Sea at a depth of about 21 km (13 miles). It was centered about 290 km (180 miles) northeast of Bitung, a city on the northern coast of Sulawesi, and the same distance south-southeast of General Santos, Mindanao, Philippines. Wednesday's quake generated a series of aftershocks, including two major ones early Thursday measuring 7.8 and 8.1, said David Applegate, senior science adviser at the U.S. Geological Survey. "It's been an incredible number of years for Indonesia and particularly for Sumatra" in terms of earthquakes, Applegate said on CNN's "American Morning" on Thursday. "What we have here is a subduction zone, where one of the Earth's plates is moving down beneath the other," he said. "In this case, the Indian Ocean and the Australian Plate are moving beneath the Eurasian Plate. "In this kind of a situation you're going to get earthquakes as the strain builds up, but what we're seeing now is almost every segment of this plate has ruptured just in the last several years," Applegate said. "In each case, it relieves pressure in one area but then that increases the pressure somewhere else. And so, for example, what we saw yesterday was the magnitude 8.4 quake ruptured to the north along this boundary. This 7.8 was at the northern end of that." In the past 24 hours the region has been rocked by heavy seismic activity -- with a total of at least 60 tremors rattling the country, according to Indonesia's Social Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie. The seismic shakedown began Wednesday night with a deadly 8.4-magnitude quake -- centered in southern Sumatra, which is west northwest of Jakarta. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Thursday morning at about 6:45 a.m. (7:45 p.m. Wednesday ET), USGS said. The epicenter was about 185 km south-southeast of Padang and about 200 km northwest of Bengkulu.
About four hours later, the USGS reported that a 7.1-magnitude quake had rocked the region. Sandwiched in-between were half a dozen temblors measuring 5.0 and above. At least 10 aftershocks of magnitude 5.1 to 6.0 were felt in the region after the larger quake, which shook buildings hundreds of miles away, killed at least nine people and generated a small tsunami about 60 cm high along the Sumatran coast. "Our main concern is the people," Bakrie said from Padang. "The victims are not as dire as we thought and everything has been taken care of." People in the Indian Ocean region have been extremely skittish about the possibility of earthquake-induced tsunamis since December 2004, when gigantic waves triggered by a 9.1-magnitude quake that killed more than 200,000 people in seven countries.

Wednesday evening's quake killed at least nine people in Bengkulu province and Padang, and an unknown number were injured or missing, according to officials. Search-and-rescue operations, suspended overnight, resumed at daylight Thursday, which also marked the start of the holy month of Ramadan in the mostly Muslim country. The relatively light loss of life can be attributed to national and provincial governments being battle-tested by a string of powerful earthquakes over the last three years, Bakrie said. "The people understand more about the problems and the danger of the earthquakes," according to Bakrie. "The central government as well as the district government, at the provincial level, has warned the people ... so the system works." The powerful quake shook buildings about 385 miles away in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and also in Singapore, about 435 miles from the epicenter. "Doors started to creak, and the whole apartment seemed to ... make a cracking noise," said Rahayu Saraswati, who lives on the 35th floor of a building in Jakarta. "We ran out to the emergency staircase with other residents of the floor and ran all the way down to the lobby." Bakrie said thousands of homes have been damaged in Sumatra. Indonesia, a chain of islands in a seismically active area, is highly prone to earthquakes.

Since the devastating tsunami of December 2004, Indonesia has fallen victim to 15 earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.3 or higher, according to the USGS.
The quakes have killed almost 8,000 people, with the bulk of the deaths coming last summer. The deadliest quake last summer came on May 26, 2006, when a magnitude-6.3 quake 16 km south-southeast of Yogyakarta left 5,749 dead.

On July 17, 2006, a magnitude-7.7 temblor hit 145 miles south-southwest of Tasikmalaya, in Indonesia's Java region. The quake killed 730 people.

Another devastating quake on March 28, 2005 -- a magnitude-8.7 about 201 km west-northwest of Sibolga -- killed 1,313 people.

TSUNAMI WARNING ISSUED SEPT 12th 8.4 2007/09/12 11:10:26 -4.521 101.370 30.0 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA 8.4 Earthquake strikes Sumatra Indonesia: Tsunami warning alert issued in region including Sri Lanka and the "ring of fire" nations.

CTEC is aiding in evacuating villagers three miles inland. 10 foot wave recored in Indonesia, 12 houses washed out to sea. An earthquake registering a massive 8.4 on the Richter scale has struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Officials in the West Sumatran town of Bengkulu, the closest major centre to the quake, have confirmed two deaths and 11 injuries. Buildings in the town, about 100 kilometres from the undersea epicentre of the earthquake, have also suffered damage. Padang shaken Further up the island's coast in Padang, at least three men are feared to be trapped beneath a collapsed car showroom. An Australian aid worker in the region, Karl Willcos of Surfaid International, says the full extent of the damage to the area is still being assessed.
"The place started shaking and then it just progressively got worse and the road was rolling and the towers were moving and the cars were like when you get a car and you've got a few people on each side of it and just pushing it from side to side," he said. "I've just seen some of the damage that's actually in the city here and it looks pretty bad."

JUNE /JULY 2007: We salute CHRIS MURPHY OF AUSTRALIA for his kind donation to our tsunami center. OUR HEARTS AND LOVE GO OUT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. THANKYOU FOR YOR SUPPORT AND WE HONOR YOU AS A NEW VOLUNTEER MEMBER.

26 October 2006 Heavy rains within next two days! Scientist Mr. K. D. Sujeewa said today that there wil be heavy rains for nest two days. He said that landslides may occur inin Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces. Heavy rains are expected in Western Vayamba provinces and Galle and Matara districts. Low foloods are expected in the river bed areas. Due to the intermonsoon situation, rainy and sunny days may alternate. (Divayina - Sinhala Daily ) India appoints eight disaster managemet troups India has decided to establish semi-military troups to handle disaster situations. Indian Inland Affairs Minister Sivaraj Patel said that they have already commenced training of these troups. He praised the efforts of the military and semi military forces following the Jambu Kashmir Earthquake. He said that they will expand these troups in future. (Divayina - Sinhala Daily) Floods claim 14 lives in western Bengal India Due to continuous rains in Western Beangal, 14 people have dies due to floods while i million people have been trapped due to floods.
Many people aree still in hunger whil diarrhoeal illnesses are on the upsurge. (Divayina - Sinhala Daily) USA - Wilma victims wait in queue for water After Hrricane Wilma claimed 6 lifes while distrupting electricity for 6 million people, many people are waiting in queues to obtain drining water and ice. People of the Western Neples to Eastern Miami cleared the roads and were waiting for assistance. According to redcross, 35,000 people were in temporary shelters. The airports of the area has been closed. (Divayina - Sinhala Daily) Kofi Annan requests 65 countries to keep the promises... UN Secretary General Kofi Annan requested the Ministers and High Officials of 65 countries to provide the 312 million U S Dollarf for the rehabilitation and reconstruction work after the Earth Quake in Pakistan. As the winterr is approaching, the displaced people whi reside in mountain valleys will face serious cinsequences in near future. Tents has become the urgent need today. (Divayina - Sinhala Daily) Watchout, Land Slides! Mr. Kapila Dahanayaka, Senior Lecturer in the University of Peradeniya warns that Landslides may occur with the sudden heavy rains in ten districts including Galle, Matara and Hambantota. Thus he warns the people living in these areas to be on alert. He said that areas where Landslide occured earlier may become active after rains again. He mentioned Deforestration as acause for Landslides. Divayina - 26 October 2005