Tsunami

I just awoke to hear the awful news from the Indian Ocean: Quake spawns killer tidal waves. This is reported as the fifth largest earthquake since 1900; 8.9 magnitude. The largest since the Prince William Sound quake in 1964 in which most of the death and destruction was due to tsunami as well.

Sri Lanka appears to be the hardest hit. My thoughts and prayers go out to Sanjiva and his family and to the many thousands of others effected.

A terrible reminder of just how indiscriminate the forces of nature can be.

Update: Sanjiva reports in on the effects of the tsunami.

Update: Sanjiva describes his (frustrating) experiences delivering relief to the effected areas around Galle. Reports of over 63,000 deaths thus far. In one of the most devastated areas in Indonesia (Aceh) which relief workers have been unable to get to because the devastation is so terrible, there are estimates of 40,000 deaths alone.

Simply unimaginable.