A Decade After the Boxing Day Tsunami

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Do you remember what you were doing on this day in 2004?

It was, of course, the day after Christmas. I had made plans to meet my brother to see "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," which had just premiered the day before.

We never really decided on a time or place to see it, though, until virtually the last minute that day. We met for lunch at a burger place and looked through the movie listings in the Dallas paper until we found a good starting time at a theater that was reasonably close. It was a Sunday, and it was kind of wet and dreary. The Cowboys were playing the Washington Redskins that afternoon, and we kind of hoped that would keep people at home in front of their TV sets, but nobody really seemed to care about the game. The Cowboys were on their way to a dismal 6–10 finish.

Consequently, my memory is that the theater was kind of full, and we wound up getting seats that were less than ideal.

Such a problem would be seen as trivial a few hours later after the world became aware of the deadly tsunami that had rolled across the Indian Ocean that day. The tsunami was triggered by an underwater earthquake that registered a magnitude of 9.3; that is only an estimate, of course, but if it is accurate, that would make it the second– or third–strongest earthquake in recorded history.

How strong is a 9.3 earthquake? The one that struck 10 years ago today is thought to have had the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima bombs. It caused at least 227,898 deaths.

In the aftermath of the tsunami, some proposed the creation of a global tsunami warning system, but because of the relative rarity of tsunamis in some areas — including the Indian Ocean, even though earthquakes are fairly common in Indonesia — a global network of sensors would be necessary, and that can be too costly for poor countries. Also, the world has so little experience with tsunamis that it would be extremely difficult to find enough people with the expertise to monitor and assess global conditions for tsunamis in the making. The first real sign of a tsunami is the earthquake itself, but if it happens far from shore, the tsunami may travel a great distance, as it did in 2004, before striking areas where the earthquake was barely felt, if at all, before it is noticed.

Tsunamis eventually reach a point where they begin to dissipate if they don't strike land, but they can still cause damage when they do; and tsunamis can be deceptive. Initially, they may resemble rising tides.

Something else to keep in mind — not all undersea earthquakes produce tsunamis. An undersea earthquake in almost the same area about three months later was estimated to be 8.7 (which would still make it one of the 15 strongest earthquakes in recorded history) but produced no tsunami.

The 2004 earthquake struck, as I recall, off the west coast of Indonesia that morning, which would have been Christmas evening here in the United States.

But, initially, no one knew what had happened, and it wouldn't become apparent to the world that anything out of the ordinary had happened until the tsunami wave had traveled across the Indian Ocean to the east coast of Africa, a journey that probably took about 10 hours.

Actually, what many people don't realize is that a tsunami is not a single wave but rather a series of waves that can come in surges separated by five minutes to an hour. The first wave is not always the most dangerous.

"A tsunami, when it approaches, is silent," observed survivor Alexa Moses, a writer from Australia, in The Age. A tsunami simply doesn't attract attention until it strikes land. The longer it takes to strike land, the more strength it can accumulate — until it reaches that point where its strength begins to diminish.

And a portion of the tsunami did strike India shortly after the earthquake, but most of it traversed the Indian Ocean unobstructed until it reached Africa.

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For that matter, more than 130,000 of the casualties were in Indonesia, but not all of those deaths could be blamed on the tsunami. If you've ever seen footage of the aftermath of land–based earthquakes, you know that people die when buildings and bridges collapse, when they are struck by falling debris, etc., and it is reasonable to assume that many of the deaths in Indonesia were the result of being near the epicenter of a 9.3–magnitude earthquake.

Many deaths, of course, were the result of the tsunami, which was quite powerful in the immediate vicinity. Take a look at the link to Moses' article. You will see aerial photographs that clearly show how the topography was changed.

None of what had happened was being reported on TV as I prepared to meet my brother or on the radio as I drove to the burger place. After I got home from the movie, I saw the first reports I had seen of the destruction. It was astonishing.

It was also astonishing to see the world's response to the disaster. Relief efforts raised $14 billion. Many of the survivors of the tsunami still have a long journey in front of them, but that money made getting started on that journey less difficult.

The Fickle Finger of Fate

Remember a few years ago when voters in Iraq had their index fingers dipped in purple ink to show that they had participated in the election?

Apparently, a similar practice was followed in some recent local elections in India, and the mark from that election apparently is still visible.

So, in the current general elections, the Election Commission has decided to mark the middle finger on the left hand.

Now, when India's voters are asked to prove their electoral participation, perhaps they can simultaneously demonstrate what they think of the process itself — or the eventual outcome.

The Shifting Sands in the Middle East

DEBKAfile says its military sources are reporting that "some 20,000 troops of Pakistan's 14th Division are said to have been diverted from the Waziristan border region with Afghanistan to the Line of Control in Kashmir and the international border with India."

This poses a problem for the incoming Obama administration because, as DEBKAfile reports, it represents "a loss of one-fifth of the total Pakistani force fighting the Taliban and al Qaeda."

Someone is going to have to pick up the slack if the Taliban are to be kept from re-taking control of Afghanistan and making it the sanctuary for al Qaeda that it was before the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Once again, I urge Obama to re-deploy troops from Iraq to Afghanistan so the important work that has been done there in the last seven years will not be undone because of increasing tensions between Pakistan and India.

And I urge Hillary Clinton, as the incoming secretary of state, to get involved immediately to prevent hostilities between Pakistan and India. Such hostilities would almost certainly result in the use of nuclear weapons by one or even both.

And such an exchange is the last thing the world needs.

The Lessons of Pearl Harbor

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The USS Arizona sinks during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack.

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Today is the 67th anniversary of a day of tremendous significance for people in my parents’ generation — the attack on Pearl Harbor.

It was early on Sunday morning, Hawaii time, when the Japanese planes arrived in Pearl Harbor and reduced the ships there to burning wreckage.

Back on the American mainland, it was around lunchtime. I’ve heard stories of people coming home from church that day and eating their Sunday meal, then turning on the radio and hearing reports of the attack.

But the recollections I’ve heard in my life, unfortunately, came from people who were mere children themselves when the Japanese struck. And their memories were from children’s perspectives.

The day Pearl Harbor was attacked, my father was 11 years old, less than a week from his 12th birthday. My mother had turned 10 in August. Their attention spans still must have been drawn to childlike things — dolls and marbles and such.

It was the people of my grandparents’ generation who were (moderately) young adults when the Japanese launched the "date which will live in infamy," as Franklin Roosevelt famously put it.

Unfortunately, most of the people in my world who were part of my grandparents’ generation passed away when I was still a child.

So I have had to rely on what I’ve found in the writings and the records from that period.

And what I’ve always found intriguing in Roosevelt’s speech to Congress and the nation (via radio) the following day was not his talent for turning a phrase, like "a date which will live in infamy" — although he clearly had a gift in that regard.

What struck me was the way he skillfully made his case, like an attorney in a courtroom, for America's entry into a war he had made obvious steps to avoid up to that point — in deference to the isolationist mood of the country.

In fact, Roosevelt had won an unprecedented third term the year before — in large part because he could claim to have kept the country out of war.

One hour after the attack began, Roosevelt declared in his speech, Japanese officials sent a response to the Americans’ latest overture for peace. In that reply, the Japanese rejected it, claiming that "it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations," yet the Japanese response "contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack."

Roosevelt also observed that, due to the great distance between Japan and Hawaii, it was "obvious" the attack was premeditated, planned "many days or even weeks ago."

History has yielded records that prove that Roosevelt was right beyond his wildest dreams. The attack on Pearl Harbor had been considered for years.

Here's the text of his speech. Like "The Gettysburg Address," it was brief but it played a major role in American history.

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"Mr. Vice President [Henry A. Wallace], Mr. Speaker [Sam Rayburn], members of the Senate and the House of Representatives: yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

"The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor [Hirohito] looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador [Kichisaburō Nomura] to the United States and his colleague [Saburō Kurusu] delivered to our Secretary of State [Cordell Hull] a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

"It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

"Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

"Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

"As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

"But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

"Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger. With confidence in our armed forces — with the unbounding determination of our people — we will gain the inevitable triumph — so help us God.

"I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire."

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dec. 8, 1941

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While it was disgraceful in the following years when America put Japanese-Americans into its own concentration camps, in 1941 Roosevelt did not make racial or religious factors part of his case. He emphasized the unprovoked nature of the attack.

It isn’t surprising that Pearl Harbor, like September 11 a few generations later, made such an impression on everyone who lived through it, young and old alike. Like the Kennedy assassination or Nixon’s resignation, it was a moment that was shared by everyone.

But it also was memorable, of course, simply because it was so unexpected.

And a glimpse at the casualty figures bears witness to its devastation:

• 5 battleships sunk,


• 2 destroyers sunk, 1 damaged


• 1 other ship sunk, 3 damaged


• 3 battleships damaged,


• 3 cruisers damaged


• 188 aircraft destroyed, 155 aircraft damaged,


• 2,345 military and 57 civilians killed,


• 1,247 military and 35 civilians wounded.

It seems to me that there is a lesson in that for the people of Mumbai and India.

In the aftermath of last month’s terrorist attacks, I read several columns in online Indian publications that complained of an "openness to strangers" that prevailed in Mumbai before the assault. Such an openness, it was said in many columns, "invited trouble."

It is said today, as it was said in the days following September 11 in this country — and I’m sure there were those who said it after Pearl Harbor — that this is the price you pay for living in an open society.

And while there may be a movement in India to clamp down in the name of national security, I would remind the politicians in that country that the administration of good security policy requires good sense from those who make the policy.

There are valuable lessons to be learned from history.