January 08, 2005

Why No SMS Tsunami Warnings?

Fishermen have cell phones, which gives them access to multimillion dollar communications networks. The cellphone penetration throughout the whole area of the disaster was such that if SMS messaging had been used to give a warning, tens of thousands of lives might have been spared. The U. S. had enough time to notify its naval base on Diego Garcia. Why did it not make even the slightest attempt to notify anyone else? Even a partly successful attempt would have saved many lives, particularly in coastal cities and resorts.

blog entry w/links

~How many NOAA scientists and US military officers (six? twelve?) watched this once in a millenium phenomena unfold, (at the office, on their home PCs, via text messages) and knew that thousands of people were in danger but couldn't be bothered to call one resort, one hotel, one hospital in the targeted area? (I've called friends in other states after seeing tornado warnings on the weather channel.)
Is there any way to learn these experts' names? To ask them "what were you doing in the minutes or hours after you heard about the quake and before the waves hit shore? What were you thinking?"

Posted by Cieciel at January 8, 2005 10:01 AM