The Web of hope

The Internet is an effective tool to mobilise resources to help tsunami-hit people, says Puneet Mehrotra.

'And Thou, vast Ocean! on whole awful face
Time's iron feet can print no ruin trace.'
--Robert Montgomery, The Omnipresence of the Deity

The Day of Tsunami

Songs, moments, romances. The soothing sunsets, the whispering waves and the caressing breeze. Isn't that what we always associated the ocean with? A date changed it all causing devastation of unimaginable magnitude and misery beyond imagination.

On Sunday, December 26, 2004 the largest earthquake to strike the globe since 1964 caused devastating tsunami waves that have killed over 1,50,000 so far. The 8.9-magnitude quake hit December 26 off the coast of Indonesia, triggering these extremely large waves bringing massive flooding, damage and loss of life in the region. Waves as high as 20 feet crashed into the coastal areas near the Bay of Bengal. Among the worst affected countries are Sri Lanka and India, as well as Indonesia, Maldives and Thailand. Reports are that thousands of people are missing, and it is possible that the number of dead may tragically rise in the coming days.