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The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 affected several countries in Southeast Asia and caused an unprecedented loss of life and property along the southern coast of India. The islands of [...]

This ethnography examines the disaster relief work of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Aceh, Indonesia, following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. MCC'S work is informed by the theologies and historical experiences of the North American Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. An intentional focus of MCC'S work was a substantive interfaith encounter between MCC workers, all of whom identified as Christian, and Acehnese Muslims. Through an examination of interpersonal relationships, organizational partnerships, and materiality, I trace the ambiguities and transformative potential within these interactions. Encounters are not simply the unfurling of predetermined scripts, but rather dynamic spaces of negotiation. Focusing on encounters counteracts tendencies to reify and essentialize religious disaster relief. KEYWORDS: disaster relief--humanitarianism--interfaith--Aceh--Islam--Indonesia--Indian Ocean tsunami--Christianity--Mennonite Central Committee, GIVEN TRENCHANT critiques of the category of 'religion' as an ahistorical and transcultural object of analysis (Asad 1993), how should the roles of religion in disaster relief be conceptualized and [...]

WHAT DOES it mean to offer salvation in the midst of disaster? This is the question that animates the articles in this special issue, all of which probe the complex [...]

It's the day after Christmas, 2004. I'm eight years old. It's about 8:30 AM, and the sea is acting funny. It drags itself back kilometer after kilometer. We watch it [...]

Problem statement: Ionospheric precursors of earthquake have been studied by scientists and seismologists. This study aims at examining the relationship between the ionosphere and earthquake precursors. The effects of the anomalous electric field that penetrates the ionosphere on the electron concentration can be measured experimentally. This study reports on the variability of the Total Electron Content (TEC) during the December 26, 2004 earthquake in North Sumatra (epicentre: 3.295[degrees]N, 95.982[degrees]E) which measured 9.3 on the Richter scale. Approach: The ionospheric TEC near North Sumatra between December 19 to 31 was calculated between 22:00 and 24:00 and between 02:00 and 06:00 local time (LT) using a dual frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. It was recorded for a period of 13 days, which is seven days before and five days after the earthquake. The GPS data was taken from the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia in the north of Malaysia (4.1[degrees]N, 99.8[degrees]E), which is near North Sumatra. Four sets of data were selected from different GPS satellites that passed near the epicentre. Results: Results show good agreement with the existence of earthquake precursors. TEC variability was detected at night and in the early morning of 21 December 2004 (five days before the earthquake) and 25 December 2004 (a day before). Findings show an increase in the electron concentration level at the station closest to the epicentre and the TEC varies from 2-10 TEC unit. Conclusion/Recommendations: The findings correspond with previous research and literature in this field. Further studies on the parameters that cause the change in the ionospheric TEC due to earthquakes are needed if this is to be used as part of an earthquake early warning prediction system. Key words: Ionosphere, TEC, earthquake, Global Positioning System (GPS), INTRODUCTION The variability of electron concentration in the ionosphere (measured by ground based ionosondes and dual system GPS receivers) around the time of earthquake has been studied by scientists and [...]

This paper reports on the effects of the great Sumatra earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004, in and around Port Blair, the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. The earthquake shaking and subsequent tsunami caused substantial damage to structures that include buildings, harbors, overhead water tanks, seaport control towers, and so on. Other important structures, for example, dams, bridges, hangars, and so on, also suffered minor damage without disrupting their functioning. Reinforced concrete structures on the islands were the worst performers, while traditionally constructed timber and masonry structures performed well in response to ground shaking. The mandatory Indian Standards were not complied within the design of many recent structures on the islands located in the most severe seismic zone in India. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0887-3828(2007)21:2(128) CE Database subject headings: Reconnaissance; Tsunamis; Damage assessment; Concrete, reinforced; Masonry; Timber construction; India.

The inability of the modern moral imagination and technical organization, which failed to deal with, troubled reality of evil and suffering following the earthquake and tsunami that decimated much of Southeast Asia in December 2004 is narrated. The wisdom that could fathom such natural disasters requires communal practices where one's vulnerability is scripted as a special sort of moral strength by participation in the Trinitarian exchange of love.

A study is conducted to examine the physical characteristics of Indian Ocean Tsunami. A simple tsunami tank is designed to run simulations in the class room.

The European Union's (EU) response and coordination, the impact and relief efforts, the sustainability of post-tsunami policies, and the effects of tsunami in terms of European public opinion are discussed. An argument that the EU should be less focused on building capabilities, and much more on developing a coherent common vision guiding all its external policies is presented.

The peace agreement signed by the Indonesian government and Achenese separatists in August 2005 is successful and is moving towards a committed political change. The positive international engagement in Aceh after the tsunami in December 2004 offering multinational aid, and a greater professionalism and effectiveness of the Indonesian military are the main reasons for the weakening in the political motivation of the fight for full independence and the enduring peace in Aceh.

ABSTRACT Background Following natural disasters, mismanagement of the dead has consequences for the psychological well-being of survivors. However, no technical guidelines currently exist for managing mass fatalities following large natural [...]

The overall natural disasters in 2005 began with preoccupied Asia's tsunami, a tidal wave originating from a 9.15-magnitude undersea earthquake about 100 miles west of Sumatra, also Pakistan's worst earthquake with 7.6 magnitude about 65 miles northeast of Islamabad with its epicenter Azad Jammu and Kashmir, meanwhile a global avian flu pandemic contracted from infected poultry in Asia. The short-term impact graved in both, humanitarian and ecological terms, while medium term recorded in annual gross domestic product growth rates.

The tsunami of December 26,2004, the biggest natural disaster to strike Sri Lanka in centuries, dominated the scene in the first half of 2005. Disputes within the government on arrangements to distribute international aid in cooperation with the major militant Tamil rebel group resulted in political turmoil.

At 00:58 GMT on December 26 2004, a shift in the tectonic plates of the earth's crust caused a massive displacement of water in the Indian Ocean. Over the next [...]

On 26 December 2004, an earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami, causing an estimated 225 000 deaths in 8 countries (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Thailand) on [...]

The roles and efforts of photojournalists from across the world in the tsunami affected areas of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and other places are described. Their job not only involved reporting news through their lenses but also maintaining objectivity and integrity and helping those in need through the means of photojournalism.