The USGS has a nice site showing current worldwide earthquake activity.

Found some good information on the NOAA website called Tsunamis: The Great Waves. Most governments assume tsunamis are a Pacific Ocean problem. India and some other Indian Ocean countries didn’t have any warning network set up.

I wonder if such a network exists for the Atlantic. The Atlantic is fairly quiet of seismic activity, but then again, that’s what was said about the Indian Ocean before Sunday. If one of those large rocks came calling from space, Sunday’s tsunami would seem like a ripple.

On another note, here’s a nice website which details relief efforts underway.

Our phone number used to belong to a popular local family because it generates lots of wrong numbers. This morning’s sleet generated the following call:
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I can see why the fear of tsunamis runs so deep in Japanese culture. The earthquake and resulting tsunami is stunning in its devastation. At this moment, the death toll stands at a horrific 11,800 people, and that number is bound to rise. Hit hardest were some of the poorest, most-suffering people on Earth.

Phuket, the popular Thailand tourist resort, was hit especially hard. Phuket was the favorite port of those I visited while in the Navy. The Laguna Beach, Pattaya Beach, and Patong areas were smashed by waves towering 10 meters high.

Nothing I could complain about in life could ever compare to the misery these poor people are feeling. Unthinkable.

From the forecast discussion of the local NWS office (emphasis mine):

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)…
A SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER EVENT WILL BE MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY MORNING.

(snip)

…WITH THE CYCLOGENESIS NOW OCCURRING WELL OVER THE DATA-VOID GULF OF MEXICO…THE MODELS ARE LIKELY UNDERESTIMATING THE STRENGTH OF THIS SYSTEM.

7. Vacation In Florida. The hits just keep on coming! Coming in at number 7 is our August vacation in Panama City Beach. Yes, with all that was going on, we actually found the time (and the money) to take a vacation. The Sterling Beach resort condominums were top-rate, a fact made all too clear by our choice to stay at the aging Commodore on our most recent trip.
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Merry Christmas! I hope you’re enjoying it with family and friends.

Kelly and I are enjoying the two best gifts we’ve ever given each other (though only one of them was “given” this year): Hallie and Travis.

Santa’s got nothing on us!

8. Hallie Starts Preschool. Wow. What a landmark in a parent’s life: the day your child starts preschool. It was hard letting go of Hallie, even for a few hours, but it was inevitable that it happened. And its been so good for her development.

There has been an occasional tearful preschool morning for Hallie, but for the most part, she thrives on the learning and playing that takes place there. Kelly for her part gets a little break from being a Mommy (or at least, she used to!). And we all gain a little independence.

Hallie begins a new preschool in weeks. I’m confident she’ll take to it like she did the other one. It’s so much fun to see her soak up so much information. She’s really amazing.

9. Adventures In Driving. My flawless driving record hit a few bumps this year, both which I wouldn’t care to repeat. Curiously, both happened within a month of each other, making me wonder where my head was at the time.

The first was July 8th when my car got backed into at Char-Grill. Getting the damage fixed turned into a huge hassle. The car was painted the wrong color the first time, causing me to have to hound everyone involved to get it right. Fortunately, I succeeded and it looks great. I even bought the other driver some movie passes, just to show there’s no hard feelings.

The other driving event was one where I was solely responsible. Or irresponsible, as it were. I was driving the family back from Kelly’s parents’ house in Warrenton on July 8th when I chose the wrong hill to speed over. I held off blogging about it because I didn’t want it to become the focus of our upcoming family vacation. The trooper was reasonable (and happy I showed up to court early), the driving school was mildly entertaining, and I am now a more careful driver.

Not a bad outcome, all in all.