(2004-12-27) Prometheus Books
It is estimated that 24,000 people may have died as a result of a tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean. Such a natural disaster was forecasted in the book Our Molecular Future, as was an inexpensive way of saving lives. With a few million dollars, western governments, industries, and aid agencies could have paid
(Amherst, NY)—Thousands of fatalities from an Indonesian tsunami were "largely avoidable, cheaply" had only a few million dollars been spent for a globalized tsunami warning network, says the author of a technology book about high-tech defenses against giant earthquakes and tsunamis.
In Our Molecular Future (Prometheus Books 2002), Douglas Mulhall describes how advanced technologies could prevent wholesale loss of life such as that seen in the Christmas catastrophe. The book forecasted that it would take such a globalized catastrophe to shake governments and industries into using inexpensive, cutting edge technology to prevent so much death.
"Now we'll see if this one is big enough to force globalized solutions," Mulhall said. "We have globalized tourism, oil, and other industries—it's time for a globalized tsunami detection network. It's a lot cheaper than the loss of life we've seen here."
"The world science community has been calling for a globalized tsunami detection network for years and no one heard them, especially the tourism industry whose millions of customers are at risk, and western governments whose nationals are at risk when they visit seaside communities, or aid agencies who have to clean up the mess" Mulhall said.
"What's maddening about this disaster is that we don't have to wait for new technologies—everything is available right now. The idea that tsunami preparedness is expensive is a ludicrous myth. Look at how many millions of dollars the aid agencies have already come up with in a day. Just a fraction of that would have prevented such vast death." Mulhall said.
He added that developing nation governments around the Indian Ocean are far from the only ones to blame for the refusal to fund such inexpensive systems. Western nations as much as developing countries "must be held accountable" for the massive yet avoidable loss of life because they have billions of dollars invested and millions of citizens visiting in the region. Mulhall also chastized aid agencies for failing to step up to the plate with an ounce of prevention to prevent a pound of cure.
"This was waiting to happen,” said Mulhall, "The risks have been there all along. They knew about them and had been told about them. A few million dollars would have done it."
Mulhall pointed out that some of the infrastructures are already in place because most ports are required to have tide measuring devices in place. This is a primitive but effective early warning for other ports in the path of tsunami, if the devices are tied together electronically, which is relatively inexpensive. "But that's just a small part of what could be an effective yet inexpensive network," he hastened to add.
Mulhall harshly criticized "lame excuses already being hatched" by western governments and other agencies. "It is nonsense to say that this was a surprise. Every big tsunami is a 'surprise', but that doesn't mean we can't plan to survive them. Especially in Indonesia they are regular phenomena." Mulhall pointed out that thousands have died in Indonesia over the past generation due to tsunami.
To interview Douglas Mulhall, contact him directly at 604-228-1089 (cell 778-858-5171) or Mulhall@OurMolecularFuture.com. For a review copy or press materials, contact Prometheus Books publicity at 800-853-7545.
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