Public urged not to jam Asia quake hotline with travel queries
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The government urged the British public not to jam the hotline for the Asian tidal wave disaster with travel inquiries after families desperate for news of missing loved ones had trouble getting through.
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Powerful earthquakes in Indonesia recall the 2004 tsunami and prompt concerns over whether we're ready for another disaster
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(InfoWorld) - A powerful earthquake that struck northern Japan Monday morning has caused disruption to communications services in the country. The earthquake struck at 10:13 a.m. just off the coast of Niigata prefecture, which is north west of Tokyo. The magnitude 6.8 quake registered an intensity of 6+ on Japan's scale of 0 to 7, in three locations. Citing figures collected at 1:30 p.m. Japan's NHK television reported at least two people were killed and more than 190 people injured. Television images showed dozens of collapsed buildings and damage to structures such as bridges. At one point black smoke was seen rising from the Kashiwazaki nuclear plant but the operator said this was from an electrical transformer that had caught fire and the reactors had shut down safely with no release of radiation. Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world and buildings standards are high to avoid widespread damage during strong quakes. As a result of the temblor major telecommunications carriers have imposed restrictions on phone calls into and out of the affected area. NTT East, the major fixed-line provider in the area, has activated its "disaster dial 171" service that allows people in the area to leave voicemail messages that can be checked by those in the rest of the country. An Internet version of the service, Web 171 has also been activated and allows those affected to leave voice, still image and video images for friends. The major cell phone carriers have similarly restricted calls and activated their own disaster message board services on wireless Internet sites. The restrictions are put on telecom networks to keep lines free for emergency purposes and also to avoid a collapse of the network due to the massive surge in calls often seen after a powerful earthquake.
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The fact that the tsunami happened at the peak of tourist season could deter others from coming in the future. Other countries weren&#39;t hit as hard.
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A satellite-alert system launches in quake-prone Japan that will instantly trigger tsunami and volcanic activity warnings by siren and radio to help speed evacuations. By the Associated Press.
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The state government in India&#39;s Tamil Nadu state, one of the areas hardest hit by Sunday&#39;s Indian Ocean tsunami, issued a tsunami alert on Thursday and warned people to leave coastal areas.
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The Indian Ocean tsunami has pushed disaster early warning to the top of the agenda at a meeting of the world's small islands, potentially crowding out concerns about climate change and trade, some delegates say.
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A Monday-morning earthquake that registered 6.8 on the Richter scale is causing trouble with communications across Japan.
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The BBC News website has received many appeals for missing persons following the Asia earthquake disaster. Can you help?
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Thousands of lives could have been spared if warnings had alerted civilians to head inland after a huge undersea earthquake in Indonesia, Asian officials said Monday.
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BANDA ACEH, Indonesia  - Angry residents in Indonesia's Aceh have disabled a tsunami warning system after a false alarm spread panic in a province still traumatized by the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, an official said on Thursday.
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The government now has a hotline for people to call with complaints about flight disruptions over the Christmas holiday weekend, the Transportation Department's inspector general said on Friday.
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Britons who reported people missing in Asia, but have since heard they are alive are urged to contact the authorities.
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Thousands of European tourists in Asian beach resorts were listed dead or missing in the wake of the tidal waves that engulfed the region after an earthquake.
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TECHNOLOGY:A regional system offering more timely and accurate warnings about quakes and tsunamis could have saved many lives, experts say.
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STOCKHOLM  - Half a world away from the havoc of the tidal waves in Asia, Scandinavians desperate for information about loved ones gone missing while on holiday scoured the Internet for news amid reports that thousands of them may have perished.
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Anxious relatives trying to locate survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster overwhelm a Red Cross website set up to help track loved ones. Organizers are setting up a larger server.