Spurred by countless heart-wrenching, as well as heart-warming, stories from the mega-catastrophe generated by the tsunami along the coasts of southern Asia on Dec. 26, many individual Canadians (as well as some concerned mining companies) have responded with an unprecedented outpouring of relief contributions, proving McLuhan’s adage about the emerging global village.
One of the extraordinary stories aired by the media that may be familiar to some readers was that of a 9-year-old English schoolgirl, Angie Smith, who was vacationing with her parents at a beach resort in southern Thailand. Having recently learned about tsunamis at school, she wisely recognized that the sea’s sudden withdrawal was a precursor to a lethal tsunami and succeeded in convincing her parents and many others to leave the beach quickly, saving many lives.
While the immediate needs of the millions afflicted are obvious, along with the need to rebuild these devastated communities over the ensuing decade, it is hoped that this disaster will also spark a strengthening of science education in Canada and other countries, particularly in the geosciences, and at all levels, so that better-informed citizens can not only recognize relatively rare dangers such as tsunamis, as did our precocious heroine Angie Smith, but also more generally support important technology initiatives such as establishing tsunami warning systems.
Jerry Roth
Toronto
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