I was stunned when I heard this from the LORD, but he began to explain to me his perspective. He would rather have children return to him at a young age, then for them to be "Eternally damned" because of there belief system and religion. India is a nation which is filled with idols and false god's and temples that are filled with rats, where as people from there nation worship them. The reason why the LORD does not respect those things as some people do, is because they are not real at all and deceive people with false hope.  

The US Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) Program was funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented from August 1, 2005, to March 31, 2008. The $16.6 million US program involved several partner agencies with specialized expertise and technical resources for the region. In addition to USAID, these agencies included the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), US Geological Survey (USGS), US Department of Agriculture/Forest Service (USDA/FS), and US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) in Bangkok managed the program with the coordination support of a contractor that served as the Program Integrator (PI), a consortium of technical organizations led by the IRG-Tetra Tech Joint Venture and including the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and the University of Rhode Island.

The objective of the US IOTWS Program was to provide strategic support to the international effort led by the IOC to develop an operational IOTWS that provides integrated end-to-end capabilities at the regional, national, and local levels within a multi-hazard framework. Following completion of the Program, US Government agencies and Program partners will continue to provide technical guidance and capacity building through to help ensure the long-term sustainability of Program tools, products, and initiatives. Further information on the Program activities, outcomes, and plans for sustainability are below and at the links to the left.

End-to-end refers to a system that incorporates several individual components that operate in a sequence to produce a fully functioning system. These components include the initial detection of an earthquake and potential tsunamis, data analysis, formulation and dissemination of the warning, and finally, response by the community to the warning.

The Tsunami of December 26, 2004

On the morning of December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.3 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island caused a massive tsunami that spread outward and struck coastlines across the Indian Ocean. Almost 300,000 people in eight countries perished over the next 12 hours, and 1.5 million more lost their homes or livelihoods. While it may not have been possible to have prevented all loss of life from the December 2004 tsunami, the death toll would have been drastically reduced if an early warning system had been in place to alert communities to evacuate the coastal areas and move inland. To mitigate the damage and loss of life from future disasters, world leaders called for a coordinated effort by the international community and the Indian Ocean countries to develop an end-to-end early warning system for the entire Indian Ocean region.

International Community Responds

In addition to the extensive disaster relief and reconstruction that followed the tsunami, the international community took a series of steps to initiate a coordinated effort to develop an Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS). Working through a series of meetings convened by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the governments of the region agreed to develop an IOTWS within an interconnected network to be coordinated through an Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) under the auspices of the IOC.

United States Contribution to the Development of the IOTWS

The US responded immediately in the aftermath of the tsunami with extensive relief to the region. In the days following the December 26, 2004, tsunami, in cooperation with other donors and private organizations, US support helped ensure that critical needs for food, shelter, and water and sanitation were met. The US government’s participation in the reconstruction efforts included rebuilding roads and other infrastructure, training to help develop new skills and livelihoods, strengthening community governance and political infrastructure, and supporting the development of an end-to-end IOTWS and strengthening disaster preparedness skills throughout the region.

In 2005, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the US IOTWS Program as the US Government’s direct contribution to the international IOTWS effort led by the IOC. Through this two-year, $16.6 million effort, US scientists and experts shared technical expertise, provided guidance, and helped build multi-hazard warning system capacity within the Indian Ocean region so that governments and communities will be able to detect and prepare for tsunamis and other coastal hazards.