Tsunami Update 3: Christmas Island

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Remember my Christmas Day greeting to Christmas Island? (See previous article.) Well, I have noticed that a significant amount of traffic hitting superchefblog has included searches for news about Christmas Island. After so many years as a foreign correspondent, I was compelled to investigate, and here is I gleaned about our friends there. Far from being in danger, according to an excellent article by The Austrialian, Christmas Island is actually well positioned to help provide early warning for tsunamis. Geoscience Australia is working with the Bureau of Meteorology and Emergency Management to establish a tsunami alert service based on tide gauges off the shores of the Cocos Islands and Christmas Island, to provide several hours' advance warning of a tsunami -- like a tsunami arising from the area of Sumatra. (Click here for an MPEG movie that shows the wake of the tsnami, courtesy of Geoscience Australia.) Let's hope, then, that nearby governments chip in to create this early warning system, and that its benefits extend as well to the hosting Cocos Islands -- and Christmas Island. Previous articles: New Year's Resolution: Eat Well, Help Others Tsunami Update 2: Race Against More Death Tsunami Update 1: Foodies Help 2004 Tsunami: How Foodies Can Help Hello, Christmas Island! Baking From the Heart