Did Diego Garcia Suffer Heavy Tsunami Damage?

Did the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean suffer a big hit from the Indonesian Tsunami on Dec 26th, 2004?

Considering Diego Garcia's proximity to the epicentre of the Indonesian Quake of Dec. 26th, 2004 (equidistant as compared to Sri Lanka) and the island's geography as a coral atoll with no elevation higher than 22 feet above sea level, it is only logical to conclude that the island may have been devastated!

The island covers 6,720 acres in area with a maximum height of 22 feet and an average elevation of four feet.

Research about the US/British base in the Indian Ocean called Diego Garcia:

It acts as an important military base and a secret space port. Lots of American B-2 Bombers are parked there, right at sea level.

Are things are being hushed up?

There are conflicting reports that Diego Garcia suffered terrible damage.

The Pentagon via Fox News said that there were no injuries and there was no damage at Diego Garcia due to the tsunami.

Do you believe them?

Locate Diego Garcia and Sri Lanka on the world map:

http://dg21.net/where_in_the_world_is_diego_garcia.htm

http://dg21.net/Indian%20Ocean2.htm

Courtesy News Watcher


This website received an email from a reader who in turn had been in contact with a serviceman stationed on the island. They had earlier received an email from the atoll itself that read in part:

"Road inaccessible to the other side of the island. There was no damage to any facilities".

This has been further substantiated by a posting on another website which reads:

“Initial indications are that Diego Garcia was not affected by the Andaman Tsunami of 26 December 2004. It is located south of the tip of India, well with in range of what the tsunami, with a max elevation of 22 and an average elevation of only 4 feet.

Civilians monitoring shortwave radio reported on rec.radio.shortwave that a female operator, in answer to a query from an aircraft after giving weather information, reported no ill effects from the earthquake.

Officials said the Diego Garcia Navy Support Facility, which houses about 1,700 military personnel and 1,500 civilian contractors, suffered no damage related to the earthquake and ensuing tsunamis. Personnel at the facility reported no unusual activity or problems over the weekend. Diego Garcia, the southernmost island in the Chagos Archipelago, sits about 1,000 miles south of India and roughly 2,000 miles from the earthquake¹s epicenter. Even though an earthquake like Sunday¹s will radiate destructive waves in all directions, the damage caused by the water differs greatly depending on the undersea topography.

Favorable ocean topography minimized the tsunami¹s impact on the atoll. Diego Garcia is part of the Chagos Archipelago, situated on the southernmost part of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge. To the east lies the Chagos Trench, a 400 milelong, underwater canyon that ranges in depth from less than 1,00 meters below the surface to depths that plunge to over 5,000 meters. It is one of the deepest regions of the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia is located to the west of Chagos Trench, which runs north and south. The depth of the Chagos Trench and grade to the shores does not allow for tsunamis to build before passing the atoll. The result of the earthquake was seen as a tidal surge estimated at six feet.”
www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/diego-garcia.htm

Assuming this is genuine we leave it at that. Ed.

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Last updated 02/01/2005

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