So forget the Ides of March, apparently, it's March 28 you should be worried about.

In an article '41 years ago today', the Vancouver Sun reminds us of a local tragedy:

It's just after midnight on March 28, 1964. People in Pt. Alberni..listening to radio reports of a major earthquake in Alaska, are bracing for a tsunami heading their way. The Alaska quake had a magnitude of 9.2, strongest in North America's recorded history, lasted more than three minutes and caused enormous damage, especially in Anchorage. More than 100 people were killed in the state, many more to the giant waves than to collapsing buildings.

Four hours later the first wave of the tsunami came surging up the narrow 40km Alberni inlet and hits the town of 19,000 hard. There was extensive flooding along the inlet. But a second wave was coming and it was bigger and more dangerous. The narrowness of the inlet meant the height of the water was magnified. When the second wave hit it smashed down like a fist onto Port Alberni, damaging nearly 400 homes. Luckily, because of the warning, no lives were lost.

And hours later 11 people died under the tsunami when it hit Crescent City, California.

So fast forward 41 years...it's just after midnight in Indonesia. The world starts shaking again. Of course, this time, their recent memory is a little too fresh. December 26 is not even 100 days previous. For the past 3 months, aftershock upon aftershock has hit the region. Earthquakes of magnitude 5 and 6 are commonplace now, as the earth tries to regain it's balance like adjustments on a chiropractor's table.

It looks like casualties are in the quadruple digits again. I wonder how many of them are people who have just been fortunate to return to their rebuilt homes.

Not a fun time in that part of the world!