For those who haven’t been following Yummy stories for long, there has been major controversy and outrage over the US Military base in Diego Garcia and the original, now homeless exiled islanders who want it back. Well its no surprise to discover more controversy… this story has not made big waves… yet.

Tsunami conveniently spares U.S. base in Diego Garcia

MSNBC: “A deep underwater trench, a 30-year-old military decision and a tsunami warning saved one of America’s most secret bases from any significant damage during last week’s tsunami, say U.S. officials.

With an average height of 4 feet above sea level and a high point of only 22 feet, the island would have seemed to be as vulnerable as many other Indian Ocean islands to the tsunami that smashed into the coastline of Southeast Asia Christmas night and in the other direction sped across 3,000 miles of open water past Diego Garcia on the way to Africa. Yet favorable ocean topography, including that deep underwater trench, and a fortunate decision by the Navy to place key facilities at the northern end of the island shielded Diego Garcia from major damage. While a 6-foot-high wave did hit the island, the underwater canyon essentially bore the brunt of the assault.

“There was no impact to facilities or personnel there,” one Navy official told NBC News, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There was minor debris and beach erosion at other areas of the island, but nothing significant.”

Moreover, the base at Diego Garcia received the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center’s warnings, which are issued in Hawaii. The Navy official said the island gets the warnings routinely as part of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet command structure even though it is located in the Indian Ocean.”

Thanks for spreading the warning guys! Youve saved countless lives!!