Inhabited Island Vanishes Forever Underwater

PhreakOfTime writes "For the first time the rising ocean levels have washed away an inhabited island. Lohachara island was at one point home to some 10,000 people. It, along with several other spits of land near the Indian mainland, is now permanently underwater. From the article: ' As the seas continue to swell, they will swallow whole island nations, from the Maldives to the Marshall Islands, inundate vast areas of countries from Bangladesh to Egypt, and submerge parts of scores of coastal cities. Eight years ago ... the first uninhabited islands - in the Pacific atoll nation of Kiribati - vanished beneath the waves. The people of low-lying islands in Vanuatu, also in the Pacific, have been evacuated as a precaution, but the land still juts above the sea. The disappearance of Lohachara, once home to 10,000 people, is unprecedented.'"

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From the last few inhabitants

[Timesprout]

KING ARNULF Now, I know what some of you must be thinking... the day has come.... we're all going down, etc. etc. But let's get away from the fantasy and look at the FACTS.
FACT ONE - The threat of total destruction has kept the peace for one thousand years.
FACT TWO - The chances of it failing now are therefore one in three hundred and sixty-five thousand.
FACT THREE...

By this time the water is up to people's knees, and several have crowded onto the lower steps to avoid getting wet.

KING ARNULF FACT THREE - Our safety regulations are the most rigorous in the world. We are all nice to each other, we never rub each other up the wrong way or contradict each other, do we?
CROWD No.

Rumble. The buildings sink and masonry falls.

CITIZEN We... er... do seem to be going down quite fast, Your Majesty - not trying to contradict you, course.
KING ARNULF No, of course you're not, citizen. But let's stick to the facts. There has NEVER been a safer, more certain way of keeping the peace. So whatever's happening, you can rest assured, Hy-Brasil is NOT sinking. Repeat, NOT sinking.

We cut to an unfortunate Hy-Brasilian who looks out of a window to see if it's raining, but is immersed before he can find out. The citizens in the Forum, however, are reassured by the King's words - even though they are now up to their waists in water. One of them steps forward.

ANOTHER CITIZEN May I just make a point in support of what King Arnulf's just said?
KING ARNULF We'd be delighted - wouldn't we?
CITIZENS Yes, we'd certainly like to hear what one of us has got to say...

Erik, Sven, Sven's dad and Harald struggle out of the Great Hall, carrying their belongings and the Horn Resounding, while the citizen is still speaking most articulately in support of the King. They are ALMOST in a panic.

ERIK What are you all doing?
CITIZEN AT THE BACK (cheerfully) It's all right. It's not happening.
ERIK (urgently) The place is sinking!
CITIZEN AT THE BACK Yes... I thought it was too, but the King's just pointed out that it can't be.
CITIZEN (still speaking in support of the King) ...and, of course, we mustn't forget King Arnulf's EXCELLENT eye for flower-arranging.

There is a smattering of applause. A few people pull their robes up out of the wet. Erik leaps onto a wall and shouts to the crowd.

ERIK Save yourselves! Hy-Brasil... is sinking.

There are a lot of knowing smiles amongst the citizens.

CITIZEN FROM MIDDLE Look, you don't know our safety regulations.
KING ARNULF It can't happen.
ERIK But it IS! Look!
KING ARNULF (ignoring Erik) The important thing is not to panic.
CITIZENS Quite... yes... we understand....
KING ARNULF I've already appointed the Chancellor as Chairman of a com- mittee to find out exactly what IS going on, and meantime I suggest we have a sing-song!
CITIZENS Good idea!
ANOTHER Can we do the one that goes "TUM-TI-TUM-TI-TUM-TI-TUM"?