Reply #9: "Nobody would build a military base on an at risk location.

[soup]

Well, almost nobody, the French did."

What makes you say that?

MacDill AFB - Central Command - comes to mind - not exactly in a risk-free location for hurricanes.

As for Diego Garcia-

Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) formed in 1965 from territory belonging formerly to Mauritius and the Seychelles. The island is one of 52 in the Chagos Archipelago, which extends over an area of 10,000 square miles. The archipelago is located in the heart of the Indian Ocean, south of India and between Africa and Indonesia. The tropical island is a narrow coral atoll with a land area of about eleven square miles, nearly enclosing a lagoon. Its configuration is that of a "V" drawn by a shaky hand. The island stretches 37 miles from tip to tip, with an opening to the north-northwest. Three small islands dot the mouth of the lagoon which is approximately 13 miles long and up to 6 miles wide. The lagoon is from sixty to one hundred feet deep with numerous coral heads in most areas. Shallow reefs surround the island on the ocean side, as well as in the lagoon. The island's mean height above sea level is 4 feet.

Diego Garcia is the largest of many atolls that form the Chagos Archipelago. The horseshoe- shaped atoll is located seven degrees south of the equator in the North Central Region of the Indian Ocean. It is heavily vegetated, has a land area of 6,720 acres and is 37 miles long, tip- to-tip. The maximum elevation is 22 feet, with an average elevation of four feet above sea level. The enclosed lagoon is approximately seven miles wide and thirteen miles long. The three small islands at the mouth of the lagoon and the shape of the atoll give the impression of a footprint, hence the term ¡°Footprint of Freedom¡±.

>snip<

Diego Garcia is not a typhoon haven. The surrounding topography is low and does not provide an extensive wind break. Expected winds of 60 kt or greater justify a sortie to the north of all ships in the lagoon. With expected winds around 35-40 kt, sortie is not recommended. Small harbor craft can be moored at existing pier structures and larger ships can be anchored in the lee anchorage. In the past 30 years, the island has not been seriously affected by a severe tropical cyclone even though it is threatened about once a year. The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone in the past 30 years at Diego Garcia has been approximately 40 kt.
note: maps and charts of island are also available at this site
http://www.n-wisdom.com/map_volume/diego%20garcia/diego_garcia.htm

Diego Garcia <1244>
Group: Archipelago: Chagos Archipelago
Country: United Kingdom - Chagos Archipelago BIOT
Lat: 6.57º S Long : 72.42º E
Area: 37.6 sq. km Altitude: 5 m
Shoreline: 113.4 km (scale 1:500000) Coastal Index: 3.0160
Land < 5 m elevation: 37.6 sq. km Sea level rise risk: 9
Depth to nearest land: 3000 m
Nearest island: 90 km group: 650 km
Nearest continent: Asia Distance: 1800 km Isolation Index: 77
ISLAND TYPE: atoll Natural Protection Indicator: 0
GEOLOGY/SOILS:
Atoll with continuous land rim of 60 km and average height under 2 m; lagoon 21 by 11 km, openings with 3 small islands to north
CLIMATE: wet tropical 27øC, 2290-2540 mm/year
CATASTROPHIC THREATS: earthquakes (1983)
Threat Indicator: 0
ECOSYSTEMS: Number of Ecosystems - Terrestrial: 5 Marine: 3
Broadleaved woodland with Ficus, Morinda and Terminalia (especially on smaller islands), Casuarina woodland, mixed coconut woodland, Scaevola scrub, marsh; windward and leeward atoll reefs, lagoon
Percent shoreline: Coral Reef: 99% Mangrove: 0%
http://islands.unep.ch/IMD.htm

Significant Earthquakes of the World for 1983

Nov 30 17 46 00.6 6.85 S 72.11 E 10 G 6.6 7.6 1.2 402 CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO REGION. Ms 7.7 (BRK).
Mo=1.1*10**20 Nm (GS). Mo=4.1*10**20 Nm (HRV).
Some damage (VI) to buildings and piers on Diego Garcia. About a 1.5 meter rise in wave height in the lagoon
and significant wave damage near the southeastern tip of the island. Forty-centimeter tsunami at Victoria,
Seychelles. Large zone of discolored sea water observed 60 to 70 kilometers north-northwest of Diego Garcia.
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/sig_1983.html

On November 30, 1983, at 21:46 local time, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale hit Diego Garcia.
It lasted 142 seconds.
http://www.zianet.com/tedmorris/dg/quake.html