Indian Ocean Tsunami

Social impacts Orphaned children either placed in care homes of placed with surviving relatives Rebel fighters in Banda th declared a ceasefire on 28 December Survivors were unable to bury relatives as bodies were washed out to sea this is important to Islamic religion Loss of family caused physiological impacts Dysentery and diphtheria epidemic spread due to lack of clean water in Indonesia People in isolated areas were starving when aid agencies reached them Tens of millions of people were made homeless Displacement of people. People living on low lying islands had to move to mainland due to flooding

Economic impacts 66% of infrastructure was destroyed in coastal areas. Trains were derailed killing more people In 2005 tourism fell I Asia by 15% Hotels and tourist attraction had to be rebuilt before tourists would return Tourist resorts unaffected by tsunami were hit with cancellations as tourists were scared to go to the area Many families were left without a source of income for years due to a down turn in farming, fishing and tourism which contributes to 70% of Thailands GDP

Environmental impacts Sea water polluted with raw sewage, chemicals and crude oil when plants were damaged It is estimated that it could take up to 100 years for the soil and water supplies to recover from the salt deposited by the tsunami Many areas of destroyed forest and farmland were left with a layer of salt on the surface when the flood water retreated Ground water supplies were polluted with salt ruining fresh water supplies Rare species of fish and coral reefs were killed and destroyed Mangrove forests were destroyed which are vital for flood defence along coastline and a unique ecosystem 16 out of 17 coral atolls were inhabitable after fresh water supplies were polluted Wetland ecosystems destroyed after being inundated with salt water.

What made the disaster more challenging? Aid agencies found it difficult to reach areas due to rebel fighters Hospitals were destroyed meaning that doctors had to treat the injured in tens .Medical resources were also in short supply. High population densities meant that disease spread quickly Roads and railways were destroyed so aid agencies had to rely on helicopters to distribute aid. The pacific tsunami warning centre detected the earthquake off Sumatra but was unable to communicate a warning in time. Individuals with awareness that the drawback was a sign of an imminent tsunami ran inland, those without this education did not react

Responses Emergency phone lines were set up in HICs who were searching for news of relatives on holiday Rapid induction of sanitation facilities mean that the spread of disease was reduced Aid agencies were quick to get food and clean water to major cities. They also gave out tents and blankets Aid agencies such as Oxfam appealed for emergency donations Foreign volunteers helped to stock bodies in refrigerated trucks Bodies buried in mass graves to prevent disease from spreading 1.2 million children were immunised against diseases that were spreading in cramped refugee camps Governments in Indonesia and Thailand appealed for international help as they could not cope with the scale of the impacts.

Modifying the event The Indian Ocean tsunami warning and mitigation system has been developed using DART buoys and satellite communication.

Modifying vulnerability

Modifying losses