DISASTER MANAGEMENT:

TSUNAMI
THE BOXING DAY TSUNAMI
- DHRUV VIRAL SALOT
CLASS: X A R.NO.: 23
 BOXING DAY TSUNAMI
- Sumatra, Indonesia 26/12/2004
The 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra was estimated to
occur at a depth of 30 km. The fault zone that caused the tsunami was
roughly 1300 km long, vertically displacing the sea floor by several metres
along that length.
The ensuing tsunami was as tall as 50 m, reaching 5 km inland near
Meubolah, Sumatra. This tsunami is also the most widely recorded, with
nearly one thousand combined tide gauge and eyewitness measurements
from around the world reporting a rise in wave height, including places in
the US, the UK and Antarctica. An estimated US$10b of damages is
attributed to the disaster, with around 230,000 people reported dead.
OCCURRENCE
The 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on 26
December with the epicentre off the west
coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The shock had
a moment magnitude of 9.1
9.3.The undersea megathrust
earthquake was caused when the Indian
Plate was subducted by the Burma Plate and
triggered a series of devastating tsunamis
along the coasts of most landmasses
bordering the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000
280,000 people in 14 countries
CAUSES & EFFECTS

It was caused by an
earthquake measuring
more than magnitude 9.
The earthquake caused the
seafloor to uplift,
displacing the seawater
above.
 Main impacts
A quarter of a million people died.
Two million people were made homeless.
People were swept away in the waters, which arrived rapidly and
with little warning.
Thirteen countries were affected, the worst being Indonesia.
Indonesia was hit by the tsunami first. Fourty-five minutes later the
tsunami reached Thailand.
Mangrove swamps helped to act as a barrier to reduce the energy
of the water in some areas.
Short-term aid, such as water purification tablets, temporary
housing and medical supplies were given from international
countries.
Islands reliant on tourism and fishing, such as the Maldives, had to
rebuild their industries.
An early warning system between countries surrounding the Indian
Ocean has been set up.
Experts Say Tsunami Warning System Would
Have Saved Lives
A tsunami is a series of huge ocean waves that can travel at high speed, making survival
for people near its origin less likely than those farther away. Yet Sunday's Indian Ocean
tsunami killed people many thousands of kilometers from the source, deaths that experts say
could have been avoided if the region had an early warning system like the one in the Pacific.
"Had they had tide gauges installed, many of these people that were farther away from
the epicenter could have been saved because they would have been able to track the waves
and tell the people along the coast area to move off the beach and give them an approximate
time the waves were going to hit. They couldn't tell them how high they were going to be,
but at least they could say, 'This is the approximate time they will hit your area, so move
away from the coasts,'" Mr. Person says.
Such an early warning system has been in place for the Pacific Ocean since shortly after a
tsunami washed over Hawaii in 1946. Its Hawaiian headquarters is now supplemented by
warning centers in Russia and Japan, and a regional network focusing on Alaska and the U.S.
west coast. The system monitors hundreds of sea bottom sensors that detect earthquakes and
swelling water and many more coastline gauges that measure the height and speed of a
tsunami.
BRITISH RED CROSS HELP FOR THE SURVIVORS

In Indonesia we built more than 2,200 earthquake resistant

homes and gave more than 4 million in cash to survivors to help
rebuild their livelihoods.
In the Maldives, we built 466 new homes across five islands.
On one island, Vilufushi, land had to be reclaimed from the
sea before construction could begin. Our livelihoods and disaster
management projects in the Maldives helped 3,000 people
strengthen their livelihoods.
In Sri Lanka, we provided boats and nets to fishing
communities in Batticaloa as well as thousands of cash grants to
help people develop existing or new livelihoods, such as honey
bee production, tree planting, furniture manufacturing and
bicycle repair workshops. Nearly 7,000 families displaced by
conflict in tsunami areas also received food and cash grants.
Communities in all three countries also participated in
programmes to prepare them for future disasters. For example,
in Indonesia, a Red Cross programme taught people to design
and build safer houses, with 15 community buildings constructed
as a result.
 CREATED BY:
Mast. Dhruv Viral Salot
Class: X A R.NO.:23