2004 indian ocean tsunami case study

• happened December 26th 2004
• tsnunami waves were as high as 30m
• killed over 240,000 people , 14 different countries
• magnitude 9.1 earthquake
• tsunami travelled as far as 3,000 miles to Africa , arrived with enough force to kill people and destroy property
• caused by the indo-australian plate pushing north , diving under the Eurasian plate , where the ocean flood here is under plate pressure
• earthquake , 9.3 magnitude ruptured ocean floor 240km north-west of Sumatra , indonesia
• countries affected were kenya , somalia , india , sri lanka
• 8,700 dead in Thailand
• 16,000 died in India , 376,000 were made homeless
• 37,000 died in Sri Lanka , 1 million+ made homeless
• 310 died in Somalia , 40,000 made homeless
• tsunami caused over 230,000 deaths
• fresh water was contaminated by sewage and salt water
• 650,000 people were injured
• rice , mango and banana plantations were planted
• mangrove forests along coastline were destroyed
• 60% of Sri Lanka's fishing fleet was destroyed
• 5-6 million people needed emergency aid such as food and water
• oil industry lost eight million litres of oil
• impacts so severe because:

  • lack of warnings
  • many places had unprotected coasts
  • floodwaters so strong people couldn't run away
• a thick layer of debris accumulated on top of water m made it harder for people to be seen
• short term response: more than 160 aid organisations and UN agencies came together and gave massive aid efforts
• short term response: foreign military troops provided assistance, Australian Air Force improved air traffic control at Bando Aceh airport In Indonesia
• long term response : education awareness on tsunamis began in school
• long term responses : larger-scale programmes of reconstruction implemented , still thousands left in tents one year on
• long term response : practice drills and evacuation plans established
• long term response : coastal zones hazard-mapped to identify areas most at risk
• long term response : existing government prejudices highlighted , Indian underclass , Dalits , ignored by government
• long term response : tourist resorts quickly rebuilt like Phuket in Thailand , some coastal communities such as Andhra Pradesh in India were forced out by new developments
• long term response : political barriers slowed aid distribution , Sri Lanka aid delayed to areas held by rebel Tamil Tigers