¶ … International Disaster:
The Indian Ocean 2004 Tsunami and Earthquake
The International Response to the Indian Ocean Disaster of 2004
The National Geographic has called the Indian Ocean Tsunami and Earthquake of 2004 the deadliest disaster in history. The disaster itself killed well above 200,000 individuals from over five different countries. The magnitude of the earthquake was above 9.0, and there were no ways in which to let the individuals in these five countries know what was coming. The death toll was high, the destruction even more massive. The power of the earthquake-generated tsunami rivaled that of all weapons (including nuclear devices) utilized in the Second World War. The international community thus had one of the shortest time frames to respond to the largest documented disaster in human history. With many villages destroyed or isolated, as well as less than utilizable roadways and runways for supplies to flow in, the international community found itself in a precarious position to respond. The following paragraphs will analyze how this community finally banded together to help those in need, and will place this disaster side by side with other, potentially larger and more devastating, future disasters.
First, it is important to analyze the way in which the international community responded to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. As aforementioned, the National Geographic called this an incredible disaster, stating, "The earthquake that generated the great Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 is estimated to have released the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)."
The source further states that this particular earthquake, especially given its high rating on...
Besides the deaths, more than one million people were left homeless and hundreds of thousands homes and businesses were destroyed. The United Nations estimated that, "...the disaster will prove to be the costliest ever recorded, with full economic recovery not expected for up to 10 years in many areas. " (Intute: Science, engineering and technology: Tsunamis) The physical structure of the coast and the environment was severely damaged which meant that
In fact, the entire damage was caused by the tsunami itself along with other factors like the geology and geography of the region. The damage that the tsunami caused to mainland India, a seismically quiescent region, was concentrated mainly on the eastern coastline but some damage due to diffraction also occurred on the southernmost tip of the western coastline. A factor which played a major role in the scale
Tsunami Warning System The December 2004 tsunami shocked the world, literally taking it by storm. It killed nearly 300,000 people in Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and its devastating effects were felt as afar away as Africa, where several people died as a result. The tsunami was preceded and directly caused by a magnitude 9.15 earthquake that occurred off the coast of Sumatra. Although there was a significant lag between the
Deadliest Tsunami The Indian Ocean Tsunami on 2004 was one of the worst that the region has ever experienced over a very long period of time. It reached a magnitude of 9.0 and originated from the Indian Ocean at the North West coast of the Indonesia island of Sumatra. There were waves of up to 15 meters in height and the waves travelled to distances of up to 5,000 kilometers inland
Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction The images on television were unimaginable. The number of deaths, staggering. The stories of survival were both heroic and miraculous. Even today, some months later, the news is still filled with reports concerning the December 26, 2004 tsunami that literally devastated many areas of Indonesia. Relief efforts have been under way since the first few days of the disaster and have come from virtually every area of
In the past century, tsunamis have killed more than 50,000 people. Scientists have set the Pacific Tsunami Warning System in Hawaii in U.S.A to save lives. The system of earthquake detectors and tide gauges can sense quakes that may create a tsunami. We cannot conquer the tsunami, but we can know when it's approaching and run away from the sea monster's vehemence. (Killer wave! Tsunami) Tsunami in Indonesia: An earthquake measuring
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