There is a destructive plate margin along the west coast of Indonesia in the Indian Ocean. On 26th December 2004 there was an earthquake off the west coast of the island of Sumatra measuring around 9.1 on the Richter scale. The plate that's moving down into the mantle cracked and moved very quickly, which caused a lot of water to be displaced. This triggered a tsunami with waves up to 30m high.
The Tsunami affected many countries: The Indian Ocean tsunami was one of the most destructive natural disasters that had ever happened. It affected most countries bordering the Indian Ocean, e.g. Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. The effects of the tsunami were so bad because there was no early warning system. 1) Around 230,000 people were killed or are still missing. 2) Whole towns and villages were destroyed- over 1.7 million people lost their homes. 3) The infrastructure (roads, water pipes and electricity lines) of many countries were severely damaged 4) 5-6 million people needed emergency food, water and medical supplies 5) There was massive economic damage. Millions of fishermen lost their livelihoods, and the tourism industry suffered because of the destruction and people were scared to go on holiday there. 6) There was massive environmental damage. Salt from the sea water has meant plants cant grow in many areas. Mangroves, coral reefs, forests and sand dunes were also destroyed by the waves. Below is a documentary done by Channel 4 to show camera footage of the tsunami unfolding and the harrowing effects it had on for the locals and the land in the surrounding areas.
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Response:
Short Term: 1) Within days hundreds of millions of pounds had been pledged by foreign governments, charities, individuals and businesses to give survivors access to food, water shelter and medical attention. 2) Foreign countries sent ships, planes, soldiers and teams of specialists to help rescue people, distribute food and water and begin clearing up. Long Term: 1) Billions of pounds have been pledged to rebuild the infrastructure of the countries affected. 2) As well as money, programmes have been set up to rebuild houses and help people to get back to work. 3) A tsunami warning system has now been put in place 4) Disaster management plans have been put in place in some countries. Volunteers have been trained so that local people know what to do if a tsunami happens again. |