The Asian Tsunami
An overview of that fateful dayMonday, March 13, 2006
The Asian Tsunami
At 0059 GMT on 26 December 2004, a magnitude 9.3 earthquake ripped apart the seafloor off the coast of northwest Sumatra. Over 100 years of accumulated stress was released in the second biggest earthquake in recorded history. It unleashed a devastating tsunami that travelled thousands of kilometres across the Indian Ocean, taking the lives of more than 200,000 people in countries as far apart as Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Somalia.
At about the same speed as your fingernails grow, the lower plate carrying India is being forced beneath the upper plate carrying most of South-East Asia, causing huge stresses to build up. Deep under the Indian Ocean, at the epicentre of the quake, the 20m (65ft) upward thrust of the seafloor set in motion a series of geological events that were to devastate the lives of millions.
Billions of tonnes of seawater, forced upward by the movement of the seabed now flowed away from the fault in a series of giant waves. On the shores directly facing the epicentre, the waves reached heights of 20m (65ft), stripping vegetation from mountain sides 800m (0.5 mile) inland, capsizing freighters and throwing boats into the trees. The city of Banda Aceh, just a few kilometres further round the coast was almost completely destroyed, killing tens of thousands of people in just 15 minutes.
The trough, reaching the shores of Thailand,
caused the sea to disappear off the beaches. It is one of the classic warning signs of an approaching tsunami. Tragically, many tourists went down to the beach to look, some to rescue fish left flapping on the sand. A few minutes later, the first wave hit Thailand. A thousand tonnes of water crashed down on each metre of beach. Khao Lak, the wave reached 10m (30ft) and caused billions of pounds of damage. The human cost was far greater - nearly 5,000 confirmed dead and 3,000 still missing. At the same time, the westbound series of waves were heading for Sri Lanka. In the deeper waters of the Indian Ocean, barely noticeable
at just a 30cm (1ft) above the surface, they were travelling
at some 800km/h (500 miles per hour).
Sri Lanka
The first wave hit Sri Lanka with no recede and no warning.
The first wave hit Sri Lanka with no recede and no warning.
The waves, up to six of them, weighing over 100 billion tonnes,
rushed inland like a giant tide. As they hit Sri Lanka's
southern tip they began to change direction, an effect called refraction.
The part of a wave closest to the shore slowed down in the shallow water, leaving the outer part, travelling at faster speeds, to bend around the island. The southwest coast of Sri Lanka, the side that should have been safe, was suddenly in the waves' direct line. Cities like as Galle were destroyed; over 4,000 people died in this region.
The part of a wave closest to the shore slowed down in the shallow water, leaving the outer part, travelling at faster speeds, to bend around the island. The southwest coast of Sri Lanka, the side that should have been safe, was suddenly in the waves' direct line. Cities like as Galle were destroyed; over 4,000 people died in this region.
The tidal waves that hit the coast of Sri Lanka killed more than 40,000 people. About half of them were children. Over 1000 children lost both parents and 3,200 children lost one parent according to UNICEF reports.
I have been extremely fortunate to travel to many parts of the Far East and have witnessed first hand the devastating effects of the Tsunami. In my opinion the wonderful Sri Lankan people have suffered terribly and it is regretful that the millions of pounds raised in aid have still not reached those most deperatately in need of it.
Malcolm Pitcher
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