Figure 1. Illustrates affected areas surrounding Indonesia
 and depicts those most devastated by the disaster. 

The Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004

Following Christmas day, on December 26, 2004, an undersea fault in the Indian Ocean released its pressure in the form of a 9.1 magnitude earthquake which would send waves with tremendous heights to the shores of Sumatra. “According to USGS scientists, the sea floor near the earthquake was uplifted several meters and the displacement of water above the sea floor triggered the tsunami.” (USGS, 2014) The tsunami reached heights of up to 100 feet and quickly engulfed the coastal city. Sumatra Island had a population of around 320,000 before disaster struck. This tragedy resulted in the                                                                                       loss of over 100,000 people. 

Figure 2. Reveals extraordinary damage through the
flattening of infrastructure across the land.

The speed at which this tsunami traveled made it virtually impossible to prepare for destruction. “The waves stripped vegetation from mountain sides hundreds of meters inland, capsized freighters and threw boats into trees.” (Rodgers, 2014) The waves moved at high velocity, up to 500 miles per hour as it moved to hit Thailand where another 5,400 people would perish. The disaster would not cease here. The tsunami re-routed toward the southeastern coast of India and affected the city of Chennai, killing 10,000. The nation of Sri Lanka would be devastated by destruction and death as well, with the numbers reaching 30,000. The tsunami would work tirelessly to demolish a final location eight hours later in South Africa. Up to 13 billion dollars in damages were accounted for after the disaster. (Senesac, 2019) Those who were not killed or severely injured by the tsunami became homeless or displaced. Numbers in this range reach 426,800 people. The intense devastation is largely due to the earthquake that triggered the violent tsunami. The undersea fault happened to be what is called a “megathrust” fault, where “heavy oceanic plates subduct beneath lighter continental plates.” One could compare the power of this quake to the release of thousands of atomic bombs at once. (Roos, 2018) The earthquake was so intense that it caused a change in the rotation of the Earth. 

Figure 3. Demonstrates the pressure of the earthquake and
the formation of tsunami waves.

The disastrous event that took place in 2004 was almost inevitable. The people of these lands had no natural warning or official warning that would give them a chance to prepare and survive the implications. These locations did not have a history with tsunamis either, so it was entirely unexpected. Though much could not be done to mitigate the impacts before disaster struck, the experience allowed for greater understanding for the future. The Hyogo Framework for Action was put into place weeks after the tsunami hit. Representatives from 168 nations worked to enhance “global cooperation for disaster risk reduction.” Advanced technology efforts have also been enacted to better alert countries for hazard risk and potential, such as ocean floor earthquake sensors. NOAA took immediate action to improve forecasting efforts. They increased the number of DART buoys in oceans as well. Today, “current forecasting models can now predict the arrival time, duration, height, and extent of flooding in specific locations for a tsunami.” (Reid, 2020)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYdg6CoRfQg

The attached clip shows live footage from an individual on the scene of the 2004 tsunami. Viewers can see the violent waves surging onto the coast, wreaking havoc on everything in its path. 

Works Cited

USGS. (2014, December 23). Indian Ocean Tsunami Remembered - Scientists Reflect on the 2004 Indian Ocean that Killed Thousands. Indian Ocean Tsunami Remembered - Scientists reflect on the 2004 Indian Ocean that killed thousands | U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/indian-ocean-tsunami-remembered-scientists-reflect-2004-indian-ocean-killed

Rodgers, L. (2014, December 25). Indian Ocean tsunami: Then and Now. BBC News. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30034501

 Senesac, E. (2019, December 23). The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004: A Wake-Up Call. National Weather Service Heritage. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heritage/-/the-banda-aceh-tsunami-of-2004-a-wake-up-call

Roos, D. (2018, October 2). The 2004 tsunami wiped away towns with 'mind-boggling' destruction. History.com. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.history.com/news/deadliest-tsunami-2004-indian-ocean

Reid, K. (2020, June 4). 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami: Facts, faqs, and how to help. World Vision. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2004-indian-ocean-earthquake-tsunami-facts 

Images Cited

Figure 1:

 https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.coolgeography.co.uk%2FGCSE%2FAQA%2FRestless%2520Earth%2FTsunamis%2FTsunamis.htm&psig=AOvVaw3nndGq9xeXV9Jt0cJybxnJ&ust=1667448547132000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCODrkrjWjvsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAU

Figure 2: https://www.history.com/.image/ar_16:9%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cg_faces:center%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_768/MTU4ODY0MzU5NDQxODM1ODEz/1-tsunami-51915383.jpg

Figure 3: 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.istockphoto.com%2Fillustrations%2Findian-ocean-tsunami&psig=AOvVaw0Mcfy3TjhHUFMGdDGPlPKd&ust=1667448782465000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCLjKkqbWjvsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD