The Indian Ocean Tsunami

2303 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Cause and effect tsunami

Imagine more than half of the population of Kenosha being over-taken by a deluge of water without warning or the ability to escape. On December 26, 2004, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, occurred in the Indian Ocean off of the Samaritan coast, triggering the deadliest tsunami in recorded history. Before the tsunami, this region of the world was one of the most sought after vacation spots. After the record-breaking destruction, the pristine beach front and inviting residents were forever changed. The regional damage was so massive that it demanded a response on a global scale for rescue, recovery, stability, and to rebuild this treasured place.

Before the tsunami, this region of the world was one of the most sought after vacation spots. Beachside resorts, breathtaking scenery, and various recreational activities were major tourist attractions. The seemingly tranquil life of the natives and year round warm climate conditions created steady tourism and economic support. With more than thirteen thousand, five hundred different islands for tourists to explore, many visitors enjoyed repeat trips with unlimited experiences.

Thailand, Indonesia, and Maldives were thriving developing countries from the economic support provided by the tourism industry. The white sand beaches and lush tropical greenery found on one island could be replaced with glorious mountains and waterfalls form a short boat ride to another island. Tourism flourished because of the many interesting physical characteristics of the area. According to the CIA World Fact Book, Thailand offered its many visitors peaceful democracy and a southern isthmus known to be always hot and humid (CIA World Fact Book). Maldives present...

... middle of paper ...

...Ocean Tsunami-December 26 2004." Web. 02 Dec. 2011.

"Indian Ocean Tsunami Death Toll Approaches Quarter Million." Spacedaily.com. 19 Jan. 2005. Web. 03 Dec. 2011.

"Indian Ocean Tsunami." Globaleducation.com. Jan. 2004. Web. 03 Dec. 2011.

"Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Britannica.com. Web. 03 Dec. 2011.

"Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System on Test Oct 12." Zeenews.com. 6 Oct. 2011. Web. 03 Dec. 2011.

"Physical Geography." Volume Library: a Modern Authoritative Reference for Home and School Use. Vol. 1. Nashville, TN: Southwestern, 2004. 72. Print.

Winfrey, Oprah. "Surviving the Tsunami." Oprah. ABC. Chicago, Illinois, 17 Jan. 2005. Television.

"SOS: Indian Tsunami." Sos.noaa.gov. Web. 03 Dec. 2011.

"The Economic Impact of the Asian Tsunami." CSR, Sustainability & Governance Consultants. Np, Nov. 2005. Web. 23 Jan. 2012.

Show More
Related

  • The Hidden Dangers Of Hawaii: Hidden Dangers In The World

    1589 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hawaii is rated as one of the top tour destinations in the world. According to “Why Is Hawaii Such a Popular Vacation Spot?”, nearly 8 million travelers

    Read More

  • The Cause and Effect of the Tsunami in Thailand in 2004

    2123 Words  | 5 Pages

    ... the catastrophic event into an opportunity for the future. Even though the tsunami of December 2004 ended in a huge death toll, ongoing trauma and homelessness of millions of Asians, still they can recuperate from this entire horrific event. If any good at all is to come from this adversity on a human scale, it will certainly be considered by the compassion and generosity that the world reveals to the survivors. I must admit that I find very difficult to let it sink in my brain the fact that it can happen to all of us anywhere and any time around the globe. It might not be a tsunami that these citizens have experienced, but there are other natural disasters we can stumble upon as well. Surely, it has been a great experience for me to write this paper and to discover the truth about the tsunami and the total effects of what these people have to deal with.

    Read More

  • The Cause Of The Sumatra Tsunami

    1424 Words  | 3 Pages

    Predicting tsunamis is not a precise art; unlike some natural disasters, tsunamis are not climate based and do not happen during a particular season. In the case of the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami, an ocean-based sensors and a warning system in place could have been an enormous help. At the time of the tsunami, there were no ocean-based sensors in place in the Indian Ocean—which lead to a lack of knowledge of the tsunami, resulting in a lack of a plan to move to higher ground resulting in 230,000 were killed due to the Boxing Day

    Read More

  • The Tohoku Earthquake In Japan

    1793 Words  | 4 Pages

    TOHOKU, Japan, Friday, Mar. 11 -Yesterday, a 9.0 magnitude Earthquake struck the east of Tohoku, Japan. The epicentre of the earthquake was located approximately 72 km east of Tohoku (38.3 degrees North latitude and 142.4 degrees East longitude), or 130 km east of Sendai as shown by the X in figure 3 below. The focus of the earthquake was 24.4 km under the epicentre. The earthquake therefore caused a tsunami due to the displacing of water above the Pacific Plate. The earthquake and tsunami together have caused approximately 20,000 deaths, 6152 injuries and 2500 people missing. Approximately 90% of these deaths were by drowning. Approximately 140,000 people have been displaced and over 500,000 buildings and structures have been destroyed or damaged. The early warning system of Japan stopped many bullet trains, and many residents received texted warnings of the earthquake and tsunami on their mobile phones giving them time to evacuate. Figures 1 and 2 show exactly how destructive the tsunami caused by the Tohoku Earthquake was.

    Read More

  • The Northridge California Earthquake

    1129 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hazards pose risk to everyone. Our acceptance of the risks associated with hazards dictates where and how we live. As humans, we accept a certain amount of risk when choosing to live our daily lives. From time to time, a hazard becomes an emergent situation. Tornadoes in the Midwest, hurricanes along the Gulf Coast or earthquakes in California are all hazards that residents in those regions accept and live with. This paper will examine one hazard that caused a disaster requiring a response from emergency management personnel. Specifically, the hazard more closely examined here is an earthquake. With the recent twenty year anniversary covered by many media outlets, the January 17, 1994, Northridge, California earthquake to date is the most expensive earthquake in American history.

    Read More

  • Visiting Hawaii

    489 Words  | 1 Pages

    Have you ever been eaten alive by the fury of the Pacific Ocean? Well, it happened to me and many other exciting things happened when I visited Hawaii for the first time. About eight years ago, during my spring break, my family and I went to the island of Kauai and we were there for about eight days. I am telling you, the first time you visit a tropical paradise; your scenes will change drastically. The food, the people (locals and tourists), the culture, and lest not forget that unforgiving Pacific Ocean.

    Read More

  • Great Tohoku Earthquake Research Paper

    1119 Words  | 3 Pages

    While the early warning saved thousands of people, the Japan’s Meteorological Agency underestimated this earthquake as the subduction zone of Japan should not produce the magnitude 9.0 quake (Oskin, 2013a). The Tohoku Earthquake and its tsunami approximately killed 16 thousand people, injured 6 thousand people and around 3 thousand people were missing. Most people died from drowning. Around 300 thousand buildings, 4000 roads, 78 bridges, and many more were affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and fires from leaking oils and gas. Electricity, telecommunication, and railways were severely damaged. The debris of 25 million ton was generated and carried out to the sea by water (BBC News, 2012). The country’s authorities estimated more than 309 billion US dollars of damages. Landslides occurred in Miyagi and liquefaction in Chiba, Tokyo, Odaiba, and Urayasu (USGS, 2013). Furthermore, the tsunami destroyed protective tsunami seawalls. Approximately 217 square miles of Japan covered in water (Oskin,

    Read More

  • Fishing and the Villages of Southern Sri Lanka: A Case Study

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    Yamada G., Gunatilake R, P., Imur, R, M., Gunatilake, S., Fernando, T., Fernando, L. The Sri Lanka Tsunami Experience. Disaster Management and Response. 2006; 4:38–48.

    Read More

  • Understanding Tsunamis: Formation, Speed, and Impact

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    The impact of a tsunami is usually limited to coastal areas but the destruction could be immense. Buildings and anything in the path of the waves is in danger of being destroyed and washed away, such is the force of the wave. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which struck off the west coast of Indonesia with a magnitude of 9.1-9.3, left 250,000 people killed or missing in 14 different countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

    Read More

  • The Great Tohoku Earthquake

    1226 Words  | 3 Pages

    While the early warning saved thousands of people, the Japan’s Meteorological Agency underestimated this earthquake as the subduction zone of Japan should not produce the magnitude 9.0 quake (Oskin, 2013a). The Tohoku Earthquake and its tsunami approximately killed 16 thousand people, injured 6 thousand people and around 3 thousand people were missing. Most people died from drowning. Around 300 thousand buildings, 4000 roads, 78 bridges, and many more were affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and fires from leaking oils and gas. Electricity, telecommunication, and railways were severely damaged. The debris of 25 million tons was generated and carried out to the sea by water (BBC News, 2012). The country’s authorities estimated more than 309 billion US dollars of damages. Landslides occurred in Miyagi and liquefaction in Chiba, Tokyo, Odaiba, and Urayasu (USGS, 2013). Furthermore, the tsunami destroyed protective tsunami seawalls. Approximately 217 square miles of Japan covered in water (Oskin,

    Read More

  • Tsunamis

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    Geist, E.L., Titov, V.V. & Synolakis, C.E. (2006). "Tsunami: wave of change". Scientific American, 2006, p. 56-63.

    Read More

  • Earthquake in Japan

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    The death toll climbs to over 10,000 and is still rising (Branigan 2). The disaster in Japan began without warning on Friday March 11, 2011 at 2:46pm with a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, the strongest ever recorded in the country (Fackler 3). A massive thirty-three foot high tsunami, generated by the earthquake, swept over lands in northern Japan, taking objects and debris with it. To make matters worse, the tsunami caused the cooling systems at several nuclear power plants to fail. The disaster in Japan was a tragic event, and it had a plethora of causes and effects.

    Read More

  • Tsunami Case Study

    2082 Words  | 5 Pages

    This natural disaster caused at least killed more than 250,000 peoples in a single day, and at the same time leaving more than 1.7 million homeless. The scourge and loss that have been created by this disaster brought uncounted damages and many people lose their homes in the Indian Oceans. Their grief’s is shared around the world, and take this experience as a lesson and reminder to ourselves to become more grateful that we are safe from this powerful nature forces. Based on the research about this issue during that time, from the tourist resorts of south Thailand to Aceh’s city, to the fishing villages at Sri Lanka, and onward to the coasts of Africa, societies were provoke by the devastation and

    Read More

  • Vanuatu Essay

    2933 Words  | 6 Pages

    Located deep within the vast open waters of the South Pacific Ocean is a nation that is seemingly hidden to the rest of the world. The country of Vanuatu is a world within itself full of cultural diversities, geographical wonders and natural beauty that cannot compare to anywhere else in the world. The natives who inhabit the cluster of islands that make up the country of Vanuatu are proud of their heritage and have strong beliefs in their ways of life. With countless influences from other cultures, they have become their own breed of sorts. Their richness and cultural diversity is one of its main attraction to visitors, who can witness rituals and traditional ceremonies that are an integral part of modern life. Due to the natural boundaries, large open stretches of water, and the jungle and mountainous terrain, tourism is very low, leaving Vanuatu as one of the most untouched native areas remaining on Earth today. By taking a deeper look inside at what all it has to offer, Vanuatu is a county of the South Pacific rich in culture and local traditions that many may soon realize that they need to discover.

    Read More

  • Japanese Tourism Essay

    1438 Words  | 3 Pages

    Japan is a country with countless attraction and points of interest, whether its heritage, food, popular culture or dark tourism, Japan as a tourism destination can offer many things. Because of the saturation of culture there are many types of tourism which apply (Berger 2010). Cultural tourism, adventure, ecotourism, food and family tourism and even sex tourism to name a few and with the increasing relevance of Otaku1 culture in the western world, Japans popularity as a holiday destination has increased drastically. The popularity of Japanese tourism can largely be attributed to the growing cultural interest displayed by the visitors which means that cultural exploration is one of the more significant reasons of visitation.

    Read More

More about The Indian Ocean Tsunami

Open Document