Indonesian Tsunami Notes

1.Summary

• On December 26, 2004 an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2 occurred in the Indian Ocean that caused one of the biggest tsunamis in history.
• 250,000 lives were taken as a result of this catastrophe.
• There were not efficient warning systems in place to help protect the citizens of the Indonesian area.

2. What exactly happened?

• The earthquake originated in the Indian Ocean off the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
• A reverse fault earthquake occurred where the India Plate was subducted under the Eurasian Plate at the Sunda trench.
• When an earthquake occurs in the ocean, it often results in a tsunami.
• The Sunda trench is located on the outer edge of the Ring of Fire
• The energy released from the earthquake and tsunami was equivalent to 100 gigatons of TNT.
• This is 2 times as much energy that was used in WWII
• The earthquake caused a tsunami, causing waves up to nearly 50 feet in height to crash down upon Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives
• The tsunami eradicated a large portion of the Indonesian coast, leaving the region in despair. The city of Aceh was hit the hardest.
• The earthquake that occurred in the Indian Ocean was 9.0 to 9.3 on the Richter Scale
• The tsunami started far out at sea, and worked its way to the shores, creating what scientists refer to as a teletsunami
  • This means that the countries SHOULD have had ample warning

3. The Damage

• Initial damage was done about thirty minutes before the tsunami hit, due to the earthquake’s seismic energy. This caused buildings to collapse along with other structural damage.
• Most of the coastline of Indonesia and other surrounding countries were engulfed in the huge waves, however none more than the city of Aceh.
• Electrical damages resulted in difficulties in communication both during and after the disaster
• Open coastlines were hit the hardest by the tsunami and experienced the greatest loss
  • This was the result of the coastline cities’ proximity to the seismic activity and of course their proximity to the waves
  • It was also due to the lack of vegetation
    • Vegetation could have cushioned the blow of the waves as they crashed down upon the cities.
    • Instead, the torrential waters hit the buildings and homes of the cities lining the coast

4. Warning

• Technology in Hawaii and Japan were able to detect the seismic activity and issue warnings to their citizens,
• HOWEVER the same was not true of the Indonesian region.
• This area, which is home to many, many people lacks sufficient technology to detect tsunamis and to issue effective warnings

5. What warning technology exists?

• In the U.S.A.
  • Seismometers
  • Tide gauges
  • Deep-sea tsunameters
  • High telecom communication
• In Indonesia
  • One seismometer
  • Some tide gauges in some ports
  • Low telecom communication
• Sri Lanka has a seismometer that belongs to the US Geological Survey
  • However Sri Lanka does not have the capacity to interpret the seismic dataIt also lacked the ability to issue a proper warning to the people
  • As a result, the people of Indonesia were not given proper warning of the danger they were in

6. Who responded?

• Local police and navy were not able to perform effectively post-disaster
• International aid rushed to the area to alleviate the burden of the disaster and poured millions of dollars relief efforts
• Local survivors from the surrounding areas served food to the affected areas as well as other aid

7. Mosques could have been a saving grace

• Mosques had acted as a safe haven for the Islamic people for centuries, however were not used to their fullest capacity in this time of disaster
• It is usually a common practice for Muslims to go to the mosque in times of hardship
• The mosques of the area survived the natural disaster
• Every mosque is equipped with a PA system to alert the ton of worship time.
• Mosques would have been ideal safe-havens and warning centers in the event of a tsunami

8. Social and economic issues lead to a high death count

• Indonesia is a poor nation and as a result is ill equipped in the event of a natural disaster
• Indonesia is a predominantly Islamic country
• This creates a society that does not teach women survival techniques such as how to swim.

9. What can we do to prevent these results in the future?

• Further equip mosques and other local entities with disaster plans.
• Extend technology throughout the Indian ocean, as it is affected by the Ring of Fire, should be put in place to provide warning of seismic activity.
• Educate the public on simple precautions they can take on an individual level.
• Encourage the government to implement regulations and emergency plans.
• The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) has been working on improving the tsunami warning system for Indonesia.