2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

Question 1

What countries were affected?

Answer 1

• Indonesia (LIC)
• Sri Lanka and India (MIC)
• Maldives (HIC)

Question 2

What caused the earthquake?

Answer 2

The India Plate (an oceanic plate) subducts beneath the Burma Micro Plate.

Question 3

Timeline of the earthquake?

Answer 3

• The initial earthquake happened on the 26th of December at 07:58am
• Within 15 minutes of the earthquake, waves began striking the coasts of Northern Sumatra (Indonesia)
• 7hrs after the initial earthquake, waves hit the east coast of Africa

Question 4

Key primary impacts?

Answer 4

• 275,000 people killed
• 1.7 million people displaced
• $4.5bn worth of financial losses in Indonesia
• Mangroves, and coral reefs were destroyed
• Saltwater contamination rendered agricultural land unusable

Question 5

Key secondary impacts

Answer 5

• Schools were destroyed or repurposed as shelters - in Sri Lanka over 5000 children were unable to go back to school
• Nearly 30% of fishermen in Tamil Nadu, India, were unable to return to work 3 years later
• Damaged coral reefs and mangroves in Thailand took over a decade to show signs of recovery
• Cost of reconstruction was estimated to be $14bn globally

Question 6

Short term responses

Answer 6

• The World Food Programme distributed food aid to 1.3 million people
• The World Bank approved a $250 million loan for emergency recovery in Indonesia
• Emergency shelters were provided for those who were displaced.

Question 7

Long term responses

Answer 7

• In Aceh, Indonesia, 12,000 homes were built for displaced families
• 56,000 mangroves were planted across Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India
  (initiated by world vision)
• World Vision 84 schools and 60 playgrounds across the affected countries

Question 8

What was the focus of this earthquake?

Answer 8

30km below the seabed - shallow focus = more damage