Boxing Day Tsunami Flashcards
Date of event
26/12/2004
Magnitude of earthquake
9.1
Where was the epicentre
160km off the west coast of sumatra
plates involved
indian plate subducted under the burma plate
depth of focus
30km
What happened with Tsunami
Made landfall at 8.00 and had an impact of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean
How many displaced
1.6 million
How many killed
230,000
How many countries around Indian ocean where affected
14
Environmental impacts
coral reed damaged with 1000s of aquatic life killed
Total economic cost
15 billion
Why was the tsunami so catastrophic in terms of economic impact
Many of the islands reliance on the fishing industry and tourism such as the Maldives, in Sri Lanka 250,000 fishers lost their income with 66% fishing boats and equipment destroyed
What was the significant secondary impact of dead bodies
Had to be moved to reduce the risk of disease
Why was disease so prevalent
because of stagnant and standing water which meant water borne disease was passed quickly such as cholera
Was there any prediction
There was a lag time of 2 hours after the earthquake until the tsunami hit but at the time no warning system was in place in the Indian ocean, furthermore it is not easy to detect as in deep water they have little height
