Boxing Day Tsunami Flashcards
What measurement was the earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra on the Richter scale?
Around 9.1 on the Richter scale
How did the tsunami happen?
There is a destructive plate margin along the west coast of Indonesia in the Indian Ocean. The plate that’s moving down into the mantle cracked and moved very quickly which caused a lot of water to be displaced. This triggered a tsunami.
How tall were the highest tsunami waves?
30m high
Why was the tsunami so destructive?
Because there was no early warning system in place.
How many people were killed?
Around 230 000 people were killed or are still missing
How many people lost their homes?
Whole towns and villages were destroyed, 1.7 million people lost their homes.
How many people needed emergency food water and medical supplies?
5-6 million
What happened to infrastructure?
In many countries, roads, water pipes and electricity lines were severely damaged.
What were the economic impacts?
There was huge economic damages. Millions of fishermen lost their livelihoods, and tourism suffered because many people were afraid to go on holiday there.
What was the environmental damage?
Salt from seawater means plants can’t grow in many areas. Mangroves, coral reefs, forests and sand dunes were also destroyed by the waves.
What were the short term responses?
1) within days hundreds of millions of pounds had been pledged by foreign governments, charities, individuals and businesses to give survivors access to food, water, shelter and medical attention.
2) foreign countries sent ships, planes, soldiers and teams of specialists to help rescue people, distribute food and water and begin clearing up.
What were the long term responses?
1) billions of pounds have been pledged to rebuild the infrastructure of the countries affected.
2) as well as money, programmes have been set up to rebuild houses and help people get back to work.
3) a tsunami warning system has been put in place in the Indian Ocean
4) disaster management plans have been put in place in some countries. Volounteers have been trained so that local people know what to do if a tsunami happens again.
When did the Indian Ocean tsunami happen?
Boxing Day 2004
