Indian Ocean Tsunami

Question 1

What causes a tsunami?

Answer 1

A tsunami is a wave train caused where the entire depth of the ocean is set in motion by an event, often an earthquake, which displaces the water above.

Question 2

When did the tsunami occur?

Answer 2

26th December 2004

Question 3

What countries were effected?

Answer 3

Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Somalia, Burma, Maldives, Malaysia, Tanzania, Seychelles, Bangladesh and Kenya.

Question 4

How strong was the earthquake?

Answer 4

9.0 to 9.3

Question 5

Deaths?

Answer 5

289,601 people

Question 6

Injured?

Answer 6

650,000

Question 7

Number homeless?

Answer 7

2,000,000

Question 8

Number settlements lost in Indonesia?

Answer 8

1500

Question 9

Secondary effects?

Answer 9

500,000 people forced into refugee camps, £226m lost in the economy in Thailand due to fishing industry being impacted and water supplies became contaminated with salt water.

Question 10

Responses?

Answer 10

Aid from 160 countries and organisations, large scale reconstruction (although thousands were still in tents a year on), tourist resorts rebuilt, education on tsunami awareness, practice drills, costal zones were mapped with areas most at risk identified and the UN set up a tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean.