Indian Ocean Tsunami

Question 1

Where did the earthquake occur?

Answer 1

Near the Sumatra - Andaman mainland. Near the Indonesian Islands.

Question 2

What was the tectonic setting? (pre-disaster potentia?)

Answer 2

It occured at the Sunda Trench, South-west coast of Indonesia.
Indo-Australian plate is subducted beneath the Burma Plate.
Slip was 15-20 metres, along 1,600 km fault line.

Question 3

The epicentre of the earthquake was…

Answer 3

160 km offshore in the Indian Ocean and at 30 km deep from the ocean floor. North of Simeulue Island.

Question 4

How were the tsunamis formed?

Answer 4

Earthquake displaced the surfaced of the water and created waves.

Question 5

What the nature of the disaster event?

Answer 5

Earthquake was a 9.2 on the Richter scale.
Tsunami waves near the shore reached up to 20-30 metres high.
South Africa experienced freak tides, 8,500 km from the epicenter.

Question 6

the earthquake lasted how long?

Answer 6

10 minutes

Question 7

What were the Social impacts?

Answer 7

1. 230,000 people were killed, many children. Families distraught and loss of future generations.
2. Over 150,000 people were at risk form water borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.
3. Over 1,000 tourists were killed, many from Europe.
4. 44% in the Aceh province lost their livelyhoods and businesses.
5. Medical centres were destryed so people could not seek medical aid.

Question 8

The economic impacts were…

Answer 8

1. Destroyed fishing industries and £226 million of damages and losses.
   2 No exports meant that there was no income into the economy.
2. Lowered GDP as a result of costs to damages and industry.
3. Farm fields contaminated with salts so no harvests for sales and exports.

Question 9

What were the environmental impacts?

Answer 9

1. Sewer waste, chemicals, asbestos, industrial waste, increasing spread of diseases.
2. Coral reefs, mangroves, coastal areas, wetlands, agricultural fields and forests, aquaculture areas etc. were badly damaged.
3. Contamination of ground water reservoirs due to saltwater intrusion.
4. Backwash carried wood, plastics, metals and vegetation and deposited it in the ocean.
5. Seawater intrusion has also affected about 20,000 to 30,000 hectares of land, including vegetation cover, and medium to long-term fertility of the soil.
6. In Sri Lanka, an estimated 62,000 groundwater wells were contaminated by seawater, and by waste water and sewage, rendering them useless.

Question 10

Short term responses included…

Answer 10

1. Air traffic control by the Australian Air Force.
2. Quick burial or cremation of bodies to reduce spread of diseases.
3. World Relief Committee provided immediate aid with sanitary products - water, soaps and toiletries.
4. Temporary shelters built
5. Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Red Cross provided support at temporary shelters.

Question 11

What the community support?

Answer 11

Volunteers help to clean up debris.

Question 12

Brief of management strategies were?

Answer 12

1. New Disaster Law 24/2007
2. Educating People
3. NDMA ( National Disaster Management Authority) formulate Tsunami Risk Management Guidelines.
4. IOTWS (Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System)

Question 13

The IOTWS set up in December 2006 is made up of…

Answer 13

1. DART (Deep-ocean Assessment Recording of Tsunamis. It detects seismic activity on sea floor.
2. Satellites transmit information to the Early Warning centres in Thailand and India.
3. Warnings on mainland - TV, radio, mobile phones, email and faxes, Audio warning alarms at beaches.