seismic - INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI

Question 1

when did it happen

Answer 1

26 December 2004

Question 2

what magnitude was the EQ

Answer 2

9.0-9.3

Question 3

what plate boundary

Answer 3

Convergent = Indian plate subducts underneath the Burma plate

Question 4

what did the EQ lead to …

Answer 4

… caused a tsunami that travelled thousands of km across the Indian Ocean

Question 5

how many people were killed

Answer 5

300,000

Question 6

what did scientists do that wasn’t good

Answer 6

scientists knew in advance that southern Asia was going to be hit, but warnings were too late – radio and television alerts were not broadcasted in Thailand until an hour after the first wave hit

Question 7

what happened 15mins post initial EQ

Answer 7

waves reaching 20m tall hit Sumatra

Question 8

primary impacts

Answer 8

up to 3000 died
vegetation and top soil removed
infrastructure was destroyed
coastal settlements were devasted

Question 9

how far inland was top soil and vegetation removed

Answer 9

up to 800m inland

Question 10

what infrastructure was destroyed

Answer 10

Andaman and Nicobar Islands jetties were washed away

Question 11

example of a coastal settlement that was destroyed

Answer 11

Banda Aceh in Sumatra was obliterated

Question 12

secondary impacts

Answer 12

widespread homelessness
economies devastated
negative multiplier effect
water supplies and soils = contaminated by salt water
rich-poor gap increased

Question 13

how many left homeless

Answer 13

500,000 people forced into refugee camps in the worst hit regions
in Indonesia

Question 14

what economies were devastated

Answer 14

fishing, agriculture and tourism sectors
44% of pop. living in Aceh
Province, Indonesia lost their livelihoods
thailand = cost to fishing industry was £226m

Question 15

what impact did the negative multiplier effect have on sri lanka

Answer 15

loss of fishing vessels
resulted in fewer catches – less likely to reach market because of fewer refrigerated trucks and
the widespread damage to infrastructure

Question 16

immediate responses

Answer 16

international relief efforts established
foreign military troops provided assistance

Question 17

example of a foreign military troop that provided assistance

Answer 17

the Australian Air Force improved air traffic
control at Banda Aceh airport, Indonesia

Question 18

how many agencies provided relief efforts

Answer 18

involved more than 160 aid organisations
and UN agencies

Question 19

longer term responses

Answer 19

large scale reconstruction
tourist resorts rebuilt
tsunami awareness began in schools
practice and evacuation drills established
coastal zones were hazard mapped - identifies areas most at risk

Question 20

although reconstruction programmes were implemented ….

Answer 20

many thousands were still left in tents one year on

Question 21

example of a tourist resort that was rebuilt

Answer 21

phuket, thailand

Question 22

what is a negative to the reconstruction of tourist resorts

Answer 22

some native coastal communities
were forced out by new developments, such as Andhra Pradesh, India

Question 23

where did the EQ occur

Answer 23

the Ocean floor 240km north - west of Sumatra, Indonesia.
15m vertical displacement of 1600km of the sea bed led to a massive tsunami

Question 24

how long did the EQ last and why was the EQ not typical?

Answer 24

longest ever recorded EQ–> lasted 12 minutes

most EQ last between 10-30 seconds

Question 25

how many countries were affected by the EQ and give 4 examples?

Answer 25

Thailand Sri Lanka Sumatra Malaysia 12 countries were hit in total

Question 26

what % of the population in Aceh Province lost livelihoods

Answer 26

44% of the population living in Aceh Province, Indonesia lost livelihoods.

Question 27

how did political tension impact on long-term responses

Answer 27

slowed aid distribution = Sri Lanka aid was delayed to areas held to rebel Tamil Tigers existing gov prejudices were highlighted = in India the dalits an underclass were ignored by the government

Question 28

economic impacts

Answer 28

2006: Thailand + Malaysia = tourism industry recovering BUT visitor numbers 20% lower than before = 1 mill+ jobs lost directly --> farming, fishing + tourism made up 70% of GDP in Indonesia = many families left with no source of £ for yrs --> farmers + fishermen are poorest

Question 29

cost of damage

Answer 29

just under $10 bill

Question 30

environmental impacts

Answer 30

mangrove forests destroyed --> World Conservation Union estimated that 200ha need replanting maldives --> fresh H2O supplies polluted = 16 out of 17 Coral Atolls uninhabitable = affects tourism

Question 31

how many people were forced to leave local areas

Answer 31

~1.69m

Question 32

short term responses

Answer 32

1.2mill children immunised against diseases spreading in refugee camps Oxfam: tents, blankets, food, clean water --> helped 2.5m overall

Question 33

long term responses

Answer 33

UNICEF: construction of 300 primary schools Cash for Work Programme --> 60-70% of fishermen back in business

Question 34

what does the Cash for work programme stand for

Answer 34

work for survivors --> rebuilding boats, building, desalinating land

Question 35

what does IOTWS stand for?

Answer 35

Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System

Question 36

what is involved in the IOTWS?

Answer 36

DART detection buoys satellite communication

Question 37

example where the IOTWS has been used

Answer 37

17 July 2006 Java tsunami

Question 38

how successful was the IOTWS during the Java tsunami

Answer 38

SMS message sent to ~ 400 available addresses fully operational + worked as expected = tsunami bulletins issued to contact points in Indian Ocean in normal time frames

Question 39

some limitations of the IOTWS

Answer 39

SMS list didn't contain many Java coastal addresses = generally didn't receive official warnings race against time --> earthquake only 200km from Java coast = arrived 15 mins later

Question 40

IOTWS - what future improvements are needed?

Answer 40

education --> can't just rely on science-based warnings - may arrive sooner than warnings generated gaps in science + tech. --> need quicker assessment + warning for short-range tsunamis

Question 41

factors affected the impacts and responses to the Indian Ocean Tsunami?

Answer 41

- Technology - Hazard profile - Education - Culture/conflict - Area - Time - Wealth - Experience - Elderly/age

Question 42

how did technology affect the impacts and responses?

Answer 42

infrequency of tsunamis = no warning system existed for Indian Ocean

Question 43

how did hazard profile affect the impacts and responses?

Answer 43

9.2 on Richter Scale - 12 mins long earthquake = longest

Question 44

how did education affect the impacts and responses?

Answer 44

educated = knew drawback is a sign = ran to hills

Question 45

how did culture/conflict affect the impacts and responses?

Answer 45

NE coast of Sri Lanka + Aceh province in Indonesia = war zones = distressed state

Question 46

how did area affect the impacts and responses?

Answer 46

lowland coastal plains = vulnerable to flooding

Question 47

how did time affect the impacts and responses?

Answer 47

first hit under 30 mins = lack time to prepare

Question 48

how did wealth affect the impacts and responses?

Answer 48

LICs = lack supplies, rely on foreign aid = slower

Question 49

how did experience affect the impacts and responses?

Answer 49

infrequent --> nothing of that scale in last 300 yrs = lack knowledge

Question 50

how did elderly/age affect the impacts and responses?

Answer 50

youthful pop. = vulnerable --> 1/3 of deaths children Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka + Thailand = 13,954 over 60 yrs killed-