A Comparative Analysis of Tsunami Disasters in the Indian Ocean and in Hokkaido

Infrastructure needed for transport was severely damaged. Over 2000 miles of roads were swept away. This made it more difficult to access and support communities affected by the tsunami.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent history. It was even catastrophic for a country like Maldives that never experienced disasters of such scale. While some of the islands in Maldives were completely destroyed and a significant number of lives lost; the damages to economy, infrastructure, environment and human psyche was immeasurable (Pardasani, 2006, p. 80). Having only dealt with storm surges and localized flooding, “there were no operational plans or capacity to deal with a disaster of this magnitude” in Maldives (Government of Maldives, et al., 2005, p. 9). Despite some organizational shortcomings, mostly owing to their lack of experience in managing large-scale disasters and limited

Natural disasters are a huge challenge for the planet because of the adverse effects that are associated with them. One of the major earthquakes to have shaken the earth is the Great Sendai Earthquake or Great Tōhoku Earthquake that occurred in 2011. The event started when a powerful earthquake hit the northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, and resulted in a widespread damage on land. A series of massive tsunamis later devastated many parts of the coastal regions of the country with the worst affected being the Tohoku region. The tsunami further resulted in a major nuclear accident that damaged distant regions on a power station located along the coast. The economic effects of the tsunami qualify it as one of the major natural disasters because it affected Japan’s economic stability as the country ended up resorting to importing as an alternative to cover the loss.

Throughout this unit, the Science in Practice class has been learning about natural disasters and the impact it has on humans and environment. The natural disaster that will be discussed in this report is the Boxing Day Tsunami, which occurred on the 26th of December, 2004. The tsunami took place in the Indian Ocean. Due to, two tectonics plates, the Indo-Australian plate and the Eurasian plate colliding, causing an underwater earthquake. Due to this awful disaster, people were killed, injured, diagnosed with diseases, homes and businesses were destroyed, the environment damaged.

All along the coast of Central America the tsunami was observed. (February 4, 1965, Alaska Earthquake, Rat Islands, Magnitude 8.7) This earthquake was recorded at a magnitude 8.7 and caused a big tsunami of over 10 m on Shemya Island. It barely caused any damage, though. Just two months after the initial shock, an aftershock earthquake at a magnitude of 7.6 hit the same area. (March 28, 2005, Sumatra Earthquake aka Nias Earthquake) Just off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, was a devastating earthquake that killed 1,300 people. A majority of the devastation occurred on the island of Nias. The massive earthquake sparked a panic around countries along the Indian Ocean because there was a massive tsunami just three months earlier in December. ( August 15, 1950, Assam, Tibet Earthquake, Magnitude 8.6) There were at least 780 people who died in this 8.6 magnitude earthquake. Many buildings completely collapsed in areas of Eastern Tibet. Landslides and ground cracks/fractures ended up washing away and entire village. The village of Yedong collapsed into the Yarlung Zangbo River and literally washed

Know as the second worst tsunami in the world’s history, the Boxing day tsunami took place on December 26, 2004. The tsunami destroyed over 12 different countries and islands, including Sumatra, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and many more countries located by the Indian ocean(Malcolm Moore and Meabh Ritchie). It had continued trekking counties in the Indian Ocean for over two days and left all of which were hit devastated.

cause a wide range of deaths and lost family members or friends. One good similarity that both Tsunamis and

In 2004, a tsunami took place in the Indian Ocean, originated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Reports from the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) “The tsunami caused more casualties than any other in recorded history and was recorded nearly world-wide on tide gauges in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Ocean”. “The USGS estimates that the sudden movement

In the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami in Indonesia there was about $15 billion worth of damage. The estimated cost of clean-up is about $7.5 billion. This tsunami also greatly impacted the economy. About 600,000 people had their work affected by the tsunami. In the tsunami affected area 40% of people ran businesses, 10% of people lost them.

The 2004 tsunami was a major dent in today’s history. It began as a normal day on December 26,2004. Everyone surfing, tanning, or just hanging around town with friends and family. . The day was sunny and dry, a perfect day to have some vacation fun. During all of the fun on the beach in the Indian Ocean an earthquake hits. No one thought of it and just began going back to their everyday things. A little while later the tide pulls back and there perfect day at the beach was about to end before their eyes.

Tsunami is a Japanese term meaning ‘harbour wave.’ They are also known as tidal waves or seismic sea waves. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are these most prevalent triggers of tsunami occurrences. What makes tsunamis not the same as normal waves is that customary whitecaps are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon or sun, or they are formed due to wind patterns. However, tsunamis are caused by a severe water displacement. While tsunamis do transpire around the world, Japan is the foremost victim of this natural disaster. Tsunamis can be over one hundred feet tall and move forward at speeds of five hundred miles per hour. An average of 7,916 people perishes each year correlated to tsunami incidents. Another 85,582 are affected. Eighty percent of tidal waves transpire in the Pacific Ocean’s ring of fire.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission fund U.S. East coast tsunami hazard assessment, while the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conduct this assessment. Moreover, the evaluation includes distinguishing submarine avalanches along the submerged continental margin as the primary potential source of dangerous tsunamis to this coast. The 1929 Grand Banks submarine landslide produced a monstrous tsunami (3-8 meters high) that killed 28 people along the scantily populated Newfoundland coast. This catastrophic event shows the seriousness of this hazard. Besides, many maps showed insufficient detail for parts of this region. However, scientists produced a quantitative assessment of tsunami hazard involving several analysts conducting a 15-day survey

The effect of the 9.0 earthquake was magnified by the ensuing tsunami that swept six miles inland in Japan, spreading out across the Pacific and wreaking havoc. The West Coast of the U.S. received this widespread destruction, with tens of millions of dollars in damage in Hawaii and $40 million in California. Furthermore, it caused millions of dollars in damage to boats and harbors in Oregon. The nuclear contamination worsened the damage along with the gasoline and electricity shortage that caused rolling blackouts in Japan’s industrial centers.

On March 11, 2011 natural destruction raged the small island nation of Japan. With a massive earthquake and tsunami caused equipment damage that eventually lead to destruction of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. During the earthquake and tsunami three nuclear reactors were destroyed. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake caused damage all over the island and still 2 years later Japan is struggling to get back on its feet. People were forced to leave their homes and possessions behind as the Japanese government tried to correct the damage done by the tsunami and earthquake. With not only the country hurting, its natives hurt for normalcy. The road to recovery is a long one but one must look at the steps taken so far to return Japan back to

In March of 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake hit Japan, releasing a dangerous tsunami. Japan was not expecting the magnitude of the earthquake and tsunami, and endured much hardship after the disaster. The effects of the tsunami can still be seen in Japan today through its residents, economy, and through actions that have been taken to further protect residents from future disasters. Though the Japan 2011 tsunami is one of the most destructive tsunamis ever recorded, dangerous tsunamis continue to take place across the globe. The Japan 2011 tsunami not only affected the inhabitants of Japan, but also affected people around the world. After disasters such as this, each area must endure the aftermath of the disaster and recover from the effects.