Sierra Albrecht Albrecht 1

Mrs. Records

English 3

8 May 2017

2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake/ Tsunami

On December 26, 2004, at 7:59 am local time, an undersea earthquake with a magnitude

of 9.1 struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Over the next seven hours, a

tsunami triggered by the quake reached out across the Indian Ocean, devastating coastal areas as

far away as East Africa. The 2004 tsunami caused severe destruction to countries across the
globe which evoked the countries to develop a tsunami alarm system.

Some locations reported that the waves had reached a height of 30 feet or more when

they hit the shoreline.The rupture was more than 600 miles long, displacing the seafloor by 10

yards horizontally and several yards vertically. As a result, trillions of tons of rock moved,

causing the largest magnitude earthquake in 40 years. (11 Facts About the 2004 Indian Ocean

Tsunami | DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change) Due to the lack of Deep Ocean

Tsunami Detection

Buoys there was no warning about the approaching attack on over a dozen countries. Since the

tsunami, the buoys have been placed to monitor the ocean and are positioned at strategic

locations throughout the ocean and play a critical role in tsunami forecasting. Interestingly

enough, The December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by an earthquake that is

thought to have had the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs. (11 Facts About the

2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami | DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change) The earthquake

itself was thought to have claimed at least 1001 lives, whereas the earthquake and tsunami
combined caused at least 227,898 fatalities. (11 Facts About the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami |

DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change) The total damage resulted in being ten billion

dollars. Even though the tsunami came as a surprise to everyone it was due to happen since,

The tectonic plates in this area had been pushing against each other and building pressure for

thousands of years. They continue to do so and will likely cause underwater earthquakes and

tsunamis in the future. (11 Facts About the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami | DoSomething.org |
Volunteer for Social Change)

Next came the relief, and due to so many high traffic places such as hospitals, it was

difficult to meet each persons needs. Since the majority of the countries hit were third world

countries; infection and disease spread quickly. Doctors were limited and the number of people

kept flowing in pleading for help. New faces came everyday searching for lost loved ones hoping

for a miracle that for most never came. Years after the tsunami and people are still rebuilding the

pieces of what their life once was. Among them was Hussain Alifulhu, 48, one of the last to

escape the island when the tsunami swamped his home. He was among those who helped build

the new community, an electrician by trade who spent the last four years living with his family in

temporary shelters, fishing for sea cucumbers to make a living. On his new island home, he is

working as an electrician once again. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/dec/23/2004-

tsunami-five-years-on Due to the surge of injured people, In the remote Andaman and Nicobar

Islands off the coast of India, 34 health clinics were constructed and outfitted with supplies and

equipment, replacing the facilities destroyed in the tsunami.

(https://www.directrelief.org/focus/emergency-preparedness/2004-indian-ocean-earthquake-

tsunami/ )
 Now ten years after the tsunami people are still heavily affected from Boxing Day and the

lives lost. Many woke up the day after Christmas with plans for a great day almost

instantaneously shattered; now we all reflect on that day. That morning I was playing soccer
with my friends. We ran home after the strong earthquake and after that I heard a really loud

noise, like an aeroplane. When I looked at the sea I saw something I had never seen before and

I was terrified. My family rushed into our minivan but the road was full with everyone trying to

escape. The black wave hit our minivan, turning us over several times before I blacked out.

When I regained consciousness I was in the water. Holding on to a school chair, I floated until I

landed on a beach. I had no idea where I was and I was so hungry and thirsty. There were

bodies and debris everywhere. Under a mangrove tree I saw a mattress had washed up and I

started searching for packets of noodles and bottles of water, collecting them around my

mattress. After five days I didnt have any water or food left. I survived there by myself until day

20. Thats when I saw people coming to collect the bodies. They rescued me and took me to

Fakinah hospital where I found my father. He told me my mother and sister had died in the

tsunami. (https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/dec/25/indian-ocean-tsunami-

survivors-stories-aceh ) There are so many stories; ones with happy endings, sad endings, and

everything in between. On Saturday I went fishing around Pulau Weh, an island off Aceh, and

we spent the night there. We were on the way back to the mainland on Sunday morning when

our boats started rocking. After that we could see a huge wave in the distance. It was

extraordinary, about 20 meters high. Another boat crew heading to land started yelling at us,

telling us to return to the middle of the ocean. Three waves passed and at noon we got a radio

call asking for us to help rescue the victims. On the way back we saw bodies floating in the

water. It was unbelievable. We picked up many survivors. When we got to land we saw that it

was flat, debris was everywhere and there was a clear view of the mountain. We helped rescue

people all day and before it got dark I returned to my home in Kampoeng Jawa village. Sadly,

my house had been swept away. I had lost my wife and my son and I didnt know what to do. I

went to the great mosque and slept there on the terrace and the tremors continued into the
night. (https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/dec/25/indian-ocean-tsunami-

survivors-stories-aceh )

The reason I chose this topic was to bring attention to how devastating natural disasters

can be, and how you can prepare for them. Even if you dont live near the ocean you can

always be more educated about the Natural disasters that can happen in your area.