2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

Geologic Sequence 

It is 6:58 am (26:58 UTC) on December 26, 2004, when, in the Banda Aceh region of Indonesia, the earth shakes: it is the beginning of one of the major natural catastrophes of the last 100 years. The shock is very strong, it causes the collapse of many buildings and seems endless. But the worst comes 20 minutes later when a massive tsunami falls on the coasts of northern Indonesia with high waves up to 30 meters: only in this region, the victims will be over 173,000. 

The tsunami spreads throughout the Indian Ocean and after about 2 hours reaches the coasts of Sri Lanka (41,000 casualties), India (10,700 casualties) and Thailand (5,300 casualties). After 3 hours and a half arrives at the Maldives, after 6 hours in Seychelles and less than 8 hours falls on the African coasts in Somalia: here too, more than 5,000 kilometers from the epicenter, there are hundreds of victims. The final budget will be 230,000 dead and more than 22,000 missing (Paris et al., 2009). 

This event is a milestone in modern seismology, both for the quality and variety of data collected and for the analysis techniques used. The estimated magnitude Mw 9.15 places this earthquake in third place among the largest ever recorded in the instrumental era (since the early 1900s) after Mw 9.5 Chile (1960) and Mw 9.2 of Alaska (1964). In the weeks following the event, the studies revealed the exceptional features of this earthquake: never before had the instruments recorded a breakdown of a long run over 1200 km, with a total duration of 10 minutes firing process. And more so in an area that, due to its tectonic characteristics, was not considered until then capable of producing earthquakes of this size (Szczuciński et al., 2006). The GPS data showed that the cosmic cracking of this giant fault had produced a permanent horizontal shift of northern Indonesia over the Indian plain to a few meters southwest. 

These data, along with seismograms and sea charts recorded by the global networks, allow to determine the distribution of displacement along the 1200 km of the fault: in particular, it is estimated that the movement of the two plates reached 30 meters in two large areas. The satellite images and measurements made on site show that in the Indonesian province of Banda Aceh, hardest hit by the tsunami; the flood has reached a topographic altitude of about 35 meters, penetrating inland for more than four kilometers (Morton et al., 2008). 

Culture before the Event 

Political 

Until the tsunami came on December 26, 2004, residents of Aceh province, Indonesia, had lived under intense conflict between the government and separatist group since 1976. 

Environmental 

The South Asian coast had a beautiful marine environment offshore, with majestic coral reefs and calm sea. Furthermore, there was viable flooded farmland and exotic beaches. 

Economic 

Indonesia and other countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami were economically stable and were enjoying prospects of better economic performance. 

Social 

The affected countries had thriving social facilities such as schools, hospitals, and roads. The people were able to earn a decent living and were empowered through education. They also had functioning livelihoods capable of catering to their needs, 

Culture after the Event 

Political 

Eight months after the country suffered its greatest natural disaster, the Free Aceh Movement and the Jakarta government left aside the political differences and signed a truce that ended the conflict. The tsunami was 'the last drop in the bucket,' the final push for successful negotiations. They separatists ended the uprising in exchange for more autonomy in Aceh. The extent of the catastrophe has put the humanitarian factor at the forefront. In fact, the tsunami was a key factor in the agreement. The truce was signed on August 15, 2005 (Beardsley & McQuinn, 2009). The cease-fire was the only positive consequence of the tsunami that left as many as 225,000 dead in dozens of countries - about 166,000 in Aceh alone. 

Environmental 

The areas near the coastline have disappeared, the beach has disappeared, and the rice fields have been transformed into coastal lagoons. But the most important damage is invisible: soil pollution by chemicals spilled during the destruction of infrastructures, contamination of sources of drinking water, salinization of the environment. In the Maldives, seawater damaged the 1,200 smallholder farms and plots of land. In Sri Lanka, 62,000 fresh water wells have been contaminated by salt water or sewage. Traces of cadmium and asbestos, toxic and carcinogenic substances, have been found in water at concentrations that may represent a danger to humans (Leone et al., 2011). In the Maldives, much of the environmental infrastructure, such as landfills and waste treatment centers have been damaged, particularly in urban areas. In the Aceh region of Indonesia, the port facilities were the most affected. 

Economic 

According to the World Bank, losses and damages are estimated at more than $ 10 billion, of which 60% is property damage and 40% in financial terms. But this figure is still relatively low at the national level in terms of GDP. The most affected sector of activity was indisputably tourism. 

Social 

This giant wave destroyed everything in its path: entire cities and more precisely the coastal villages, taking with it everything necessary to live. It has destroyed nearly a third of the road network, nearly 250 hospitals, and clinics, 1800 schools were destroyed in Indonesia alone (Gower, 2005). The majority of the means of transport have been seriously damaged, destroyed or washed away by water, as well as communications such as telephone lines. The location in the center of the land allowed the main infrastructures, cities, and industries not to be affected by the disaster. We, therefore, understand that the most affected areas have been coastal areas: all around the Bay of Bengal. 

The emotional shock was felt in all hearts in the face of distress, destruction, and desolation that hardship for families, orphans, and widows. For many people, their psychological trauma increased when they became aware that they had lost their families, their surroundings, and their homes, that is, everything (Kumar et al., 2007). All the victims of the tsunami belonged to the popular classes who had placed their savings, the result of a work of several years in their house or the education of their children now left without anything. Living widows in tsunami-affected areas are heads of households. In many villages in Indonesia's Aceh region, 40% of households living on less than the US $ 1 (Cochard et al., 2008). These widows cannot share their grief, their loneliness, or their trauma, which makes them even more difficult psychologically. Children represent a large part of the victims of the December 2004 tsunami: they account for almost half of the population of eight most affected countries because they were the least able physically to escape from the water or to resist the force of current and debris. In the Indonesian province of Aceh, an estimated 35,000 children are orphaned, homeless or separated from their parents. In the course of the population and crisis trafficking and trade of children are intense. These particularly vulnerable orphans could be victims of prostitution networks or forced labor. 

Suggestions for City Planner 

It is important to note that education and tsunami preparedness can play an important role in reducing the loss of life and property damage and are key components of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS). With advance warnings through text messages, radio, television, sirens and speakers, people on the road to a tsunami not only have a greater chance of survival, but they also have a better chance of securing property, particularly marine facilities and boats (Samarajiva, 2005). Additionally, residents and property owners in the region are now more aware than a decade ago of the very real possibility of a tsunami and how to respond to a tsunami threat. 

There should be a model that is able to capture the complex science of tsunami development, the behavior of the tsunami as it approaches and then reaches the coast, and the dynamic change of route, including the height of the waves and the degree of flooding related to the speed of water, and how the tsunami water interacts and the exposure. The vulnerability component of the tsunami model represents the depth of the flood, the velocity of water and debris, as well as the effect and possible failure of flood defenses, such as dykes and walls. The tsunami damage functions cover all lines of business, including hull and cargo. 

Advanced disaster models give risk managers the ability to examine and plan a wide range of large loss scenarios and assess the potential for tsunami and earthquake damage of a variety of magnitudes and in a variety of locations. 

Social and Global Perspectives 

As a scientist, I believe the major tsunamis of the last years had an important scientific impact. As. Japan is a leader both in the modeling of tsunamis, forecasting, and protection of exposed areas. Only the Pacific area currently benefits from an international surveillance network. Tsunamis of Hawaii in 1946 and Chile in 1960 precipitated the creation of International Tsunami Warning System (ITWS) and International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC), whose goal is to detect, locate and determine the magnitude of tsunamis of seismic origin. The interest of international collaboration is to centralize the data provided in a direct time by a set of seismic data, tide gauges and a network of floating buoys detecting changes in the depth of water pressure. People living more than 750 km from the epicenter is thus prevented 1 hour before the arrival of the tsunami. In Japan, the Ocean Bot-Tom Seismograph (OBS) can detect earthquakes on the high seas using180 seismographs, 103 tide gauges (6 of which are telemetered) and sensors variations in pressure exerted by water at 2,200 m and 4,000 m of depth (Choowong et al., 2009). 

For the latter system, signals generated by tides and signals parasites that modify the water pressure (temperature changes) are erased using filters of different frequencies. The data is transferred via cable every 20 seconds to surface stations, then by telephone to Tsunami Warning Center of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA, Tokyo). Prevention is based on spatialized numerical modeling of wave propagation. From 19 of 4,000 sites of potential submarine earthquakes, more than 100,000 scenario tsunamis have been programmed. In the event of an earthquake, the search for simulation closest to reality is in just one minute and a half. The populations within 100 km of the earthquake are alerted 2 to 3 minute before the arrival of the tsunami 

Conclusion  

If the political context and socio-economic influence has influenced people's response to the disaster, it has also conditioned the management of emergency and reconstruction. The stakes and spatial modalities of post-tsunami reconstruction are then approached through four evaluation axes: the highlighting of the territorial structures of the reconstruction at the local level, the land issue, the consideration of natural hazards and the adequacy of reconstruction programs. These actions build on lessons learned from the articles precedents and are based on the production of a prevention film, posters, and leaflets distributed as part of a traveling exhibition and a center tsunami awareness campaign. 

References 

Beardsley, K., & McQuinn, B. (2009). Rebel groups as predatory organizations: The political effects of the 2004 Tsunami in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.  Journal of Conflict Resolution ,  53 (4), 624-645. 

Choowong, M., Phantuwongraj, S., Charoentitirat, T., Chutakositkanon, V., Yumuang, S., & Charusiri, P. (2009). Beach recovery after 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami from Phang-nga, Thailand.  Geomorphology ,  104 (3), 134-142. 

Cochard, R., Ranamukhaarachchi, S. L., Shivakoti, G. P., Shipin, O. V., Edwards, P. J., & Seeland, K. T. (2008). The 2004 tsunami in Aceh and Southern Thailand: a review on coastal ecosystems wave hazards and vulnerability.  Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics ,  10 (1), 3-40. 

Gower, J. (2005). Jason 1 detects the 26 December 2004 tsunami.  Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union ,  86 (4), 37-38. 

Kumar, M. S., Murhekar, M. V., Hutin, Y., Subramanian, T., Ramachandran, V., & Gupte, M. D. (2007). Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in a coastal fishing village in Tamil Nadu, India, after the December 2004 tsunami.  American journal of public health ,  97 (1), 99-101. 

Leone, F., Lavigne, F., Paris, R., Denain, J. C., & Vinet, F. (2011). A spatial analysis of the December 26th, 2004 tsunami-induced damages: Lessons learned for a better risk assessment integrating buildings vulnerability.  Applied Geography ,  31 (1), 363-375. 

Morton, R. A., Goff, J. R., & Nichol, S. L. (2008). Hydrodynamic implications of textural trends in sand deposits of the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka.  Sedimentary Geology ,  207 (1), 56-64. 

Paris, R., Wassmer, P., Sartohadi, J., Lavigne, F., Barthomeuf, B., Desgages, E., ... & Gomez, C. (2009). Tsunamis as geomorphic crises: lessons from the December 26, 2004, tsunami in Lhok Nga, west Banda Aceh (Sumatra, Indonesia).  Geomorphology ,  104 (1), 59-72. 

Samarajiva, R. (2005). Policy Commentary: Mobilizing information and communications technologies for effective disaster warning: lessons from the 2004 tsunami.  New Media & Society ,  7 (6), 731-747. 

Szczuciński, W., Chaimanee, N., Niedzielski, P., Rachlewicz, G., Saisuttichai, D., Tepsuwan, T., & Siepak, J. (2006). Environmental and Geological Impacts of the 26 December 2004 Tsunami in Coastal Zone of Thailand--Overview of Short and Long-Term Effects.  Polish Journal of Environmental Studies ,  15 (5).