2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami - Research Paper Example

2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami “ONE DAY IN THE LIFE . . . THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME” The day of 26 December 2004 i.e. Sunday is often marked as one of the most catastrophic days in the history of mankind. This day is significant because of the occurrence of Tsunami and earthquake in the Indian Ocean. Contextually, this day in the history of mankind brought in certain decisive changes for a number of people. Therefore, evaluation of the impact of one day in human life through analyzing the effects, causes and consequences of Tsunami and earthquake will be the prime area of deliberation for this study. It is believed that uncertainly is one evident aspect in the lives of human beings. Life of a human being is quite unpredictable in nature as no one is aware about what the future has in store for them. It is also believed that people and their surroundings change from time to time. This facet shows that time is an important element that has a major impact on the lives and wellbeing of people. It is further deliberated that it is just a moment that can change everything in the lives of humans. This might be in a positive or in a negative manner altogether. This aspect can be better comprehended from the example of natural disasters that change lives of people mostly in a negative manner. Natural disaster is a particular scenario which is minimally controllable by human beings owing to which the consequences of the same become drastic (Lace 7-11). Contextually, the scenario of Tsunami (a natural catastrophe) had a set of major and unforgettable consequences which will be described in the later section of this particular discussion. It has been inferred that the lives and the events that take place in the human lifespan are quite uncertain and unknown to everyone. The day of 26 December 2004 had started in a usual manner for people with their engagement in their respective day-to-day activities without being totally aware of what they were about to experience in course of that particular day. They had gone outside of their houses as usual to execute their daily responsibilities without being aware of what the day has in store for them. Like in any other natural calamities, Tsunami in the Indian Ocean also provided minimal to negligible chances to people to prepare themselves for the unknown consequences (University at Buffalo Libraries, “Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster”). Facts and investigations depicted that the scenario of Tsunami was a result of an earthquake that had taken place in the Indian Ocean when the clock showed around 0059 hours (GMT) in the epicentre located in the west coast of the Sumatra (a small island in Indonesia). It has also been noted that the earthquake scaled around 9.0 in the Richter scale which was among the deadliest observed. It is believed that in usual scenarios of earthquake, the authorities have the technological infrastructure to predict the earthquake three hours prior, which further provides certain specific time period for people to find a safe place for themselves. Though this particular technology was present in Pacific Ocean but not in the Indian Ocean which further hindered in predicting the earthquake in advance. Experts investigating the entire scenario depicted certain precise results about the causes of the earthquake on that day. It has been reported that the earthquake in the Indian Ocean was owing to the movement of the tectonic plates beyond the usual manner, further resulting in the occurrence of rupture of approximately 600 miles or more. It has been observed that more than 14 countries of the world had experienced the impact of the underwater earthquake and subsequently Tsunami. Among the counties that were under the influence of Tsunami, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India had been significantly affected (International Research Institute for Climate and Society, “Scientific Background on the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami”). Reportedly, the estimated death in this natural disaster event was approximately 227,898 out of which 178,400 approximate deaths had been recorded in the region of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India. It has also been noted that the earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean recorded a magnitude of 9.1-9.3 on average which is the third greatest figure for earthquake ever documented in Seismograph in the history of mankind. This also depicts the severity of this particular natural disaster. Furthermore, experts investigating the scenario also depicted that the time or the total duration of occurrence of the earthquake was amid 8 to 10 minutes approximately which is again amongst the longest that has been ever recorded in the history of mankind. The power or the energy generated by the earthquake in the Sumatra Island was roughly equivalent to more than 700 million Hiroshima bombs which is again an aspect that has never been experienced in the history of civilization (Nichols College, “Indian Ocean Tsunami-December 26 2004”). Observably, as depicted in the above discussion, the earthquake in 2004 that occurred in the Indian Ocean is one of the drastic and never seen before scenarios in the human history. It is believed that various sources determine numerous causal factors for the earthquake which subsequently resulted in Tsunami. Experts depicted that the earthquake in the Indian Ocean was a result of the subduction of the tectonic plates beneath the ocean in the Sumatra region of Indonesia. It has also been analyzed that the waves that were being created owing to the earthquake were 20 ft. long on an average. A few of the waves were measured to be more than 30 ft. especially in the region of Indonesia which was quite near to the epicentre (i.e. Sumatra). Furthermore, evaluation of the earthquake also depicted that owing to the uplift of the sea water which caused the displacement of billions of tons of water setting the stage for Tsunami which had disastrous impacts on 14 nations of the world with causing maximum number deaths in the regions of Indonesia and Sri Lanka. An earthquake of 9.0 (average) magnitude was recorded beneath the Indian Ocean for over 8 to 10 minutes causing the displacement of huge amount of water in various directions in a cyclic manner which further assured disastrous consequences for the regions that fall within its. In this regard, it has been noted that within hours of the earthquake in the location of the epicentre, more than 11 destinations of the world located around the Indian Ocean got severely affected. This aspect depicts that the earthquake and Tsunami in the year 2004 had grown from a mere earthquake to one of the biggest and the most catastrophic natural disasters in the history of mankind. The rupture that has been created as a result of the collision of the tectonic plates had a speed of more than 60 miles per hour which again shows how severe the tsunami was. It will be crucial to mention that this particular aspect of the earthquake of the year 2004 was also among the strongest that has ever been recorded in the history of mankind (Lace 1-35). Notably, any natural disaster leaves noteworthy and unforgettable impacts on the people and other domains of the society. Contextually, the earthquake and Tsunami that occurred in the year 2004 also left a profound negative impact on the people and that too in a considerable manner. One of the prime and foremost impacts of the natural disaster was the wide effect it had ensured. It has been noted that about 14 nations of the world came under the influence of Tsunami which were mainly located around the Indian Ocean. It is believed that despite the epicenter being located in 240 kilometers away from the Sumatra Island, it destroyed the place severely and equally for both the poorly build houses along with the strongly build structures. The subsequent Tsunami also impacted other places of Indonesia in an extensive manner. These aspects are further justified from the figures obtained with regard to the number of deaths that had occurred in Indonesia owing to this 2004 natural disaster. There were more than 227,898 deaths in the 14 countries that had come under the influence of the Tsunami. Amid these figures, Indonesia itself accounted for more than 130,000 deaths. There was also severe economic impact or consequences as a result of Tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Experts comprehended that the economic damage of the earthquake had exceeded the $10 billion (a collective figure of the damage caused all over the world) mark, which is also among the highest that has ever been recorded in the past earthquakes (Lambourne, “Tsunami: Anatomy of a Disaster”). Moreover, the impact of Tsunami had also been viewed to be considerable in nations such as India and Sri Lanka where the loss from the earthquake was quite large and extensive. Apart from the deaths that were caused owing to Tsunami, there were also certain other impacts that will be vital to discuss to get a comprehensive measure about the extent of unfavorable effect of the Tsunami in the year 2004 on human beings. It has been reported that in the region of Sumatra itself, in excess of 500,000 people were rendered homeless with approximately 80,000 homes being destroyed severely. The negative impact of the Tsunami was also seen in the domain of other public infrastructures of the place including the ports, the government buildings, roadways and hospitals among others. This aspect altogether depicts that major effects of Tsunami had been experienced by the people. The impact of Tsunami was also measured in the domain of the tourism sector. Notably, as a result of the earthquake and Tsunami, more than 8,000 tourists belonging from different parts of the world had lost their lives which further affected the overall tourism sector for quite a longer period of time post Tsunami. These were a few of the primary effects that emerged from the earthquake and the subsequent Tsunami. There are also certain secondary effects that were seen as a result of the Tsunami and the earthquake. Secondary impacts of the natural disaster mainly include the aftereffects of the scenario (Chossudovsky, “Nine Years Ago, December 26, 2004: Indian Ocean Tsunami. Why did the Information Not Get Out?”). Notably, the situation that had emerged from the Tsunami had also accompanied with it various chronic diseases for the people. It has been analyzed that health complications such as cholera, dysentery and other severe diseases spread amid people in the earthquake affected areas owing to a lack of proper living conditions (Slideshare, “Indian Ocean Tsunami Case Study”). Post the occurrence of Tsunami in Indonesia and other countries, people had to deal with the scenarios where they experienced a lack of clean water for the purpose of drinking, a lack of proper and adequate food and scarcity of proper houses which further deteriorated their mental and physical conditions. Moreover, the grief they had been dealing with owing to the loss of their loved ones also impacted their living conditions post Tsunami. Their normal way of living post the earthquake and the Tsunami also got negatively affected owing to their lack of proper income especially for the poor people living near the beach and seashore as most of the fishing boats were damaged as a result of the natural disaster. Besides, the destruction of the agricultural fields by the Tsunami also hindered the income source of the farmers which further resulted in causing an emotional distress amid them (Slideshare, “Indian Ocean Tsunami Case Study”; National Geographic News, “The Deadliest Tsunami in History?”). Hence, it is quite apparent that the impact of Tsunami is visible in various domains of the society including the social and economic sectors among others. From the foregoing analysis, it is quite apparent that the impact of any natural disaster is quite drastic and unforgettable in the lives of human beings. Any natural calamity leaves a major impact on the usual way of living of individuals for quite a longer period of time. This particular aspect can be better justified from the scenarios that emerge during and post-earthquake and Tsunami in the year 2004 in the Indian Ocean. Notably, the natural calamity had resulted in deaths of thousands of people in 14 different locations in the world in and around the Indian Ocean. Apart from deaths, there were various other difficulties with which people had to deal with as a result of Tsunami including loss of homes, business infrastructures and proper livelihood which made life very much difficult for the people. This overall scenario depicts that it takes only a day to change the lives of people in a negative direction. It was just a moment that had changed the lives of millions of people as a result of earthquake and Tsunami that took place for only few minutes. This again depicts the importance of time in human lives and their wellbeing. Works Cited Chossudovsky, Michel. Nine Years Ago, December 26, 2004: Indian Ocean Tsunami. Why did the Information Not Get Out?. 2005. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. “Scientific Background on the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami.” International Research Institute for Climate and Society. n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. Lambourne, Helen. Tsunami: Anatomy of a Disaster. 2005. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. Lace, William W. The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004. New York: InfoBase Publishing, 2008. Print. “The Deadliest Tsunami in History?.” National Geographic News. 2005. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. “Indian Ocean Tsunami-December 26 2004.” Nichols College. n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. “Indian Ocean Tsunami Case Study.” Slideshare. 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. “Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster.” University at Buffalo Libraries. 2012. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. Read More