2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami (Indonesia)

Members:
Cabrera, Bernie
Cabusao, John Michael
Dela Cruz, Jeremy
Evangelista, Christian
Galang, Jan Carlos
Quirona, Ce-Jhay
Bautista, Eirene
Cruz, Nicole
Ramos, Rianna
2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami (Indonesia)

1. What caused the disaster?

- The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by an earthquake that is thought to have
had the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs. It was an undersea
megathrust earthquake that registered a magnitude of 9.1–9.3 Mw, reaching a
Mercalli intensity up to IX in certain areas. The earthquake was caused by a rupture
along the fault between the Burma Plate and the Indian Plate.
2. When and where exactly did the natural event originate?
- The disaster happened on December 26, 2004 and its epicenter was located in the
Indian Ocean near the west coast of Sumatra.
3. How extensive was the area affected?
- Over the next seven hours, a tsunami—a series of immense ocean waves—triggered
by the quake reached out across the Indian Ocean, devastating coastal areas as far
away as East Africa. Some locations reported that the waves had reached a height of
30 feet (9 metres) or more when they hit the shoreline.
4. Was the cause of the disaster forecasted or predicted? Were there warnings issued?
How did the people react to the warning?
- When the Indian Ocean tsunami struck on Dec. 26, 2004, no one saw the massive
waves coming. Authorities in Indonesia, where a 9.1 magnitude quake sparked the
tsunami, weren't able to send out an alert because the country's sensor system had
been hit by lightning. Thai officials did send a warning, but only after the first deadly
wave hit.
5. How many lives were lost? How many were injured and missing? Can the loss of
lives be quantified in terms of peso or dollars?
- Nearly 230,000 people were killed, making it one of the deadliest disasters in modern
history. No, the loss of lives cannot be quantified in terms of peso or dollars because
it is something that monetary value could not replace.
6. What could have prevented the loss of many lives?
- Within days of the 2004 tsunami, governments across Asia began examining why
they were caught unawares by such a massive event and what they could do to make
their communities safer. Many turned their attention to building a warning system
similar to the one that was set up in the 1960s and covering much of the Pacific
Ocean, where tsunamis are much more common.
7. What was the resulting damage as a percent of GNP for the year the disaster
happened?
- According to a World Bank study, the direct impact of the tsunami lowered the
national GDP growth rate by 0.1-0.4 percentage points in 2005. The Bank concluded
that, when the offsetting effects of reconstruction activities were taken into account,
the net economic impact of the tsunami on nationwide growth in Indonesia was likely
to be close to zero.
8. Did the disaster affect the performance of the country’s economy years after it
happened? How?
- The Bank concluded that, when the offsetting effects of reconstruction activities were
taken into account, the net economic impact of the tsunami on nationwide growth in
Indonesia was likely to be close to zero.
9. How much did the country spend for rescue, relief, and rehabilitation works?
- Since 2004 it has provided 4,807,000 people with assistance; 51,395 new houses have
been built; 289 hospitals and clinics built or rehabilitated. Pledged international aid
from all sources for the recovery has topped $13.5bn, almost half of it given by
private individuals and organisations. In response, the Indonesian government,
donors, NGOs and individuals contributed roughly $7 billion in aid and the
government established a high-level bureau based in Aceh to organize recovery work.
10. What particular loss or damage cannot be recovered or repaired?
- The particular lost that cannot be recovered was the life of the people who died and
the trauma it gave the survivors.
11. How justified are pre-disaster measures and expenditures?
- The aid response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was unprecedented for a natural
disaster, with a colossal $6.25bn donated to a central UN relief fundassisting 14
countries. According to the UN’s financial tracking system, Indonesia received the
most humanitarian aid, with more than $1bn allocated to the country. A further $3bn
was allocated to the region as a whole, including for early warning systems to reduce
the impact of future tsunamis.