INTRODUCTION

The word ‘Tsunami’ is of Japanese origin, which means, “harbor wave”. Tsunami
are large waves that are generated when the see floor is deformed by seismic
activity, vertically displacing the overlying water in the ocean. The quake
occurred at a place where several massive geological plates push against each
other with massive force. Tsunami has very low height while traveling over deep
ocean. High waves occur only when it reaches the shallow waters, typically near
the coast. The mega thrust earthquake-measuring 9.0 at Richter scale, off the
western coast of northern Sumatra (Banda Ache), Indonesia was the largest of
its type since the 9.2 magnitude Good Friday earthquake off Alaska in 1964. The
deadliest natural disaster caused by the tsunami generated from an undersea
earthquake on 26 December 2004 in the Indian Ocean has shaken up the world.
The 2004 tsunami generated waves of up to 15 meters in height and even hit
Somalia at a distance of about 4500 km west of the epicenter. The tsunami
traveled slowly and took seven hours to hit the farthest coast at the west.
Because of the 1200 kilometer of the fault line affected by the seaquake was in a
nearly north-south orientation, the greatest strength of the tsunami waves was in
the east-west direction. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea
earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December
26, 2004. The earthquake originated in the Indian Ocean just north of Simeulue
island, off the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

The resulting tsunamis devastated the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India,
Thailand, and other countries with waves of up to 15 m (50 feet) high, even
reaching the east coast of Africa, 4500 km (2,800 miles) west of the
epicenter.The Unieted States Geological Survey recoreded the magnitude of the
earthquake of Sumatra at 8.9 with the epicenter lying 10km below the seabed.
Aftershocks struck in the magnitude 7 range. The quake occurred at a place
where several massive geological plates push against each other with massive
force. The survey said, a 1000 – kilometer section along the boundry of the plate

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shifted, a motion that triggered the sudden displacement of a huge volume of
water. An interesting phenomenon of the seismic tidal waves in the different part
of the world was that people saw sea water disappearing away from the beaches
in the minutes before the giant wave lashed back with infernal fury devouring
whatever come on the way of their lethal onslaught. Scientists say the effect is
caused by tidal waves shocking shallow coastal waters out to see before
returning them as a massive wall of water.

The titanic tsunami that wrought unprecedented death and destruction in South
and South-East Asia will go down in history as one of the greatest natural
calamities of the modern times. The great disaster caught the people and the
government off guard and in a matter of minutes, snuffed out more than 2,00,000
lives. Across the more than twelve countries. The number of people rendered
homeless might run into millions, as no estimate is immediately available as to
how many children have become orphans, how many women become widows
and how many families have been wiped out in a single sweep.

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CAUSES OF TSUNAMI

Tsunamis, also called seismic sea waves or, incorrectly, tidal waves, generally
are caused by earthquakes, less commonly by submarine landslides, infrequently
by submarine volcanic eruptions and very rarely by a large meteorite impact in
the ocean. Submarine volcanic eruptions have the potential to produce truly
awesome tsunami waves. The Great Krakatau Volcanic Eruption of 1883
generated giant waves reaching heights of 125 feet above sea-level, killing
thousands of people and wiping out numerous coastal villages.

The 1992 Nicaragua tsunami may have been the result of a "slow" earthquake
comprised of very long-period movement occurring beneath the sea floor. This
earthquake generated a devastating tsunami with localized damage to coastal
communities in Nicaragua.

Not all earthquakes generate tsunamis. To generate tsunamis, earthquakes

must occur underneath or near the ocean, be large and create movements in the
sea floor. All oceanic regions of the world can experience tsunamis, but in the
Pacific Ocean there is a much more frequent occurrence of large, destructive
tsunamis because of the many large earthquakes along the margins of the
Pacific Ocean.

RING OF FIRE

About two-thirds of the earth is covered by the waters of the four oceans. The
Pacific Ocean is the world's largest, covering more than one third of the total
surface area of our planet. The Pacific Ocean is surrounded by a series of
mountain chains, deep ocean trenches and island arcs, sometimes called a "ring
of fire." The great size of the Pacific Ocean and the large earthquakes associated
with the "ring of fire" combine to produce deadly tsunamis.

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In less than a day, these tsunamis can travel from one side of the Pacific to the
other. However, people living near areas where large earthquakes occur may
find that the tsunami waves will reach their shores within minutes of the
earthquake. For these reasons, the tsunami threat to many areas (Alaska, the
Philippines, Japan or the U.S. West Coast) can be immediate (for tsunamis from
nearby earthquakes taking only a few minutes to reach coastal areas) or less
urgent (for tsunamis from distant earthquakes taking from 3 to 22 hours to reach
coastal areas).

EARTH AND EARTHQUAKES

The continents and sea floor that cover the earth's surface are part of a world-
wide system of plates that are in motion. These motions are very slow, only an
inch or two per year. Earthquakes occur where the edges of plates run into one
another. Such edges are called fault lines or faults. Sometimes the forces along
faults can build-up over long periods of time so that when the rocks finally break
an earthquake occurs. Examples of features produced by forces released along
plate edge faults are the Andes Mountains in South America (on land) and the
Aleutian Trench near Alaska (under water). When powerful, rapid faulting occurs
underneath or near the ocean, a large earthquake is produced and, possibly, a
tsunami.

The deep ocean trenches off the coasts of Alaska, the Kuril Islands, Russia,, and
South America are well known for their violent underwater earthquakes and as
the source area for destructive Pacific-wide tsunamis.

The tsunami generating process is more complicated than a sudden push

against the column of ocean water. The earthquake's magnitude and depth,
water depth in the region of tsunami generation, the amount of vertical motion of
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the sea floor, the velocity of such motion, whether there is coincident slumping of
sediments and the efficiency with which energy is transferred from the earth's
crust to ocean water are all part of the generation mechanism.

VOLCANIC ERUPTION

Although relatively infrequent, violent volcanic eruptions represent also impulsive

disturbances, which can displace a great volume ofwater and generate extremely
destructive tsunami waves in the immediate source area. Volcanic
disturbances can generate waves by the sudden displacement of water caused
by a volcanic explosion, by a volcano's slope failure, or more likely by a
phreatomagmatic explosion and collapse and/or engulfment of the volcanic
magmatic chambers. The majority of tsunamis that occur in the PacificOcean

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happen around the “Ring of Fire” Area surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. The
periphery has also been dubbed the 'Ring of Fire' because of the extraordinarily
high number of active volcanoes and seismic activity located in the region. Since
1819, over 40 tsunamis have struckthe Hawaiian Islands . One of the largest and
most destructive tsunamis ever recorded was generated in August 26, 1883 after
the explosion and collapse of the volcano of Krakatoa (Krakatau), in Indonesia.
This explosion generated waves that reached 135 feet, destroyed coastal towns
and villages along the Sunda Strait in both the islands of Java and Sumatra,
killing 36, 417 people.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL COLLISION

Tsunamis caused by extraterrestrial collision (i.e. asteroids, meteors) are an

extremely rare occurrence. Although no meteor/asteroid inducedtsunami have
been recorded in recent history, scientists realize that if these celestial bodies
should strike the ocean, a large volume of water would undoubtedly be displaced
to cause a tsunami. Scientists have calculated that if a moderately large
asteroid, 5-6 km in diameter, should strike the middle of the large ocean basin
such as the Atlantic Ocean, it would produce a tsunami that would travel all the
way to the Appalachian Mountains in the upper two-thirds of the United States.
On both sides of the Atlantic, coastal cities would be washed out by such
atsunami. An asteroid 5-6 kilometers in diameter impacting between the
Hawaiian Islands and the West Coast of North America, would produce a
tsunami which would wash out the coastal cities on the West coasts of Canada,
U.S. and Mexico and would cover most of the inhabited coastal areas ofthe
Hawaiian islands.

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EFFECT OF TSUNAMI ON INDIA

Almost all the countries situated around the Bay of Bengal were affected by the
tsunami waves in the morning hours of 26 December 2004 (between 0900 – 1030
hrs IST). The killer waves were triggered by an earthquake measuring 8.9 on the
Richter scale that had an epicenter near the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.
The first recorded tsunami in India dates back to 31 December 1881. An
earthquake of magnitude 7.5 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter believed to
have been under the sea off the coast of Car Nicobar Island, caused the tsunami.
The last recorded tsunami in India occurred on 26 June 1941, caused by an
earthquake with magnitude exceeding 8.5. This caused extensive damage to the
Andaman Islands. There are no other well-documented records of Tsunami in
India.

It was all quiet on the waterfront on the Sunday morning after Christmas in 2004
at Kanyakumari, the famous Marina Beach in Chennai and elsewhere on the
Kerala coast and Andaman Nicober Islands. There was the excitement of a
holyday with an offbeat mood with swarms of people on the sea front: children
playing cricket and man and women on their morning work at the Marina.
Elsewhere, fishermen were putting out to sea for the day’s catch. Then all on a
sudden, a curious thing happened. The holidaymakers at Kanyakumari were
awestruck when the sea receded from the shores.

In the present tsunami, India was the third country severely battered after
Indonesia and Srilanka. In India the State severely affected by tsunami are
Tamilnadu, Pondicheri, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Andaman and Nicober
Island.

TAMIL NADU

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The state of Tamil Nadu has been the worst affected on the mainland, with a
death toll of 7,793. Nagapattinam district has had 5,525 casualties, with entire
villages having been destroyed. Kanyakumari district has had 808 deaths,
Cuddalore district 599, the state capital Chennai 206 and Kancheepuram district
124. The death tolls in other districts were Pudukkottai (15), Ramanathapuram
(6), Tirunelveli (4), Thoothukudi (3), Tiruvallur (28), Thanjavur (22), Tiruvarur (10)
and Viluppuram (47).

Those killed in Kanyakumari include pilgrims taking a holy dip in the sea. Of about
700 people trapped at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial off Kanyakumari, 650
were rescued. In Chennai, people playing on the Marina beach and those who
taking a Sunday morning stroll were washed away, in addition to the fisherfolk
who lived along the shore and those out at sea. The death toll at Velankanni in
Nagapattinam district is currently 1,500. Most of these people were visiting the
Basilica of the Virgin Mary for Christmas, while others were residents of the town.
The nuclear power station at Kalpakkam was shut down after sea water rushed
into a pump station. No radiation leak or damage to the reactor was reported

PONDICHERRY

An estimated 30,000 people are homeless in the Union territory of Pondicherry.

The current official toll is 560. The affected districts are Pondicherry (107 dead),
Karaikal (453 dead).
Kariakal is the most devastrated area from the Pondichery Union territory.Where
massive destruction and loss of casualities accure.This mishalp occure because
of uncover stone block.Mostly fisherfolk are affected due to location and distance
between sea and their basti (village).Fishing peoples are just preparing for
venturing into sea and within fraction of seconds every thinng wash away and
their boats are damaged they lost every thing in terms of life and property. More

8
than 453 people are died so far and still some are missing .

KERALA

The current official toll is 168. The affected districts are Kollam (131 dead),
Alappuzha (32 dead), Ernakulam (5 dead).The tsunami that hit the Kerala coust
on December 26,2004 , were three to five metres high ,according to the National
Institute of Disaster Management,(NIDM) which functions under the ministray of
home affairs.The Tidal upsourge had affected 250 killometers of the kerala
costline and entered between one or two kilometers inland.pounded 187 villeges
affecting 24.70 lakh persons in the state .As many as 6,280 dwelling units were
destroyed. As many as 84,773 persons wee evacuated from the costal areas and
accomedated in 142 Relif Camaps opened in Kollam,Alappuzha and Ernakulam
Districts.

According to NIDM,131 Lives were lost in Kollam,32 in Alappuzha and five in

Ernakulam,taking the official death tole to 168.High wave sweept the cost along a
40-Km stretch ,from Sakthikulangare in the south to Thrikunnapuzha in the
north.This stretch has two narrow strips of land sand wiched between the sea and
back water.

ANDHRA PRADESH

The current official toll is 105. The affected districts are Krishna (35 dead),
Prakasam (35 dead), Nellore (20 dead), Guntur (4 dead), West Godavari (8 dead)
and East Godavari (3 dead).

ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR :

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands comprise 572 islands (all land masses in both
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low and high tides) out of which 38 are inhabited, both by people from the
mainland and indigenous tribes. The islands lie just north of the earthquake
epicentre, and the tsunami reached a height of 15 m in the southern Nicobar
Islands. The official death toll is 812, and about 7,000 are still missing. The
unofficial death toll (including those missing and presumed dead) is estimated to
be about 7,000.

The Great Nicobar and Car Nicobar islands were the worst hit among all the
islands because of their proximity to the quake and relative flatness. Aftershocks
continue to rock the area. One fifth of the population of the Nicobar Islands is said
to be dead, injured or missing. Chowra Island has lost two thirds of its population
of 1,500. Entire islands have been washed away, and the island of Trinket has
been split in two. Communications have not been restored with the Nancowry
group of islands, some of which have been completely submerged, with the total
number of the population still out of contact exceeding 7,000.

Among the casualties in Car Nicobar, 100 Indian Air Force personnel and their
family members were washed away when the wave hit their air base, which was
reported to have been severely damaged. The St. Thomas Cathedral (also known
as the John Richardson church after John Richardson, a missionary and member
of parliament) was washed away. The church, established in 1930 was one of the
oldest and prominent churches in the region. A cricket stadium named after John
Richardson and a statue dedicated to him were also washed away.

The majority of the population of Andaman Islands is made up of people from the
mainland, mostly from West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The natives of Andaman
and Nicobar Islands are endangered tribal groups, such as such as the Jarawa,
the Sentinelese, the Shompen, the Onge and the Andamanese. They are
regarded as anthropologically significant as they are some of the world's most
primitive tribes and considered the world's only link to ancient civilisation. Most of

10
these tribes have maintained their aboriginal lifestyle for centuries, and
government policy has been to not interfere with them unless absolutely essential.

It is reported that most of the native islanders survived the tsunami because they
live on higher ground or far from the coast. The Onge (with a 2001 census
population of 96), Jarawa (240), Sentinelese (39) and Andamanese (43) have
been reached by survey teams and are confirmed to be safe although the number
of dead is unknown. The Sentinelese live on a reserved island and are hostile to
outsiders which is making it difficult for Indian officials to visit the island. They
have shot arrows at helicopters sent to check on them. In the Nicobar Islands, the
Nicobarese, a Mongoloid tribe (2001 population of 28,653), have lost about 656
lives with 3,000 still missing. Surveys are being conducted on the Shompen (2001
census count of 398) located on Great Nicobar island.

India's only active volcano, Barren 1, located at Barren Island 135 kilometres (80
miles) northeast of the capital Port Blair, erupted because of increased seismic
activity on 30 December 2004. People have been evacuated since then and there
have been no reports of any casualties.

The largest tsunami, which struck 11 nations that border the Indian Ocean, was a
complete surprise for the people living there. Many seismic networks recorded
marine earthquake, but there was no tidal sensors other than wave sensors to
provide confirmation as to whether a tsunami had been generated. There was no
established communication network or organization infrastructure to pass a
warning of any kind to the people living at coastlines.
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS
DECEMBER 26

Quake strikes off west coast of north Sumatra at 3.2670N, 95.8210E at

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0758.53am (0058.53 GMT), triggering tsunami that hits countries bordering Indian
Ocean over several hours. (Times in GMT).

0440: First report that tsunami hit Sri Lanka.

0450: Thailand's Phuket tourist island hit.
0555: First report from southern Indian coast that 20 people killed in Chennai
(Madras) capital of Tamil Nadu state.
0630: Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra orders evacuation of devastated areas.
0750: Sri Lankan President Kumaratunga declares emergency.
0800: US Geological survey upgrades quake to 8.9, the fifth largest since 1900.
1315: Maldives declares state of emergency.
1840: Toll put at 11,300.

DECEMBER 27

0520 Sri Lanka's national Meteorological Centre says tremors detected near
Sumatra and warns of more tsunamis.
0940: Toll rises to 16,421.
1600: Myanmar's military government says 34 people were killed in the Irrawaddy
delta.

DECEMBER 28

0550: Toll reaches 26,013.

1630: World Health Organisation says disease could kill as many as died in
tsunami.
DECEMBER 29

0005: Toll 63,114.

DECEMBER 30
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0600: India puts out fresh tsunami alert and warns people to leave southeast
coast areas.
0620: Toll 82,847.
1253: Toll in Indonesia's Aceh province rises sharply to 79,940.
1352: Total death toll 120,000.
1450: Toll in India 13,268
1500: Total death toll 125,500 and rising.
This is the graph for the earthquake/tsunami. It is the entire day Dec 26, 2004,
graphed out against the ecliptic.
The transiting declination Moon is at Max OOB North position of 27-28 North. The
Sun is at Maximum Declination South at 23 S26.

The Midheaven was passing over Jupiter at the time of the earthquake, and
naturally since it was sunrise, the asc and east point were parallel the Sun.
This chart (1.1) certainly shows us the dynamic combinations of these effects,
and the potential combination of planetary positions might reveal such a harsh
collective destiny. The part of fortune also reached the Moon and Lilith at the time
of the earthquake, and first tsunami’s.... Considering the Nodes had just entered
Aries and Mars had just entered a stellium including Mercury Venus and Pluto in
Sag we can see that the transiting POF reflects difficult fortune in this case.... see
Robert Hand's article for some insight into the pof. From Robert Hands article
Dec 26, 2004 6:58 am local time -007 Sumatra time, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

AREAS WHICH NEEDS SHOULD BE ASSESSED

LIVELIHOOD RESTORATION IN THE AFFECTED AREAS

Restoration of livelihood of the tsunami victims is on the front side of rescue

operations continuing in the affected areas. Shelter, water, food, and medical
relief continue to be priorities of the people in the tsunami devasted areas, which

13
need to be addressed on warlike basis. Oxfam, Unicef, CARE, Action Against
Hunger, AmeriCares, World Vision, Save the Children, and many others
bringing in (or purchasing locally) supplies for hundreds of thousands of tsunami
victims for the coming weeks and months. But there are other problems to be
addressed, too:
ESTABLISHING DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS

One of the most vexing problems facing the relief effort has been the difficulty of
getting the relief where it is needed most, especially in Banda Aceh. The
International Organization on Migration and the Red Cross, along with many
partners, have worked to set up distribution systems in the affected areas,
requisitioning warehouses and trucks tomanage the large quantities of aid
materials flowing into the region. Military helicopters from the United States and
elsewhere have been essential in distributing aid to places inaccessible by road.
CARING FOR CHILDREN

Organizations like Unicef and Save the Children have begun to shift from
focusing solely on food, hygiene, and shelter to their particular child-focused
missions. Unicef has begun to construct temporary school facilities and
distribute "school-ina- box" kits, pledging to have many schools operational as
soon as January 20. The Red Cross and various partners are working to
vaccinate the displaced children against measles, and Save the Children has
taken steps to register child victims to help prevent their exploitation.

POST-TRAUMA COUNSELING

Children and adults alike may need psychological help to deal with the trauma of
the disaster; in India, social workers, psychologists, and others have
volunteered as counselors in the affected areas, but this is only a beginning.
The Red Cross is sending more counseling professionals to the affected areas.
Locating and identifying the dead. This may be one of the largest forensic
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challenges of all time, with more than 20 forensic teams in Thailand alone
gathering DNA samples for analysis on site or in China. Their efforts have been
complicated by the need to bury corpses quickly to prevent the spread of
disease.

RESTORING LIVELIHOODS

The tsunami destroyed the boats of many coastal fishermen, making it

impossible for them to earn a living. Already, one U.S. group has begun raising
money to pay local shipwrights to replace the lost vessels, thus stimulating the
local economy while allowing the fishermen to become self sufficient once
again.
Cleanup and reconstruction. NGOs on the ground in the affected areas estimate
that cleanup alone could take a year or more, and obviously rebuilding
infrastructure and the local economy will take even longer. While assessments
are already being made, this phase of the relief is not yet at the fore.

IMPACT ON LIVELIHOOD
The cyclones and the rough sea during certain parts of the year have so far
been the major cause of loss of life and property of small-scale fishers in the
Bay of Bengal region. The Tsunami has now added a new dimension to their
safety and welfare issues. Natural calamities like cyclones, earthquakes,
tsunamis, etc are also becoming more frequent4 in the coastal areas of the Bay
of Bengal and the fishermen community faces major impacts of such calamities
The consequences of natural calamities are manifold and bring considerable
hardships to the small-scale fisher families. Besides loss of dwellings and
fishing assets, many lives are lost. Since their socio-economic status is also
low and livelihood options are limited, the calamities further push them into the

15
fold of poverty and deprivation.
We are all numbed by the toll of human misery from this disaster. It is estimated
by the World Health Organization that three to five million people in the region
lack basic necessities such as food, clean drinking water and shelter with the
specter of disease-related illness spreading through typhoid, cholera, and
dysentery because of contaminated water systems. Today the United States
government annually spends less than 1 percent of its budget on foreign aid,
mainly through USAID. Even the $350 million pledged by the United States
government for this disaster relief accounts only for .003 percent of our gross
national product. The oil rich kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which run
billion dollar surpluses in their budgets, initially gave only $10 million each to the
relief effort as compared to the $764 million relief package announced by
Australia and Germany’s pledge of $674 million and Japan’s pledge of $500
million. Government of India also providing huge amount of package foe all
tsunami affected areas like 1000Crors (INR) relief operation and restoration
programme and handling all operation solely without international assistance
funding/Aid.

TYPES OF TSUNAMI
Tsunamis are impulse generated water waves, that is, waves resulting from any
short duration disturbance of a body of water, such as the “bumping” effect of an
earthquake. Their name is taken from a Japanese word meaning “harbour
wave”.

Closely related waves are generated by the operation of gates controlling flows
through water management infrastructure such as hydropower canals, flood
control schemes, and irrigation schemes. This provides an opportunity to study
tsunami behaviour under controlled conditions.

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Hydropower canals are particularly suitable for experimentation, as sudden gate
adjustments are a routine part of their operation, and the resulting waves are
comparable in size to full scale ocean tsunamis. The following notes rely heavily
on extensive observations of the propagation of controlled tsunamis
approximately 1m high through a large canal over 10m deep and 25 km long.

Three main types of tsunami need to be distinguished:

IMMEDIATE WAVES
These are generated locally by sudden lateral movements of walls. The water is
pushed out of the way as illustrated, and initially has nowhere to go but
upwards.

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 Figure 1. The Type I Tsunami or “Immediate Wave”

This temporary hump then collapses outwards in both directions, forming an

almost instant response to the ground movement. Type I (immediate) waves
may climb very high, although the volume involved is not large.

Alternatively, there may be a “pull” effect if a steep wall is dragged away from
the water, but in this case the water will detach from the wall if the wall
movement is sufficiently violent.

SEISMIC SEICHES
These are generated by variations in the local vertical ground displacement
(tilting effects). The Type II wave is called a seiche because the response of the

18
water body is dependent on its resonance properties, and will take the form of
waves recurring at time intervals determined by the various natural frequencies.
This type includes propagating waves generated by the collapse of Immediate
Waves, but these tend to be minor compared with the effects of seismic tilting.

Only in partly enclosed water bodies, such as harbours or estuaries, is a

distinction important between Type II waves and Type III waves (classical
tsunamis) because Type II waves are generated internally while Type III waves
form in response to external forcing from the open sea.

Figure 2. The Type II Tsunami or “Seismic Seiche”

CLASSICAL TSUNAMIS
Type III waves are open sea waves resulting from the action of gravity following
the initiating short duration disturbance (or “bump”), with particular emphasis on
the interaction between these waves and coastlines.If seabed displacement
results from an earthquake, volcanic action, or submarine landslide, the

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response will be as shown in Figure 3. An original wave is generated with a
surface form approximating the seabed displacement. On an uplifted side, a
positive wave (or “hump”) will form, so under gravity the water will start to fall
outwards down each side (solid double-ended arrow).

On a downthrust side a negative wave (or “hole”) will form, so under gravity the
water will start to fall inwards down each side (solid arrows).The water falling
away from the hump piles up to create a fresh hump alongside to the right in the
diagram, and similarly water falling towards the hole creates a fresh hole
alongside to the left in the diagram, so the collapse of this original surface form
under gravity sets off wave disturbances travelling in opposite directions (dotted
arrows).

In deep water the response is very fast, which is why the waves move so fast,
but notice that the water itself is not moving fast – only the “humps” and “holes”
passing through the water.

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 Figure 3. The Type III or “Classical” Tsunami (Blocked at Coast)

At a coast on a downthrust side (the coast to the left in the diagram) a “hole” will
arrive first, so the sea will withdraw before rushing in again. However the
opposite will happen at a coast on the upthrust side (the coast to the right in the
diagram) where a “hump” will arrive first, and the sea will rush in without any
warning signs of initial withdrawal.

An explosion of volcanic origin, a nuclear bomb blast or a meteorite strike will

also displace the water surface and generate Type III waves, but the character
of these waves will depend on the precise surface displacement pattern initially
generated in this case. For this reason, it may be very difficult to forecast the
positive and negative wave response to such events, and again there can be no
guarantee of a warning withdrawal before the sea rushes in towards the coast.

Evolving wave patterns derive from the interaction between the displacement

21
event (which may be remote), the propagation characteristics of the intervening
water bodies and reflections from other coastlines and undersea features.
Initially, the average wave height will decrease as the energy radiates outwards
from the source, but in the Pacific Ocean it is possible for these waves to pass
halfway round the globe, after which this outward radiation reverses.

In deep water, even the higher waves will be difficult to detect, because the
slopes of the sides of the wave will still be almost flat. In shallower water the
waves will steepen at the front, but rarely enough to break, so they are still hard
to detect visually. Even if they do break, tsunamis will not topple over from the
crest as wind generated waves do (this is a dangerous misconception
unfortunately fed by many disaster movies!) but will break from the bottom
upwards, more like violently broken surges seen at the bottom of a dam spillway
or similar steep channel.

Tsunamis may gain height in shallow water because they slow down, causing
the water behind to pile up. Passing over a shallow bed also causes friction,
which tends to reduce the wave height, so any gain or loss of height depends on
the balance between the slowing effect and the friction effect. However if the
wave channel is tapering horizontally, narrowing towards the shore, a gain in
wave height may be rapid. This behaviour can be compared with the lash of a
whip, in which the wave energy produces increasingly violent displacement as
the wave progresses from the thick part of the whip to the narrow whiplash.

Where tsunamis reach a coastline, the resonance properties of harbours and

inlets further complicate local responses. This can be compared with the

22
slopping of water in a household basin, which will grow rapidly in violence if the
basin is pushed rhythmically in time with successive returns of the wave.

Because tsunamis come from different source positions, they will have
interacted with different coastlines and undersea features on their approach, so
will have different intervals between upwards and downwards movements. This
is why a small tsunami which pushes a harbour in time with the “slop” period
may produce a greater harbour wave inside than a large tsunami which forces
the harbour to respond at some other period.

Figure 3 shows this “slop” effect for the case where the side of the basin is a
steep wall high enough to contain the highest wave. This wall may be the
natural coast or an artificial stopbank, but the effect is to double the height of the
approaching wave as it is reflected back. This explains why the height of a wave
measured on a building wall blocking a wave may be considerably above the
wave height measured on a wall running parallel with the wave direction.

Accordingly, a stopbank should be designed to be high enough to contain the

wave reflection as well as the approaching wave. Where the tsunami slop
overruns the coastal defences, the situation becomes that shown in Figure 4. A
steep-fronted broken surge known as a “bore” then penetrates inland at high
speed.

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 Figure 4. The Type III or “Classical” Tsunami (Coast Overrun)

The damage-causing potential of such a bore, and the hazard to humans, can
be estimated quite accurately for any height of approaching tsunami and
defensive wall. This analysis shows that construction of coastal stopbank
defences will reduce the scale of the disaster even if a tsunami proves to be
more extreme than anticipated.

SUGGESTED PRECAUTIONS

In view of the ASIAN tsunami crisis, many people are now wondering what
precautions they can take and tell tale signs of tsunami which they can look for
in the event of a tsunami happening near the coasts.

TSUNAMI WALLS

One of the more prominent countries which have implemented tsunami walls is
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Japan. Japan has extensively built tsunami walls of height 4.5 metres in some
high density coastal areas. Other features accompanying the tsunami walls are
floodgates and channel to redirect water in the event of a tsunami.

SOURCE: FLICKR

MANGROVE TREES

Mangrove trees planted along the coasts can significantly help to reduce the
destruction caused by tsunami waves as the mangrove trees can act as a
barrier and reduce the force of the oncoming waves.

In addition, environmentalists believe that the removal of coastal mangrove

trees could have intensified the effect of the tsunami in some locations.

SIRENS

It is important to install sirens on the beaches in tsunami prone areas in order to

warn the local population of an incoming tsunami. Having sirens is effective
because it is loud in delivering the warning. However, if the local population is

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uneducated and unprepared, panic may occur and it may result in a stampede.

Hence, there should also be education and warning exercise among the
population situated along the coasts to prepare them for a future disaster.

WARNING SIGNS

Warning signs are relatively important as they inform people, especially

foreigners of the local dangers and appropriate action to take in case of a
tsunami.

GOVERNMENT POLICIES

ASEAN

On January 6th 2005, an emergency ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian

Nations) tsunami summit was held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

During the summit, there was a declaration by ASEAN members to unite

together to strengthen relief efforts. As rescue efforts and relief coordination are

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especially crucial in the aftermath of the crisis.

During the meeting, certain procedures were discussed to mitigate and reduce
the extent of damage should such an incident occur again. They decided that
the aid of the military and civilians could be enlisted as they would be invaluable.
The military is disciplined and well-trained, whereas the local civilians could offer
assistance and aid very quickly, given their proximity to the disaster.

An ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre was also proposed and is part of

the ASEAN Security Community Plan of Action. In addition, an ASEAN Disaster
Information Sharing and Communication Network was also suggested to
facilitate the transmission of information more quickly during times of
emergency, which could save many lives.

Some of the proposals raised during the summit include the establishment of a
"Regional Tsunami Early Warning Center on the Indian Ocean and the
Southeast Asia region" and raising the level of education and public awareness
on tsunami in Asia, starting from schools, so that the public would remain calm
during future incidents and lesser damage would be dealt as a whole. They also
agreed on the sharing and transfer of technology and information in building and
managing a tsunami warning system and damage control.

The utilization of military and civilian personnel in disaster relief operation and
an ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre, as provided for in the ASEAN
Security Community Plan of Action;

ASEAN Disaster Information Sharing and Communication Network, as provided

for in the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community component of the Vientiane Action
Programme;

UNITED NATIONS

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The UN Conference on disaster reduction in Kobe (18 - 22 January 2005) set
aside 2 sessions that touched on the Tsunami aftermath and came up with a
blueprint for a Tsunami early warning system and discussed how the many
nations involved in its building and operation should co-ordinate and cooperate
effectively to reduce time and cost.

The system is to be built for the Indian Ocean, which experiences earthquakes,
though very much less frequently than other regions such as the Pacific. It
called for assistance and aid from the more fortunate countries to help prevent
such incidents and build a better tomorrow.

EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union (EU) Commission has already agreed on donating € 2

million to finance the first phase of the proposed Tsunami early warning system,
which will service the Indian Ocean and improve the safety of the people living
there.

In addition, the EU Commission has also provided € 350,000 in preparation for

the UN Conference mentioned above. It also expressed its eagerness in
providing assistance in international efforts to develop tsunami warning systems.
Its Commission services is also thinking of aiding in the setting up of an Indian
Ocean Geo-physical hazards competence centre, which would co-ordinate the
implementation of a tsunami early warning system in the area and deal with the
transferring and sharing of technologies.

Furthermore, the European Union's Joint Research Centre or JRC is also trying
to increase the capability of its earthquake detection system (Global Disaster
Alert System) and expand it to cover tsunamis too. A tsunami crisis information
service with maps and satellite images has also been proposed to support and
provide first hand information to organisations and groups so that better aid can

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be proffered during times of emergency.

The JRC has also looked into the relevance and need for the EU to be
developing more efficient procedures to utilize space technologies and expertise
for crisis management and early warning systems.

CONCLUSION
We are seeing a confluence of assistance; a spirit of cooperation and giving
that has not been seen since our own human tragedy of 9/11. Some charities
like Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children are overwhelmed with
financial support beyond their needs and capacity to deliver needed relief
and are advising contributors to make contributions to other agencies and
for broader causes. How NGOs handle this outpouring of money and support
may well determine how the world supports this sector in the future. We are
rapidly approaching the time that once the immediate humanitarian relief is
provided we must look to the future. An international relief effort will be

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needed to coordinate the assistance for the rebuilding of devastated
communities and families. In this rebuilding and planning process the
lessons learned from our experience with other disasters will be helpful but
only a beginning unlesswe thoroughly change the process for the delivery of
disaster relief.

What must be done is to continue the cooperation and building of the

capacity of indigenous NGO communities so that they can become active
participants when disasters of this nature occur. The scale of this tsunami
tragedy offers an opportunity for international and domestic NGOs to focus
on a more integrated process of relief, rebuilding, and, most important of all,
reducing the vulnerability of international communities to future dangers.

NGOs need to be more proactive in advocating preemptive strategies for the

next tragedy. For example, primary factors contributing to the high death
toll are poverty and poor living conditions. NGOs must advocate long-term
economic development and infrastructure projects including better roads,
building construction, and more hospitals and clinics. NGOs must participate
in economic and government reforms in the poorer countries in exchange for
the support of richer nations providing more aid and favorable trade and
debt reduction policies toward the affected countries. The World Bank should
insist that future funding include community participation in redevelopment
efforts and transparency in government action. The Bush administration’s
Millennium Challenge Account is another example of an attempt to fight
global poverty by requiring recipient countries to meet tougher standards of
good government and accountability. NGOs must remain in the forefront of
advocating reform and democratic ideals under the rule of law. The world
will be carefully watching to see what we have learned from this disaster.

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REFERENCES

 Business Newspapers including “Times Of India” , “The Hindu”, “The

Economic Times”, “DNA Money” etc.

 Magazines including “Enrich”, “Times of India”, “Business Today”, “Green

money”, “Business Week” etc.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunami;

 http://www.nio.org/jsp/tsunami.jsp;

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 http://tsunamiandaman.tn.nic.in/killer.htm;

 http://www.sc99ews.com/Tsunami/Impact.htm;

 http://www.important.ca/tsunami_causes.html;

 http://www.gsa.org.au/resources/factites/factitesTsunami.pdf.

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