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Download a zip file that includes all the web pages and downloadable files from the student materialsFor the Instructor
These student materials complement the Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.2004 Asian Tsunami
On December 26, 2004, while many westerners vacationed on South Asian beaches during the Christmas holidays, an earthquake with an epicenter in the Indian Ocean struck with an estimated magnitude greater than 9.0. This earthquake generated enormous tsunami around the Indian Ocean, heavily affecting the coastal zones of many countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, the Maldives, and Somalia. More than 230,000 people lost their lives, including many westerners.
Credit: Coolgeogephy.co.uk
Although earthquakes and tsunami are natural events, human factors contributed to the losses from the hazard. One factor was the economic development of South Asian coasts, including tourist developments and shrimp farms, which reduced or eliminated coral reefs and mangroves that otherwise might have diminished the intensity and inland reach of the tsunami. This development limited local livelihood options to tourism-related or fishery-related jobs, instead of traditional, diversified livelihood strategies. Consequently, it has been harder for local people to recover from the tsunami because of damages to tourism industries and export fisheries and the lack of other livelihood options.
Despite the widespread damage, some communities suffered less or recovered more quickly because they possessed higher adaptive capacities to this hazard event. One study found that fishing communities on Simeulue Island, Indonesia, and Surin Island, Thailand had fewer losses from the tsunami because they possessed traditional knowledge of tsunamis and had institutions in place that helped them prepare for and respond to the disaster.
Around the Indian Ocean basin, there were no early warning systems when the tsunami struck. In response to the disaster, governments almost immediately collaborated to develop the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System to reduce exposure to tsunami.
