This year will be 15 years since the tragedy that occurred on December 26. 230,000 deaths in fourteen countries, one of the deadliest natural disasters ever.
The 2004 tsunami in Thailand cannot be forgotten, but there are so many distortions of facts and fiction around this tragedy that it is worth figuring out what is true and what is a clear lie. How many people died and why did the tsunami happen in Thailand? Could it happen again? How dangerous is it to go on vacation to Thailand?
What caused the 2004 Thailand Tsunami?
The 20014 tsunami in Thailand was indeed caused by the largest and deadliest earthquake in history.
The power of the earthquake was estimated at 9.3 points on the Richter scale. The cause of the earthquake that caused the tsunami in several countries is the collision of two tectonic plates: Burmese and Indian off the coast of Sumatra.
An underwater-mega-prospective earthquake caused a rupture of plates and the appearance of waves with a height of 5-10 storey buildings.
Was it possible to predict it? It is possible, but in those parts there was still no warning equipment and it is quite possible to assume that the number of deaths, if the rules were observed, could be reduced several times.
For many years, tectonic plates rested against each other and one was supposed to pass over the other, but instead, it moved head-on and a plate shift of 19 meters occurred, which caused a fracture and displacement of millions of tons of water, which caused the tsunami.
Tsunami of "Christmas gifts"
"Tsunami at Christmas" - so the public called the tragedy that happened exactly on the Catholic Christmas holidays.
Within a few hours from the beginning of the earthquake, a series of waves up to 30 meters high caused a tsunami, which seriously affected the inhabitants of 7 countries: India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, Thailand.
The death toll from the 2004 tsunami:
India - 730,000 people
Indonesia - 572 926 people
Sri Lanka - 516 150 people
Maldives - 11,231 people
Malaysia - 8000 people
Thailand - 8000 people
Myanmar - 3200 people
And that's not counting the people who are still missing. Due to the fact that the victims spent a long time in the water, many were simply not identified.
In the scientific community, the event that we know as the tsunami in Thailand was called the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake.
Tsunami in Thailand 2004 - how it happened
December 26, 2004 in Thailand started like an ordinary morning. Someone was in a hurry to work, someone was going to the beach, nothing boded trouble. According to eyewitnesses of that day, at about 7 am, people felt tremors, it became clear that an earthquake had occurred. But since it was short-lived, no one really attached any importance to it.
The most powerful waves in history took about two hours to reach the shores of Thailand and hit the western coast of the country.
The first were the Similan Islands. A famous diving site where diving enthusiasts from all over the world gather. Divers eyewitnesses were the first to know about the tsunami, because at the depth of the waves they behaved in such a way that a person was as if inside a huge washing centrifuge.
The biggest blow was taken by the island of Khao Lak. It was hit by the biggest wave blow, which literally swept away all the bungalows and hotels on the shore. Because of the topography of the seabed, coastline and coastal reefs, the tsunami waves depicted the infamous “disappearing sea effect” that seduced many tourists and led them to death.
The tsunami looked like this: the water abruptly went deep into the depths and exposed the seabed. Many tourists ran to look at fish, marine life and collect outlandish shells.
The moment the waves became visible, it was already too late. There were only 1-3 minutes before their fall, it was impossible to escape.
Among those killed at Khao Lak was the grandson of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadett, which once again confirms the fact that even the Thai authorities were not aware of the impending tragedy. Hundreds of people were simply washed into the sea, and then thrown into the nearest houses, hotels, barriers with a powerful blow.
Photo and video of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand
2004 Thailand Tsunami Video
Photos of eyewitnesses to the tsunami in Thailand:
People flee as a tsunami wave hits the coast of Koh Raya Island, part of Thailand's Andaman Islands, 23 kilometers from Phuket Island, in southern Thailand, December 26, 2004. The photographer who took this photo escaped without injury but retreated into the first wave and watched the second wave ripping apart the wooden buildings, and the third and largest wave coming forward and “ripping apart the cement buildings as if they were made of balsa wood”.
On December 26, 2004, waves hit Maddampegama, 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Earthquake-triggered tsunami waves hit villages along Sri Lanka's wide coastline, killing more than 35,300 people
Aerial view of Marina Beach after the Indian Ocean earthquake tsunami hit the southern Indian city of Madras on December 26, 2004
Archive photo taken on January 5, 2005 in the destroyed area of Banda Aceh in Aceh province, located on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia after the powerful tsunam on December 26, 2004
Tsunami in Thailand 2004 in Phuket
Contrary to popular rumors, Phuket was the least affected of all of Thailand's provinces. Less destruction, less fatalities. In Thailand, there were villages by the sea, in which 80% of the inhabitants died, but Phuket was not one of them.
According to official figures, about 250 people died from the tsunami in Phuket, including foreign tourists. Of course, there were many more victims. Many received lacerations in which dirt and branches were crammed. Residents suffered from lack of water, medicines and timely medical assistance.
Approximately east of Phuket, 80 km away, the consequences were much more serious: 3,950 deaths were confirmed, and more than 4,500 on Khao Lak. hide from the elements.
Why did not many have time to evacuate?
The fact is that a tsunami of this magnitude has not happened in Thailand in modern history. The 30-meter waves that went to the shore at a speed of up to 1000 km / h merged with the horizon line and they were simply not visible, since they were without a white ridge.
People simply did not understand what had happened, and during the impact of the wave, only a few managed to escape.
There were several wave shocks, and the ebb tide caused huge damage, which dragged everything into the sea: concrete structures, fittings, cars and houses. All this mixed together created a mortal threat to the people who got into this mess.
The waves that did the most damage were slow, steep, and dense. This is because the sea around the west coast of Thailand is relatively shallow, which slowed the waves down considerably.
Tsunami hit six provinces in Thailand. The final death toll was 5,395, of whom 1,953 were considered foreigners. Another 2,929 people were listed as missing. It is estimated that around 2,000 people were killed in the fishing village of Ban Nam Khem. The village has lost half of its inhabitants.
Thailand was in the middle of the tourist season. There were hundreds of thousands of foreigners in the country. The hotels were filled with foreigners. In many places the sea retreated a great distance before the biggest waves hit. When the water came out, many thought it had something to do with the moon.
Bill O'Leary, an employee at Amanuri Resort, knew this was a sign of a tsunami. He is credited with saving dozens of lives by warning people to flee inland before the waves arrive. But others were killed because they had no idea what was going on.
The New York Times reported in those days: “Once crowded beach resorts are littered with bodies. Near the devastated beach and the spa resort Similan, where mostly German tourists stayed, a naked corpse is suspended from a tree, as if crucified. "
Many coral reefs were destroyed by the tsunami. Powerful waves hit hundreds of sea reefs. Debris from the tsunami littered natural areas. The green turtle was washed almost a mile offshore and laid in a pond north of Phuket. Some people in boats rescued survivors thrown into the sea.
What happened after?
In Thailand, the whole country came to the aid of the injured by raking garbage, evacuating those who were left homeless and helping the wounded.
Royal elephants were attracted to clear the large rubble, 6 of which starred in the Hollywood film "Alexander".
An interesting fact - the elephant during the tsunami saved the life of a girl who rode it on the shore. The animal sensed the danger and carried towards the mountains, which saved the life of the tourist.
Not without looting.
Inhumans (they cannot be called otherwise), taking advantage of the general panic and confusion, stole children who were disoriented and could not find loved ones. There are known facts of the sale of babies abroad and the recruitment of children into sexual slavery.
They plundered houses, hotels, hotels and what could be stolen using the opportunity. Unfortunately, tragedy not only unites, but also divides people. "No-man's" property intoxicates the head.
The aftermath of the tsunami in Thailand
The consequences of the tsunami were simply disastrous not only for Indonesia, India, Myanmar and Malaysia, but also for Thailand.
Tourists threw things and flew away on the very first flight, the credibility of Thai resorts was completely undermined, and given that the tsunami happened at the height of the tourist season, in December, Thailand suffered billions of dollars in losses.
It took years to rebuild trust and a lot of action to bring tourists back to the islands.
The first thing the authorities did was to install the most powerful deep-sea tsunami warning system. The siren starts howling and notifies about the approach of waves 1-2 hours before the incident. It was already tested on April 11, 2012, when in just an hour it was possible to evacuate absolutely all the inhabitants of Phuket to the mountains.
Residents of smaller islands like Phi Phi also have nothing to worry about. And everything is prepared for evacuation there, fortunately the mountains are of such size that no waves are terrible.
Thousands of Thais, dependent on tourism-related industries, have lost their jobs not only in the south, but also in the poorest part of Thailand, Isan in the northeast, from where many of the tourism industry has come.
By January 12, some of the affected resorts in the south had reopened, and the Thai government launched an advertising campaign to bring tourists back to the area as soon as possible, although everyone knew it would be a long time before Thailand was back to normal. (it took almost 5 years).
Damage and losses from the 2004 tsunami in Thailand
The fishing industry suffered from extensive destruction of fishing vessels and gear that individual fishing families could not afford to replace, especially as many also lost their homes.
According to the information, more than 500 fishing vessels and ten trawlers were destroyed, as well as many piers and fish processing enterprises. Again, grants or loans from the government were needed to allow the industry to retool itself.
Ridiculous losses
Another problem was the public aversion in Thailand for eating fish caught locally, for fear that the fish were eating human corpses that were thrown into the sea by the tsunami.
Thais found this opportunity offensive for both health and religious reasons.
Fish distributors refused to buy fish and crustaceans from ports in the Andaman Sea and preferred to buy from ports in the Gulf of Thailand or even Malaysia or Vietnam so that they could convince consumers that there was no chance of such contamination.
As a result, even those fishing families who could fish could not sell their catch.
It got better after the Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Lee Jong-wook, spoke on Thai TV to say that he eats fish every day.
About a month after the tsunami, the Thai cabinet approved a $ 1.79 billion tsunami relief bill.
Most of the money was in the form of soft loans for business recovery. Some of the money came in the form of grants to people who lost relatives and property in the disaster.
Could Thailand be tsunami again?
Maybe. Closest to Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Malaysia, shakes almost constantly.
Modern warning systems will not allow death and casualties, as people will be evacuated on time. But! If, in principle, you are not close to the idea of resting on the coast with high seismic activity, then you should choose resorts located in the Gulf of Thailand, for example: Pattaya, Rayong, Samet Island, Hua Hin, Cha Am or Ko Lan Island.
They are closed from the tsunami by the Malacca Peninsula and Vietnam and Cambodia.
The maximum that can happen here is the exit of the Mekong River or Chao Phraya from the banks, which does not pose a mortal danger.
How to act during a natural disaster?
1 - Collect all the necessary things, documents, drinking water, keep children nearby
3 - do not go down until the cataclysm has completely passed, since the first wave is not always the strongest
Now Thailand all over the world is associated not only with beautiful and popular resorts, where people from different countries are in a hurry to get on vacation, but also with a terrible tragedy that happened here at the beginning of the XXI century. suffered greatly from the natural disaster. The earthquake that caused the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 took about 8.5 thousand lives in Thailand alone. In general, this natural disaster became destructive for 18 countries of the world.
Tremors
On the morning of December 26, a powerful earthquake occurred near the northwest coast (Indonesia). Its magnitude, as scientists later estimated, was at least 9 points. It was one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in the entire history of observations.
Proof of its strength is the fact that the Burmese and Indian tectonic plates, which are connected precisely at the location of the island of Sumatra, have moved a great distance. Approximately 1200 km of rocks were displaced almost overnight by 15 m, and with it a number of islands located near this region. It was the plates that set in motion the huge layers of water that turned into the largest tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004.
Element of surprise
By a tragic accident, it was this very popular and populous resort island of Phuket that was completely unprotected in the face of the disaster. The fact is that, although the tremors occurred not far from the coast, neither Thais nor tourists practically felt them. And those who did feel something did not attach any importance to it.
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that happened almost immediately after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was a complete surprise. Huge waves approached the western shores of Thailand so quickly that signals of such a serious danger had not yet been received from other countries. The authorities of this state have never before faced a tsunami of such magnitude. Therefore, it is not surprising that no system of protection against the elements simply did not exist. People absolutely did not know what to do in such a situation.
Shortly before the tragedy
No one expected that such a large-scale natural disaster as the tsunami in the Indian Ocean would be possible. December 2004 turned out to be successful. Especially at the end of the month, as foreign tourists usually flock here who want to celebrate the New Year in an exotic country. But the anticipation of the holiday for many people turned into a real nightmare.
The weather was fine that morning, and everyone was minding their own business. Thais were getting ready for work, and tourists were relaxing in cozy hotel rooms or on the beach. And nothing seemed to portend trouble. But then suddenly an extraordinary sight appeared before the eyes of people. It was a truly colossal low tide. At the same time, the water rolled away from the shore in the blink of an eye, leaving a trail of shells, fish and other
Locals rejoiced at such an easy catch, and tourists tried to collect free souvenirs for themselves. Some decided to just look at this unusual natural phenomenon, so many of them took video cameras and cameras with them.
Paradise Turned into Hell
At that moment, no one could have predicted that the worst Tsunami of 2004 was approaching them and rolled up to the shore in the form of ordinary waves, which in shallow water began to rapidly turn into huge ramparts reaching 20 m in height. It happened so quickly that there was no time for salvation. People tried to escape from the elements, but, overtaken by a wall of water, they simply disappeared into it.
Most of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Thailand fell precisely on those who were close to the coast. Out of 8.5 thousand people, 5.4 thousand are tourists who came here from more than 40 countries of the world. The force of the tsunami was so enormous that the waves went into the depths of the land for several hundred meters, and in some places even at a distance of up to 2 km.
The light houses were swept away like cards of cards. The buildings of the capital hotels survived, but the windows in them instantly flew out, and the people who were on the lower floors had practically no chance of surviving. When the wave receded, the ground was exposed, everywhere covered with bodies of people, uprooted trees and flattened iron structures.
Needless to say, those few who were lucky enough to survive after the first blow of the elements had a state of shock that did not allow them to fully comprehend everything that was happening and leave a dangerous place. But it didn't end there. The wave returned 2 more times.
Security
After the earthquake in the Indian Ocean in 2004 caused an unprecedented tsunami and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, many people still don’t think about a vacation in Thailand. But in vain! The advertisements that offer tourists a holiday on the beautiful beaches of the Thai coast, among other things, promise peace and safety. And I must say that they are very close to the truth. The fact is that the tourist season here takes place only in the dry season, when there is practically no rain. Therefore, the risk of flooding is reduced to almost zero.
As for volcanoes, there are only two of them, and even those are considered dormant. This means that history has not documented a single fact that testifies to their eruptions. Earthquakes in these places are also unlikely, because Thailand is located in a seismically calm region of our planet.
Tsunami
As you know, underwater earthquakes happen from time to time at the bottom of the oceans. One of them provoked huge waves of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, which hit the western coast of Thailand. But this in no way means that this will happen too often.
The likelihood of a tsunami on the Thai coast is negligible. Judge for yourself: the northern part of the country is protected by the continent of Eurasia, from the south it borders on Malaysia, and the eastern part is covered by the western coast. Only from this side can the danger of a tsunami come. It is almost impossible to determine when the next earthquake will occur, but it is safe to say that it will happen very soon.
Alert
After the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake caused a powerful tsunami, Thailand joined the International Deep Sea System. It was created with the purpose of early detection and warning in cases of approaching disaster. The system's sensors are now installed along the west coast of Thailand. Thanks to them, local residents and tourists will be warned of the approaching tsunami and will be able to leave dangerous areas in time.
The system provides for several languages, this is due to the fact that foreigners began to return to Thailand. As you know, the tourism business in this country is almost the most important source of currency infusion into the national economy. That is why all reserves were thrown into the rapid overcoming of such devastating consequences of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
10 years later
But this tragedy has affected not only Thailand. A huge wave covered the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and 14 other countries that make up the Indian Ocean Rim. Scientists have calculated that the total power of the elements exceeded the energy of all military shells that exploded during the Second World War, plus two atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese islands - this is the force of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Ten years later, the exact number of victims has not been established. Too many bodies were carried away by giant waves. The UN has published a figure of 230 thousand people, but we will never know the truth. The scale of the destruction is simply colossal: 1.6 million people lost their homes, and the losses exceeded the $ 15 billion mark.
Tsunamis are giant and long oceanic waves that occur as a result of an underwater volcanic eruption or earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7. During an underwater earthquake, areas of the ocean floor are displaced, which forms a series of destructive waves. Their speed can reach 1000 km / h, and the height - up to 50 m and higher. About 80% of tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean.
Tsunami in Thailand (2004), Phuket
December 26, 2004 - this day went down in history as the day of a gigantic tragedy that took a huge number of lives. At this time, there was a tsunami in Phuket (2004). Patong, Karon and other beaches have suffered the most. At 07:58 local time, at the bottom of the Indian Ocean near the island of Simelue, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of up to 9.3 points occurred. It caused a large series of giant waves that people around the world still remember with fear and regret. Water killers killed about 300 thousand people in a few hours and inflicted terrible destruction on the shores of Asia.
Thailand was one of the states that suffered huge losses from the onslaught of the tsunami. The disaster struck the western part of the coast. In 2004, the tsunami on the beaches of Phuket completely destroyed the infrastructure: hotels, clubs, bars. These were the most famous holiday destinations among tourists from all over the world - Karon, Patong, Kamala, Kata. According to general estimates, several hundred people died.
The story of the beginning of the great catastrophe
It was an ordinary morning when many were still in bed, but some were already relaxing on the beach. There were powerful tremors at the bottom of the ocean, which led to the displacement of the water. The underground strikes were completely imperceptible, and therefore no one even suspected the beginning of the disaster. At a speed of 1000 km / h, the waves rushed to the shores of Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Somalia. This is how the tsunami began in Phuket (2004). Karon Beach was among the most affected areas.
On approaching land, the height of the water flow in some places was about 40 meters. Tsunami in Phuket in 2004 had a very powerful destructive force, even exceeding the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
About an hour after the underwater earthquake, strange phenomena began to occur on land: somewhere, the water left the coast for 1.5 km, the sound of the surf ceased, animals and birds began to run away (to the mountains) in fear. People did not immediately understand the whole essence of the danger and collected shells from the shallow bottom of the ocean. Since the killer wave 15 m high did not have a white crest, it was not immediately noticed from the shore. When the tsunami in Phuket (2004) hit the beach, it was too late to escape. With incredible speed, the waves crashed everything in their path. Their destructive power allowed them to penetrate two kilometers inland.
When the wave stopped moving, the water rushed back very quickly. The great danger was not the water itself, but debris, trees, cars, concrete, fittings, billboards - everything that threatened to take a person's life.
Characteristics of the 2004 Phuket Tsunami
The site is the western end of the Pacific earthquake belt, where approximately 80% of the world's largest earthquakes have occurred. The Indian plate shifted under the Burma plate, where the fault was about 1200 kilometers long. The catastrophe was incredibly large, since the Indian plate at the bottom of the ocean was common with the territory of Australia, and the Burmese plate is considered part of the Eurasian one. The plate fracture split into two phases with a break of several minutes. The speed of interaction was two kilometers per second, a fault was created in the direction of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Phuket has not had such a devastating tsunami in eighty years. Scientists argue that centuries must pass before the joined plates begin to move again. According to seismologists, the tsunami in Phuket (2004) gained strength, which was equal to the energy of five megatons per
The consequences of the tragedy
The consequences of the disaster were simply terrible. Phuket after the tsunami (2004) is a terrifying picture. The cars were in the lobby of the hotel, the boat was on the roof of the house, and the tree was in the pool. This is what the water has done. The buildings that stood on the coast were completely destroyed. Thailand's paradise - Phuket - tsunami (2004), the photo of which can be seen in the article, turned into hell. The bodies of dead people and animals were visible from under the rubble of furniture, houses and cars. The survivors were in such a state of shock that they could not leave the scene of the tragedy. The tsunami in Thailand in 2004 (Phuket) was not one-time: the wave returned twice and took with it the lives of 8.5 thousand people. One of the elite islands of Phi Phi is completely submerged. A large number of victims are children.
Elimination of the consequences of the disaster
Immediately after the water left, rescuers began to take measures to eliminate the consequences. The military and the police were quickly mobilized, and camps for the victims were set up. Since the island has a very hot climate, the risk of contamination of water and air increased with every hour. Therefore, it was necessary to find all the dead, as far as possible to identify and bury. The mobilized groups worked for days without rest. Most of the countries in the world did not remain indifferent and sent human and material resources to help the Thai people.
The approximate death toll in Phuket during the 2004 tsunami was 8,500 people, where 5,400 were foreign citizens from more than forty countries. It was the deadliest tsunami ever known.
Conclusions of scientists and specialists
After the disaster, it was necessary to analyze the sources of the tragedy and take safety measures. Thai authorities have joined an international ocean deep monitoring program. Residents were created in case of danger, training was conducted on the rules of behavior during the siren signal. The target group of such measures was not only local residents, but also tourists.
Great efforts were expended to restore the infrastructure of the social sphere and tourism. Buildings of strong reinforced concrete were built on the island, where the walls were erected parallel or at an oblique angle to the intended movement of the tsunami.
Years after the tragedy
Today, thirteen years have passed since the tragedy, which claimed about three hundred thousand lives, left pain and suffering in the souls of people all over the world. During this time, Thailand was able to fully rebuild the affected areas. A year after the tragedy, residents who lost a roof over their heads were provided with new housing. The buildings were constructed from materials that, in case of danger, could withstand natural disasters.
Today, tourists have practically forgotten the tragedy that happened and, with even greater enthusiasm, go to rest on the shores of the kingdom. After the tsunami in Phuket (2004), Karon Beach, Patong and all other popular places have become even more beautiful. The best buildings and structures were built. And only warning signs about the danger return people to that time of a natural disaster.
Russians who survived the tsunami
Phuket in 2004, Patong and other tourist beaches are places of rest for many Russian tourists. After the tragedy, an emergency staff worked around the clock at the Russian embassy in Bangkok. The headquarters received about 2000 phone calls in one day. The first list included about 1,500 Russians who may have been on the island during the disaster.
Until January 6, every person on the list was searched. From the very first day of the tragedy, volunteers - Russians living in Thailand, as well as employees of travel agencies helped all the victims. Gradually, there were survivors, at the same time a list was drawn up for evacuation on the flight of the Russian Emergencies Ministry. In this way, it turned out to send home about eighty Russians and citizens of neighboring countries.
A list of the missing was also compiled. On January 8, the compilation of the list ended, the search continued. The identification of the dead was carried out for about a year. Later, people began to be considered no longer missing, but dead.
Can you come to Thailand after a worldwide disaster?
Following the Thai authorities, American scientists have established the world's largest deep-sea system for early detection of tsunamis. A warning about an impending disaster occurs several hours before the start of the disaster. Also, after the tragedy, a system for evacuating people away from giant waves was worked out. Even on an island as small as Phi Phi, it is possible to evacuate to the mountains.
The system, which sounds the alarm in advance, was tried on April 11, 2012, when the tsunami happened again (everyone was evacuated, this tragedy did not bring such dire consequences as in 2004). In addition, scientists predict that tens of years should pass before the next natural disaster.
For those who are still afraid to relax by the sea, experienced travelers are advised to go to the north of the country, where the worst thing that can happen is the exit from the banks of the Chao Phrai or Mekong rivers. This is rather unpleasant, but not fatal.
What to do if a tsunami happens?
The first sign of impending giant waves is an earthquake. Today, Thailand's security system, detecting changes in the depths of the ocean, will signal danger. In no case should you ignore the sharp ebb tides. In such a situation, you need to act very quickly.
If there are tremors or there is a warning about an impending tsunami, it is necessary:
- collect all valuable things, warn as many people as possible about the danger, hastily leave the territory;
- hide from giant waves in mountains or areas far from the coast;
- pay attention to signs showing the shortest path to the hill;
- the first wave may be small, so it is necessary to stay in a safe place for about two hours, until it is completely calm.
After the devastating tsunami in 2004, the government overhauled the security system, and today the risk of dangerous events is reduced.
Text: Alexander Ivanov
Photo: Vladimir Smolyakov
The ocean is never completely calm. Waves in an endless succession roll to the shore, reluctantly lick the beach and dissolve in the endless expanse of water. The uniform rustle of waves and the incomparable smell of the sea - these are the factors that have been acting on a person philosophically and pacifying from time immemorial ... And when the FIRST WAVE appeared (it was only two times higher than the others), almost no one noticed it. Another two hours later, the SECOND WAVE came, flooding about fifty meters of beaches and washing away some things of vacationers (which caused a joking commotion). And then the sea began to recede, exposing the bottom. Over the next two and a half hours, the coastline moved seven hundred meters deep into the ocean. An inquisitive, but apparently not too educated people, in joyful excitement, wandered through the shoals, collecting shells and small fish. All this continued until the THIRD WAVE came ...
The observable history of mankind (we naively believe that we know practically everything about this period) has several millennia. By human standards, this is a lot, but by cosmic or geological standards, it is not even an instant. Take dinosaurs, for example. According to rough estimates of scientists, these monsters died 65 million years ago! So, the human brain is simply not able to grasp such an abyss of time. Human memory is generally surprisingly short, and our children perceive the monstrous cataclysms of the 20th century as something prehistoric. But the Second World War ended only 60 years ago, and the witnesses are still alive ...
Retrospective
The European man in the street has spoiled himself. All catastrophes and wars have moved away in time or, at worst, in space. Well, tell me, who of the living today remembers the word "Krakatoa"? Almost no one. In general, we are all overwhelmingly sure that for our age, planetary comfort and tranquility will be enough ...
After the terrible disaster that befell South Asia, we begin to clearly understand: humanity in general and its specific representatives in particular are not immune from anything. Is the Indian and other oceans far away? Do you know that there are faults in the Caspian Lake too (in 1895, a wave caused by an earthquake in the Caspian completely flooded the coastal village of Uzun-Ada)? And, if it shakes harder under its serene surface, it will flood not only Iran with Azerbaijan, but also, for example, Astrakhan. Closer, isn't it?
By the way, our brother journalist hastened to dub the tsunami that swept across the south of Asia "the greatest catastrophe in the history of mankind." But this, to put it mildly, does not correspond to reality. Do you know what the aforementioned Krakatoa is? And this is just a small volcanic island in the same Indonesia. So, he smoked for centuries, smoked, sometimes erupted. And in 1883, Krakatoa exploded. The result is terrible - an ocean wave 20 meters high and 36,000 victims! Who remembers? But not even a century and a half has passed. That's it ...
Or an example of a different kind. In 1931, the Yangtze River flooded. Floods, hunger and epidemics killed at least 3,000,000 people (no, no, you were not mistaken in counting zeros, namely three million)! Nobody even moved: firstly, these are the Chinese, and secondly, they are far away. But you can find sorrowful examples and closer ... 1201, Mediterranean Sea. The earthquake claimed more than a million human souls in Syria and Egypt. But for the planet 800 years is not a period, and geological processes under the Mediterranean continue.
The wave that hit the shores of Portugal, Spain and North Africa in 1775 killed more than 70,000 people. But these are, so to speak, our "internal" tsunamis, that is, tsunamis caused by the activities of our planet. And there are also "cosmic" tsunamis caused by collisions with meteorites. So, a cobblestone about 10 kilometers across at one time landed in the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico), forming a crater 30 kilometers deep. North America was burnt to the ground, and the height of the waves can only be guessed at. A little (on a geological scale) later, the space block hit the Pacific Ocean closer to Antarctica. Here you can guess more specifically about the height of the wave. For example, according to the remains of living organisms thrown out by the tsunami to a height of several hundred meters (Andes). Can you imagine such a one out there? Me not. And I don’t want to. But, whatever one may say, it is still exotic. And the Earth is rare with space stones. But "home" tsunamis happen dozens of times a year. So what is this phenomenon?
Modern science says that tsunamis are a special kind of non-storm wave, most often caused by an underwater earthquake. The distance between the crest of a wave and a depression in the open sea can be hundreds of kilometers, and the height is no more than a meter. They are practically safe for navigation (a ship may simply not notice such a wave). But tsunamis on the high seas consume their energy rather slowly and can spread over very long distances. When the wave reaches shallow water, and even more so falls into a narrowness (bay, bay, harbor), it turns into that very monster - a wall of water up to several tens of meters high. Actually, "tsunami" is a Japanese word and means nothing more than "a wave in the harbor." The Japanese know what they say: the water is all around them, and seismically active zones are "close at hand" ... On June 15, 1896, in the Sanriku region in the late afternoon, residents felt tremors. People lived by the sea and understood how this could turn out, so they rushed to the mountains. But since nothing happened, they returned after a while, and when they returned, they saw that the sea had moved away from the coast ... It was already too late to run, and seven 35-meter waves razed three provinces (800 kilometers of the coast) to the ground. 27,000 victims. But note: the fishermen who were at that time at sea just did not notice anything ...
Third wave
And then came December 26, 2004 ... An earthquake (the strongest in forty years in this area) occurred under the waters of the Pacific Ocean along the fault line off the coast of Sumatra and caused vertical (both up and down) displacements of the ocean floor. Its area was 1200 kilometers long and about 100 kilometers wide.
The energy released in this case was monstrous, but only one percent went to the formation of the waves themselves. But that was enough. Yes, in the open sea, the wave height did not exceed 60 centimeters, but at the same time the water shaft had a speed of 800 kilometers per hour! And since the fault went approximately from north to south, the tsunami waves ran in a perpendicular direction - to the west and to the east. In the east were the island of Sumatra (Indonesia) and Thailand, in the west - India and Sri Lanka. It was these countries that suffered the most.
What do experts advise to do in the event of a tsunami? An earthquake is a natural signal of the possibility of a tsunami. Before the arrival of a wave, water, as a rule, recedes far from the coast, exposing the seabed for hundreds of meters (and sometimes for several kilometers), and this low tide can last both minutes and hours. The very movement of waves can be accompanied by thunderous sounds that are heard long before the tsunami approaches (for example, it was in Japan in 1895). And yet, we are openly distrustful of the "anti-wave" measures recommended by some experts, including such advice as climbing on roofs and hiding under ... dining tables (this is not a fiction, the author has read this with his own eyes!) ...
A warning system is needed to warn people of danger. There is simply no such thing in the Indian Ocean yet. But in Tikhiy, on the contrary, the international warning system has existed for a long time, and it, in particular, includes the east coast of Thailand ...
Today, the "wave" warning system is able to notify of danger in 3-14 hours. But since wave sensors were not installed in the region (seismologists simply registered a strong earthquake), it was not possible to determine the direction of the tsunami movement. A single “wave” station south of the epicenter recorded a tsunami less than two feet high heading towards Australia.
The waves hit the beaches of the resorts on the west coast of Thailand. Yes, Thailand is part of the international tsunami warning system, but there are no wave sensors on its west coast (they are installed on buoys in the ocean). The northern tip of the earthquake is localized near the Andaman Islands, and the waves went east, towards the Thai resort of Phuket. It happened on Sunday morning, when people were just waking up. In a magnitude nine earthquake, two-story house-high walls of water pushed west across the Bay of Bengal and struck coastal residents. A few hours after the earthquake, a series of strong aftershocks occurred in Sumatra. According to scientists, the earthquake began on a fault line in the depths of the ocean off the coast of Sumatra, and then spread north and south, reaching the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the north between India and Myanmar. The seabed appears to have deformed along the entire length of this fault.
And when the water was gone ...
Even if we remember that exactly one year before the current disaster (December 26, 2003), an earthquake in the province of Kerman (Iran) claimed more than 40,000 lives, all the same, what happened in the Indian Ocean basin is truly monstrous. 230,000 dead almost simultaneously - humanity has not encountered such a thing for a long time. And never from a tsunami. In this sense, it is truly the greatest disaster in history.
It was into this nightmare that the fighters of the airmobile rescue squad of the Russian Emergencies Ministry had to fly. I must say that people who have traveled all the continents work in Tsentrospas. They were in Turkey and Taiwan, Colombia and India. But they did not have to see this either. 12 hours after receiving news of the disaster, the detachment was transferred by an Il-76 transport to Sri Lanka to an airfield near the capital of the island of Colombo. The soldiers of the detachment were ready to start rescue work immediately, but then the notorious "human factor" intervened. It is not a secret for anyone that on our planet, in addition to natural factors, unfortunately, there are also political factors. And South Asia is not a paradise at all (separatism blooms there in double color). For example, in the Indonesian province of Aceh, rescue operations were hampered by the actions of the rebels, demanding ... of course, independence. Moreover, they are complicated to such an extent that the authorities at first generally refused to let anyone in there. It's the same in Sri Lanka.
Since the civil war continues in the country, the Sri Lankan government could not guarantee the safety of our people. For this reason, our leadership, in turn, did not give permission to move into the emergency zone, as a result of which only a few days later our rescuers were able to move to the north of the island in the direction of the cities of Lavinia and Moratur. In the north and north-east of the country, there are units of the so-called Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). And the authorities did not dare to let our rescuers enter these territories for a long time. Well, when permission was finally received, the detachment moved further north towards the city of Galle. On the way, we had to dismantle destroyed roads, work on rubble, and cut concrete blocks. But since by this time there was practically no one to save, the main burden fell on the doctors. There were four of them, and each assisted about fifty victims a day. The danger of epidemics exists to this day - the heat is tropical, the humidity is almost 100%. Now the doctors of the detachment have been replaced by the mobile hospital of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
And what about search dogs? “Our dogs are looking for the living,” one of the visitors told us. "Corpses are a shock to them." And for us? Those who lost their homes were taken in by Buddhist monasteries and Catholic churches, and it was there that our doctors went in a specially equipped Land Rover Defender. At this time, two other "def" with crews of rescuers were working in the area of destruction. They saw everything: swept away houses, ships thrown ashore, and an overturned train in which a thousand people died, and the ruins of a Sunday school, where 390 children remained ... But due to bureaucratic delays, the detachment practically did not accept participation. When the cars reached the zone of passage of the wave, all the bodies had already been removed - it was not difficult to disassemble the village house. As a result, doctors were most in demand. Affected people also need food, water, medicine and blankets. All this needs to be bought, brought and distributed. This means people, cars, ships and airplanes are needed. Deputy Secretary General Jan Egeland of Norway is responsible for UN humanitarian operations. But as it turned out, his organization is so bureaucratic, works so slow and inefficient, that it cannot cope with a task of this magnitude by definition. Apparently, this is another reason why our guys spent several of the hottest days outside the disaster zone.
Forecast for the day after tomorrow
What can await us in the future? American scientists, who are constantly monitoring seismic activity in the Pacific Ocean, warn that geological activity is growing. And if an event occurs, similar to the current one, but with a different vector, a significant territory of California and other western states of the United States may be in the flood zone. The Atlantic Ocean is also awake ... Recently, a hypothesis was put forward that an explosion of a volcano located in the Canary Islands could create a wave as high as one kilometer! The end of old Europe? So are we completely defenseless? Not really. A tsunami warning system exists in the Pacific Ocean. Now a decision has been made to create a similar service on the Indian Ocean.
Forewarned is forearmed.
And one moment. Countries such as Japan or Holland have accumulated tremendous experience in dealing with the water element. The system of dams, embankments and other engineering structures protects them reliably enough. So a lot can be done from a technological point of view. The main thing is to do it. And steps in this direction are already underway - an international conference is being prepared. Well, we cannot jointly fight poverty, let's try to fight natural disasters. Perhaps it is the understanding that it will not be possible to sit out that will make the governments and the people they lead to think a little about others. In the meantime, we just have to honor the memory of the 230,000 victims.
P. S. We, probably, have become a little smarter if today "boards" with rescuers are flying across the borders of states, ready to provide free assistance to everyone who needs it. And structures like the State Central Airmobile Rescue Unit of the EMERCOM of Russia are ready at any moment to leave to help people from another country and another continent.
In the Maldives, the aftermath of the tsunami was more reminiscent of the traces of a sewer burst.
Vitya Lyagushkin, journalist.
While in the Maldives, I toured five islands hit by the tsunami. The trip was organized by the Maldiviana travel agency with the assistance of the Maldives government, which is deeply concerned that their archipelago has been treated unfairly. The fact is that in order to restore the normal functioning of the region's economy, a constant influx of tourists is required. As a result, everything turned into a kind of propaganda war. They showed footage from Phuket, and at the same time talked about the Maldives, although the "post-wave" situation there is radically different. There were reports from Sri Lanka, showing the coast of India, and adding "... and the Maldives" in the comments.
A group of Russian journalists was assembled in order to demonstrate the real state of affairs. Indeed, there was no particular destruction in the Maldives. This is due primarily to the peculiarity of the atoll structure. The height of the atoll's trunk is about two thousand meters. The trunk rises by sheer walls to a depth of two hundred meters, and above there are islands, which are circular formations protruding a maximum of a meter above the water surface. As a result, the height of the tsunami wave in the Maldives was extremely insignificant. She just had nowhere to climb!
How is the Maldives arranged? These are 26 large atolls, on the tops of which there are fifty to sixty islands. On the inner atolls from the epicenter, there was nothing at all. And on the "outer" islands, the following happened: from the hotel rooms (they were flooded), tourists were simply relocated to the inner islands. The fact is that at that time there were a lot of tourists in the Maldives. And because of the flooded rooms, for a while, tourists were accommodated by two families in a room. On Paradise (the outer island of the outer atoll), there was a wave that went through the entire island, partially destroying bungalows and damaging household appliances. The wave caused panic - people put on life jackets, fins and masks (the Russians drank all the minibars on the sly). There were no casualties. Also, during the day after the wave, mobile phones and the airport did not work (the runway was corny dirty). The mud was washed away and the flights resumed. Then the mobile connection was restored. Divers who were under water during the wave did not feel anything at all. The only thing they paid attention to was the squeak of computers, which reacted to a sharp drop in depth.
Tsunami.
A tsunami is not a single wave, but a series of moving ocean waves that result from geological disturbances near or below the ocean floor. These waves are unstoppable, and they sweep across the ocean like a whiplash, remaining strong for thousands of miles. Most tsunamis are caused by strong earthquakes, but landslides, volcanic eruptions and meteorite impacts can also be the cause. Waves occur because geological forces move water in an ocean basin. The stronger the earthquake, the more the earth's crust shifts and the more water is set in motion.
Most often, tsunamis are formed in the Pacific Ocean. This is due to the fact that its basin is bordered by the "Ring of Fire" - a long chain of seismically active points on the Earth.
During a tsunami, waves usually travel in directions opposite to seismic shocks. In the case of the Sumatra earthquake, seismic waves moved along the ocean floor to the south and north, and the tsunami - to the west and east.
Tsunami differs from the usual surf in its enormous length and speed. One such wave can reach 185 km in length and at the same time move across the ocean at a speed of about 1000 km / h. When it approaches the coast, its speed decreases sharply, and its height increases many times over. Some tsunamis resemble a high tide, in which the water does not stop rising and swallows the coast.
A few hours after the earthquake, the tsunami loses strength due to friction with the ocean floor and simply because the waves "dissolve" in the vast ocean surface.
International Tsunami Warning System.
The International Tsunami Warning System was established in 1965 after a 9.2 magnitude earthquake tsunami struck Alaska in 1964. The system includes all major Pacific coast states in the Americas and Asia, as well as the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand. In addition, it includes France (under whose sovereignty some islands are located) and Russia. The warning system analyzes earthquake information from several seismological centers (including the US Geological Survey). The information, in turn, is transmitted to computer programs that simulate the formation of a tsunami. The system transmits tsunami warnings, including a forecast of wave speed and the expected time when they will appear in specific geographic areas. As tsunami waves move through tidal stations, the information is updated and a tsunami warning is issued. Other programs create “flood maps” that include areas of destruction. But keep in mind that not all earthquakes cause tsunamis. The center usually does not issue warnings for earthquakes with a magnitude of less than seven.
The tragedy in Thailand that occurred on the island of Phuket on December 26, 2004, truly shocked the whole world. Huge and multi-ton waves of the Indian Ocean, provoked by an underground earthquake, hit the resorts.
Eyewitnesses, who were on the beaches that morning, said that at first the ocean water, as at low tide, began to rapidly roll away from the coast. And after a while there was a strong hum, and giant waves hit the shore.
About an hour before, it was noticed how the animals began to leave the coast in the mountains, but neither the locals nor the tourists paid attention to this. The sixth sense of the elephants and other four-legged inhabitants of the island suggested an impending disaster.
Those on the beach had virtually no chance of escape. But some were lucky, they survived after spending several long hours in the ocean.
An avalanche of water rushing onto the shore broke off the trunks of palm trees, picked up cars, demolished light coastal buildings, and carried everything into the interior of the mainland. The winners were those parts of the coast where there were hills near the beaches, and where water could not rise. But the aftermath of the tsunami was too devastating.
The houses of local residents were almost completely destroyed. Hotels were destroyed, parks and squares with exotic tropical vegetation were washed away. Hundreds of tourists and locals have gone missing.
Rescuers, police officers and volunteers had to urgently remove decomposing corpses from under the debris of buildings, broken trees, sea mud, twisted cars and other debris, so that an epidemic would not break out in the tropical heat in the disaster areas.
According to current data, the total number of victims of that tsunami throughout Asia is 300,000 people, including both local residents and tourists from different countries.
The very next day, representatives of the rescue services, doctors, military personnel and volunteers began to stay on the island to help the government and residents of Thailand.
At the airports of the capital, planes from all over the world landed with cargo of medicines, food and drinking water, which was so urgently lacking for people in the disaster zone. The new year 2005 was marred by thousands of deaths along the Indian Ocean coastline. It was not actually celebrated by the local population, eyewitnesses say.
An incredible amount of work had to be endured by foreign doctors who worked for days in hospitals to help the wounded and crippled.
Many Russian tourists who survived the horror of the Thai tsunami, who lost their husbands or wives, friends, who were left without documents, but with certificates from the Russian Embassy, returned home without anything.
Thanks to humanitarian assistance from all countries, by February 2005, most of the hotels on the coast were restored, and life gradually began to improve.
But the world community was tormented by the question why the seismic services of Thailand, the countries of international resorts, did not notify their residents and thousands of vacationers about a possible earthquake? At the end of 2006, the United States handed over to Thailand two dozen tsunami tracking buoys caused by oceanic earthquakes. They are located 1,000 kilometers from the coast of the country, and American satellites are monitoring their behavior.
The term TSUNAMI refers to long waves that occur in the process of fractures of the sea or ocean floor. The waves move with tremendous force, their weight is equal to hundreds of tons. They are capable of destroying multi-storey buildings.
It is practically impossible to survive in a violent stream of water that came from the sea or ocean to land.