Devastating earthquake and tsunami in Southeast Asia (2004). What left behind the tsunami

Tsunamis are long waves caused by an earthquake, explosion, or other phenomenon that affects the entire water column. On the high seas, tsunamis are usually harmless and invisible to the naked eye. Small and wide waves, traveling hundreds of kilometers and moving at very high speeds, are almost invisible in the ocean until they reach shallow water near the coastline. And as the distance between the ocean floor and the water column gets smaller, these short, wide and fast waves are compressed into extremely high and powerful ones, which hit the ground. Depending on the amount of energy released, their height can reach up to 30 meters.

Tsunami 2004

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is considered one of the worst natural disasters in human history. It was triggered by an undersea earthquake that ranged in magnitude from 9.1 to 9.3, and is the third most severe earthquake in history.

The earthquake tsunami claimed the lives of more than 230,000 people. in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and caused billions of dollars in damage.

Tsunami in Thailand

The tsunami overtook Thailand from the southeastern part of the Andaman Sea coast, causing death and destruction, starting in northern border Burma and ending with the southern border with Malaysia. The heaviest blow, in terms of losses and destruction, fell on Phang Nga, Phuket and Krabi, not because of their location, but because it is the most developed and densely populated area on the coast.

The time of the tsunami was also fatal, Christmas morning, which increased the number of victims in Thailand, as the tsunami overtook the most visited countries on the Andaman coast, just at the peak of the holidays, in the morning, when most people were still in their homes or hotel rooms. At least half of Thailand's 5,000 deaths were vacationers.

The western coast of Phuket was also hit by the tsunami, and most of the houses, hotels, restaurants and other buildings in the lowlands required significant repair and restoration. Some areas, including Khao Lak, just north of Phuket in Phang Nga, were almost completely washed away by the waves.

Recovery

Although Thailand suffered the most during the tsunami, it was he who recovered quite quickly compared to other countries. In two years, almost all damage was eliminated and all affected areas were restored. And now, having arrived in Phuket, Khao Lak or Phi Phi, you will not see any signs of the tsunami.

Another tsunami?

Caused by an earthquake, the 2004 tsunami is considered the most powerful in the region over the past 700 years. And while smaller earthquakes occur, causing tsunamis, it is hoped that new systems will quickly identify and prevent it, which would be enough to save the majority.

Tsunami warning system

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), uses seismic data and an ocean buoy system to monitor tsunami activity that monitor and warn of an impending tsunami in the Pacific Basin.

Due to the fact that tsunamis do not reach the coastline immediately after an earthquake (it usually takes a couple of hours, depending on the earthquake, the type of tsunami and the distance from land), a system that can quickly analyze the data on site and warn people about the danger of people on land , will give many the opportunity to take a high position. During the 2004 tsunami, there was no rapid data analysis or ground-based warning systems, but member countries have been working to correct this deficiency since then.

In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, Thailand established an evacuation system with emergency towers along the coastline plus radio and television hazard warning messages that clearly indicate an evacuation plan in densely populated areas. The 2012 tsunami warning triggered by an earthquake in Indonesia was an excellent test of the system. Although, ultimately, there was no strong tsunami, the potentially dangerous zones were evacuated quickly enough.

Many people are afraid to travel to Thailand because of the terrible natural phenomenon of the tsunami. Of course, this is dangerous, but is life in an ordinary city any less dangerous? Car traffic, terrorism, criminals, etc. Still, if such fear exists, you can choose an island by the sea that is safe. In the east of Thailand, the islands are located in the Gulf of Thailand, the Pacific Ocean, from which it follows that this is not an open ocean and there can be no tsunami there.

These islands include:

• (Pattaya) - (mainland, not an island)
• (Ko Chang),
• (Ko Kut),
• (Koh Samui),
• (Koh Phangan),
• (Koh Thao).

The last tsunami in Thailand was on December 26, 2004. Suffered from this phenomenon large island Phuket, and adjacent islands such as the popular Bambu Island, James Bond Island, Chicken, and others. If the large island of Phuket and the province of Krabi were partially affected, i.e. locally, then the small islands are not at all lucky. The wave was 10-15 meters high, so boats and fragments of houses were found on the mountains in the famous Phi Phi Lei Bay.

On the islands and in places that are prone to the threat of tsunamis, there are always signs indicating which direction to run in the event of a tsunami.

Causes of the tsunami in Thailand

The tsunami in Thailand comes from large earthquakes in the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately, they do not always have time to inform people about it, or are afraid to panic, or they are irresponsible in people's lives. In 2004, in Phuket, there were all the necessary radars and sensors that could capture a large wave, but for some reason no one announced this information, and more than 400 thousand people died! In the Indian Ocean itself, there was no warning system at that time and it is quite possible that the existing sensors might not work.

During the tsunami in Phuket, there was the grandson of the King of Thailand, who also died. This can only indicate that the Thai authorities themselves did not know about what was happening.

After this terrible disaster, the Thai authorities took the safety of the people seriously. Now there is an alert system in the Indian Ocean and it was necessary to test its operation in April 2012, when there were powerful tremors near Indonesia.

Then the beaches of Phuket were emptied instantly, a siren screamed, the guards did not allow the beach, and they also evacuated the people present on the beach and woke up the sleeping people, warned them and persuaded them to go to the mountains in every possible way.

Brief Description of Resorts Minimally Threatened by the Tsunami

Pattaya – tourist town filled with Russians. People come here who are eager to get acquainted with the prostitution of Thailand, or rather with the transvestment. The sea amazes with its uncleanness and seething life. This resort is not for those who want to relax and not hear Russian speech throughout their vacation.

Koh Chang- a quiet, remote, romantic island, where with such pleasure you can separate from the whole world and just live for your pleasure, reveling in the beauty of the island and the ocean.
Koh Kut- a paradise place, also not crowded, with a beautiful clean ocean and prankster monkeys.

Koh Samui – big Island, civilized, quiet and at the same time "bubbling" with life. Every opportunity opens up here: entertainment, bars, cafes, night life, clean ocean and even calm life - depending on the choice of location on the island.

Koh Phangan- the island where the Full moon party is held. The island is located so that at night on a full moon, as light as day. Drinks, dances and fun by the ocean are poured and mixed in buckets.

Koh Tao- this place is reminiscent of the adventures of Jacques-Yves Cousteau. How diverse is the underwater world! Round algae, corals, crabs, fish of various sizes and deep blue pungent water! This island is designed for tranquility, diving and snorkeling.

In the history of mankind, December 26, 2004 was marked by a tragedy of enormous proportions, which brought a sea of ​​suffering to a huge number of people. At 00:58 UTC (07:58 a.m. local) in the depths Indian Ocean, near the Indonesian island of Simolue, there was a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 to 9.3 points. It gave rise to a series of killer waves, which over the course of several hours brought monstrous destruction to the shores of Asia, killing about 300 thousand people. Thailand was among the countries hit by the elements.

Start

On the most common December morning, massive seabed tremors displaced huge bodies of water in the ocean. In the open sea, it looked like low, but stretching for thousands of kilometers, water semicircles, at an incredible speed (up to 1000 km / h) rushed to the shores of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and even African Somalia. As the waves approached the shallow water, they slowed down, but acquired monstrous dimensions in some places - up to 40 meters in height. As maddened chimeras, they carried an energy twice the energy of all explosions of the Second World War with the nuclear bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, inclusive.

At this time, residents and guests of the western coast of Thailand (Phuket, Krabi province and adjacent small islands) began the most ordinary day. Someone was in a hurry to work, someone else was basking in a soft bed, and someone had already decided to enjoy the sea. The tremors were practically imperceptible, so no one, absolutely no one, suspected of the impending mortal danger.

About an hour after the earthquake in the sea, strange phenomena began to appear on land: animals and birds fled in anxiety, the sound of the surf ceased, and the water in the sea abruptly left the coast. Intrigued people began to go out to the shallow areas of the seabed to collect exposed shells and fish.

No one saw the advancing 15-meter wall of water, since it did not have a white ridge, and for a long time visually merged with the sea surface. When she was noticed, it was already too late. Like a furious lion, with a roar and a howl, the sea collapsed onto the land. With great speed it carried streams of frenzied water, crushing, tearing and grinding everything in its path.

The ocean went inland for hundreds of meters, and in some places - up to two kilometers. When his strength was exhausted, the movement of the water stopped, but only in order to rush back with the same speed. And woe to those who did not have time to hide. At the same time, the danger was not so much the water itself, but what it carried. Huge chunks of soil, concrete and reinforcement, broken furniture, cars, advertising signs, torn high voltage cables - all of this threatened to kill, flatten and maim anyone caught in the frenzied stream.

Video

When the water is gone

After everything was over, a truly terrifying picture appeared to the gaze of the survivors. It seemed that evil giants were playing creepy games here, moving huge objects and leaving them in the most unexpected places: a car in the hotel lobby, a tree trunk in a window or pool, a boat on the roof of a house, a hundred meters from the sea ... stood on the shore, were almost completely destroyed. The streets have turned into a hellish mess of pieces of furniture, twisted and overturned cars, shards of glass, scraps of wires and, worst of all, bodies dead people and animals.

Elimination of the consequences of the tsunami

Measures to eliminate the consequences of the tsunami began to be taken immediately after the water left. All military and police were mobilized, and camps for victims with access to clean water, food and a place to rest were set up. Due to the hot climate, the danger of outbreaks of infections associated with air and drinking water contamination increased every hour, so the government and the local population faced a tough task: to find all the dead as soon as possible, identify them as possible and bury them properly. To do this, it was necessary day and night, not knowing sleep and rest, to rake the rubble. The governments of many countries around the world have sent human and material resources to help the Thai people.

The total death toll on the shores of Thailand reached 8,500 people, 5,400 of whom were citizens of more than forty countries, a third of them were children. Later, after the governments of the affected states were able to assess the total damage, the 2004 tsunami was recognized as the deadliest previously known.

The earthquake, which raised giant waves, was so strong that it pierced our planet through and through, causing the soil to vibrate up to 3 mm in the United States. At the same time, such a mass of energy was released that the Earth changed its rotation, reducing the length of the day by 2.6 microseconds. Some of the smaller islands near Sumatra have moved southwestward up to 20 meters.

Years after the tragedy

Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy that claimed more than 300 thousand lives and brought grief and despair to even more people around the world. During this time, Thailand was able to recover and fully rebuild the affected areas. Already a year after the disaster, the issue of providing housing for those who lost a roof over their heads was resolved.

New homes, especially on the coast, are now being built according to special requirements. Their design, materials and location will allow them to withstand the sea elements and, in the event of a threat, reduce casualties and destruction to a minimum.

But most importantly, Thailand has joined the international deep-sea tracking system for the movement of water in the ocean, with which you can predict the arrival of a tsunami in advance. On islands and cities, where there is a possibility of giant waves, warning and evacuation systems have been created. A wide educational work was carried out aimed at acquainting people with the rules of behavior in the event of a natural disaster.

On July 9, 1958, in Lituya Bay, southwestern Alaska, a massive earthquake triggered a giant landslide. Three hundred million cubic meters of soil, rocks and ice then collapsed into the sea, raising a record high wave in the entire history of tsunami observations. A wall of water 524 meters high moved at a speed of 160 km / h, blocking the sky and the sun, and collapsed on the island of Cenotaphia, generating several more giant waves in the bay.

Today, the general phobia of a possible tsunami in Thailand has practically disappeared. Tourists with redoubled enthusiasm rush to the shores of the kingdom and travel with pleasure along this amazing country... The coast now looks prettier than it was, and only signs with the rules of conduct in the event of a danger remind of the tragedy of 2004. But this is only outwardly. A huge number of broken human destinies were left behind by the elements. People will keep memories of the fear they have experienced for a long time to come and grieve for those who cannot be returned.

Probably, almost all people heard about the tsunami in Thailand in 2004, since it was the most destructive tsunami in history. The best tsunami in Thailand in 2004 is shown in films such as "Tsunami" (2006 release) and "Impossible" (2012 release). These films tell about how devastating the tsunami was, and how difficult it was to find your family and friends after this natural disaster.

What is a tsunami?
Tsunami - big waves which are usually caused by an earthquake, explosion, or other event that caused a large volume of water to move. In the open ocean, tsunamis are usually harmless and invisible to the naked eye. A huge wave can pass almost unnoticed until it reaches shallow waters off the coast. Near the coast, the wave can reach heights of up to 40 meters.

Tsunami 2004 in Thailand.
The 2004 tsunami, called the Indonesian tsunami, was one of the worst natural disasters in human history. It was triggered by an underwater earthquake with an estimated magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3 on the Richter scale, making it the third most powerful earthquake on record.
The post-earthquake tsunami killed more than 230,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, left many homeless and caused billions of dollars in damage.

Which regions of Thailand have suffered the most.
Khao Lak became the hardest hit area in Thailand. Here the water made its way from the coast to a distance of up to 1.5 km. After this tsunami, dolphins were found in one of the lakes, located at a distance of about 1.5 km from the coast. The wave traveled this distance in about one minute. Only one hotel on the hill survived the disaster. The rest were badly damaged.
Phi Phi Don is an H-shaped island. To the east and west, there are limestone mountains that act as a giant wall blocking the strong winds during the monsoon season. Both of these pieces of land are connected by a narrow isthmus.
The isthmus is surrounded on both sides by bays: Ton-Sai in the south and Loh Dalam in the north. This isthmus is only 150 meters wide, but jaded with bungalows and sightseers. The tsunami struck from both bays, so people had nowhere to run. The waves were much stronger in Loh Dalam Bay on the western side.
Phi Phi Island Hotel Village Beach Resort and Spa was badly damaged as it was built on a site where there is no hill to block the tidal waves coming from the west.

The result of the arrival of the tsunami in Thailand.
Tsunami on southwest coast Death and destruction were wreaking havoc on Thailand along the Andaman Sea from the northern border with Burma to the southern border with Malaysia. The worst affected provinces in terms of loss of life and property destruction were Phang Nga, Phuket and Krabi. And this is not only because of their location, but because they were the most developed and most densely populated areas along the coast.
The tsunami was due to the fact that the tsunami occurred in the morning after Christmas, when many people were still in their homes or hotel rooms. Thailand has killed at least 5,000 people, almost half of them foreign tourists.
Much of the west coast of Phuket was badly damaged by the tsunami, and most homes, hotels, restaurants and other structures required significant repair or restoration. Some areas, including Khao Lak, were almost completely destroyed by the waves.

Tsunami recovery.
Although Thailand suffered significant damage during the tsunami, it was able to rebuild all destroyed buildings and infrastructure rather quickly compared to most other affected countries. When traveling to Phuket, Khao Lak and Phi Phi today, you most likely will not see traces and evidence that a tsunami occurred here.

The likelihood of a new tsunami.
The likelihood of a new tsunami, of course, is, since no one can guess how the earth's crust will behave. However, earthquakes as strong as in 2004 are very rare (in this region, a similar earthquake was recorded about 700 years ago). In addition, today there are new systems to detect the occurrence of a tsunami and warn people so that they have enough time to escape.

Before setting off on a trip, it is very important to know in advance everything about the safety of the place in which you plan to rest or live for some time.

Despite the fact that Thailand is one of the safest countries in Southeast Asia in terms of crime, it must be remembered that this country is located between two huge oceans. One of the biggest and most unmanageable hazards to which many tourist areas in Thailand are exposed is the tsunami.

For informational purposes (in no way to scare) I would like to talk about a terrible event that happened in Thailand and in many countries of the Indian Ocean basin on December 26, 2004. Tsunami, which originated as a result of an earthquake at the bottom of the Indian Ocean near Indonesia, and which covered Thailand and 14 other countries, killing from 225 to 300 thousand people, citizens of 60 countries. This natural disaster is the 6th most fatal in human history. The worst consequences were in Indonesia, in Sri Lanka, in India, and in Thailand the largest number of foreigners died, especially in Phuket.

Let's hope that this story will never repeat itself, but do not forget - forewarned is forearmed. Many victims could have been avoided if the people who found themselves at the epicenter of the events knew at least something about the tsunami.

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Where do tsunamis come from

Tsunamis are long waves formed most often due to underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and less often due to any underwater explosions (nuclear tests, meteorites, etc.). Tsunamis do not pose a threat to seagoing vessels in deep ocean areas. Despite the fact that the waves move at speeds of up to 1000 km / h, their height in the open ocean usually does not exceed 50 centimeters or 1 meter. Reaching shallow water, the tsunami loses its speed and increases its height up to 20-40 meters. This is the reason that tsunamis cannot always be seen in advance. Even satellite tracking systems cannot always identify a hazard in advance. In some cases, a tsunami can occur even without a well-defined wave, like a series of rapid ebb and flow. The danger in the first place does not come from the wave itself, but from an incredibly large, wide and powerful stream of water, which with force falls on the shore.

Why 30-meter storm waves are safer than a 5-meter tsunami

Sometimes on the coasts of the oceans, storm waves can reach impressive sizes, but this never leads to the same large-scale flooding and damage as during a tsunami. This is due to several factors:

- Unlike a storm, when the upper layers of the ocean break on the coast, the tsunami "attacks" the land with the entire water column, therefore the kinetic energy of the tsunami is thousands of times higher than the energy splashing onto the coast during a powerful storm.

- The tsunami wave is thousands of kilometers wide, and it hits the entire coast, while storm waves are rarely longer than 50-100 meters. On the map at the beginning of the article, you can see how the tsunami spreads radially (in circles) with its epicenter on the seabed near the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

- A storm is almost never sudden, and only the most modern ocean tracking systems can predict tsunamis. But not all potentially dangerous coasts are equipped with such expensive systems.

- Due to their power, tsunamis penetrate much deeper into the mainland, destroying infrastructure unprepared for such a scourge and also provoking man-made disasters that only exacerbate the scale of the disaster.

How to save yourself during a tsunami

In 85% of cases, a tsunami is preceded by a powerful underwater earthquake with a magnitude of more than 7.0 on the Richter scale. However, the source may be too far from the tsunami zone, and in this case, no earthquake will be felt on the coast. In the event of tremors in potentially dangerous tsunami zones, the following measures must be taken urgently:

- Without waiting for warnings (they may not be there), collect documents, valuables and relatives and leave the danger zone, warning the maximum possible number of people about the danger.

- As quickly as possible climb a hill or go away from the ocean.

- Many potentially hazardous areas have special signs showing the shortest escape route.

- Remember that a strong and sharp ebb is a clear sign of an impending tsunami. Before the decisive blow, the tsunami takes over all coastal water... Before the big tsunami, most of the victims, who know practically nothing about this natural phenomenon, remain on the shore, collect fish that did not have time to leave with the abrupt ebb, or simply admire the unprecedented spectacle. It is extremely rash to do this!

- During a tsunami, a shock in several waves is possible, and the first wave will not necessarily be the most powerful. If one wave has already hit the shore, you must continue to keep in a safe place for the next few hours.

The film about the tsunami "Impossible" ("Lo imposible")

Then I watched a film based on the real events of that very day (December 26, 2004), and decided that it was necessary to write about this tsunami. Why? Because the film turned out to be a good drama about the fate of a particular family, but the authors did not reveal the main thing. And the main thing, I think, in this story is not whether one particular family was able to escape, but why the tsunami of 2004 provoked such a number of victims. And here's why it happened:

- The inaction of the Thai authorities, who knew that at 8 in the morning there was an earthquake in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra, which a little "troubled" the Thai resort of Phuket. The tsunami hit the same Phuket, as well as neighboring provinces at about 10 am. That is, there were 2 hours to evacuate people, but no one did anything. This is a complete failure!

- Lack of awareness local population and, moreover, tourists, how to behave during a tsunami. Nobody really knew anything - where to run, what to do ... There were no warning systems, in principle, as such! And this despite the fact that the western coast of Thailand, and especially the tourist area of ​​Phuket (one of the most popular resorts in Thailand) is located in a very dangerous ocean zone, where a large number of earthquakes occur. In general - again the failure of the authorities.

In their justification, we can say that tsunamis in the Indian Ocean are extremely rare - the previous tsunami took place after the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in 1883! That is, it was the unexpected tsunami in a number of countries in the Indian Ocean basin that caused such large-scale consequences - destruction and death of a huge number of people.

Perhaps this emphasis is lacking in the film. In my opinion, it had to be shown that much could have been prevented. Encourage people to be considerate in the future. This does not mean sitting at home and not traveling - it means being forewarned and knowing what to do in emergency situation... And even if this does not save every single one in the event of such a development of events, it will help many. People need to know what to do in a critical situation during a tsunami.

The very story of the film lies in the fact that a family with three sons is at the epicenter of a tsunami. Each of them is trying to escape, help each other and find other relatives. Unlike all the contrived disaster films (hello, 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow), The Impossible has no super special effects and an incredibly large budget. The emphasis is on the storyline, the acting and their inimitable emotions. In general, a really worthy drama, in my opinion, and I have already written about the shortcomings above.

Tsunami in Phuket - still from the movie "Lo Imposible"
Tsunami in Phuket in 2004 (stills from the movie "Impossible")

In this article, I deliberately do not use photographs from various sources that illustrate genuine footage of real destruction. I would not like the article to be negative. On the contrary, the purpose of the recording is to tell people about what happened and why it happened; to honor the memory of innocent victims; try to figure out how to avoid such losses in the future if the tsunami reoccurs ...

In the aftermath of the 2004 disaster, Thai authorities announced the creation of a dedicated tsunami tracking system. For this purpose, special buoys were placed in the ocean, which react to the rapid movement of water masses. Exactly the same systems are successfully operating off the coast of Japan and the Hawaiian Islands. Also coastlines The Andaman Sea in Thailand have been equipped with hazard warning signs with a recommendation in Thai and English: “Zone of possible tsunami. In case of an earthquake, climb a hill or evacuate inland. "

A warning sign about a possible tsunami near Ao Nang (found "the cleanest")))

By the way, if you are going to Thailand, and you are very much afraid of this potential danger of a tsunami, then you can choose safe resorts located in the Gulf of Thailand (South China Sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean basin). The eastern shores of Thailand, namely resorts such as Koh Chang, Pattaya, Hua hin, Koh Samui, Phangan, Ko Tao are reliably protected from the tsunami by neighboring islands, peninsulas and continents. The threat of a tsunami in Thailand is only in the western resorts located on the coast of the Andaman Sea. The most "dangerous" in terms of the likelihood of tsunamis are the provinces of Phang Nga, Phuket and Krabi.