Measures taken after the tragedy. Which areas were hit the hardest?

Hi all! Vladimir Raichev is in touch. This Friday morning I invite you to talk about the history of disasters again. One of the worst disasters of our century is the 2004 tsunami. December 26, 2004 is a truly fateful day for several countries on our planet. Today we will have to talk about what happened.

• The most destructive volcanoes of the past, future and present.

According to scientists, the first earthquake occurred in the depths Indian Ocean, near the islands of Indonesia. The magnitude of the tremors ranged from 8.0 to 9.3, according to various sources. This cataclysm was included in the list of the most powerful in the history of our planet. The shaking was stronger only in 1960 in Chile and in 1964 in Alaska. But the number of deaths in those years was insignificant, since the affected areas were not densely populated.

A large section of the earth's crust (the Indian Plate) moved almost 1,500 km that morning (although it usually moves no further than 7 cm each year). As a result of this, the Indian plate “drove” under the neighboring plate. With such a sharp movement, the ocean floor rose - this was the cause of that large-scale tsunami. Under extraordinary pressure, water rushed out in all directions.

To understand how great the pressure released at that time was, it is enough to imagine that with the help of all the energy received it was possible to boil more than 150 liters of water for every person on our planet.

The force of the disaster was so great that it affected the speed of the Earth! Scientists have not yet been able to determine the exact figure, but it is believed that as a result of what happened, the length of the earth’s day decreased by more than 2 microseconds.

This may seem like a small thing, but on the scale of the entire planet this figure is impressive. In addition, for a couple of minutes the Earth “wobbled” around its orbit (this is a rare phenomenon).

Several Indonesian islands were literally moved. The movement was not only horizontal: many coastal areas were flooded with water and remain under it to this day.

What was the tsunami like?

The waves formed gradually, only a couple of hours after the shock the height of the crest was more than 60 cm. The water overtook the Indonesian islands of the coast, the Indian coast, Thailand, Sri Lanka and even South Africa (overcoming more than 8000 km).

The blow had a terrifying force. For comparison, the energy released by the strike was several times greater than the amount of energy obtained from the explosion of all ammunition during the Second World War (including the nuclear bombs that destroyed two Japanese cities). It is difficult for the human mind to even imagine this.

The height of the water killer in some areas reached 20 meters. The water passed more than 2 km of the coast, sweeping away everything in its path.

How did all this affect people?

At the beginning of the 21st century, humanity had already managed to explore space, visit the Moon, destroy several hundred species of animals and plants, invent cures for many diseases... But they did not come up with a tsunami detection system.

That day, people were completely unprepared for trouble, despite the fact that the water took more than 7 hours to reach some countries! And in 7 hours it was possible to evacuate almost the entire country. Surprisingly, most of the animals inhabiting the affected countries were saved by rising to higher ground in time.

The last large-scale tsunami occurred more than half a century ago, without claiming many lives. Therefore, the world was not particularly familiar with the very concept of “tsunami”. People saw animals running from the shore, as the water receded, revealing the seabed.

According to surviving eyewitnesses, a suspicious silence hung in the air: the usual sound of the surf and the cries of birds could not be heard. But all these oddities did not make people run away from the ocean, but only spurred curiosity. Whole crowds of onlookers wandered along the shallow bottom, collecting discarded shells and fish.

Meanwhile, the tsunami was approaching, rushing at a speed of more than 100 km/h. The water was treacherous: the crest of the wave was not the usual white color, so people saw the deadly wall only when it came too close.

Houses, hotels and the entire coastline as a whole were not able to withstand the impact of the elements: the walls crumbled like toys. Thus, the tsunami became even more deadly: not just tons of water rushed through the streets. It was a torrent of mud, debris, trees and cars. People were simply crushed by garbage.

The wave had already hit Aceh province (Indonesia), killing thousands of people, and on the beaches of Thailand people were still basking in the sun. There was absolutely no warning system or evacuation scheme.

The exact number of deaths is unknown. According to official data - more than 225,000 people (for comparison: the population of Veliky Novgorod is 220,000 people). The calculations were complicated by the fact that people disappeared in entire settlements, streets, and families. That is, no one could report them missing, there was no one left at all who remembered them.

The authorities could rely only on the population census. Moreover, in Thailand, Somalia, and India there live a colossal number of unregistered residents leading a semi-nomadic lifestyle. A third of all dead and missing were children, since they were the ones who did not physically have enough strength to be saved.

Thousands of people were swept out into the open ocean. December – peak tourist season in Thailand, so the tsunami claimed the lives of citizens of Europe and even Australia.

The situation was aggravated by the fact that search work had to be carried out in the shortest possible time, because when the water left, the corpses of people lay everywhere, decomposing in the terrible heat. All this could lead to the development of entire epidemics, so the authorities rushed as best they could.

Those who somehow managed to survive the first wave made two mistakes. Mistakes that later turned out to be fatal:

1. One part was in a state of shock and was afraid to even move. People remained in their shelters, not daring to leave. But after the first wave came the second. And then the third, which in turn “finished off” those who did not have time to escape;
2. Another part of the people, having waited out the first wave in shelter, left it, rushing to the coastline. Some were looking for their family and friends, others wanted to see if anything was left of their home, and many rushed to help the victims. Repeated waves found those who managed to escape first.

In the midst of all this chaos, there were also stories of miraculous salvation. Those who seemed to have no chance managed to survive and start living again:

The 8-year-old girl Vati was carried away into the ocean by a stream of water. Her relatives could not find her anywhere and had already come to terms with the loss when one day, after a whole 7 years, an acquaintance brought the already grown child home. It turned out that somehow Vati was able to survive. She washed ashore in a nearby town, several kilometers from home. From the shock she experienced, the baby lost her memory. The only thing that she managed to remember over time was the name of her grandfather. A waiter from a local cafe knew the girl’s family and, combining two tragic stories, brought Vati to her family;

An American family went scuba diving with their coach. The most powerful wave hit right above their heads, while the group went into the depths. All they had time to notice was that the water suddenly began to become cloudy. The coach gave the command to rise. Once on the surface, the divers found corpses of people and the remains of buildings around them;

One of the eyewitnesses reported that he saw how a large elephant helped the children: he wrapped his trunk around their small bodies, put them on his back and carried them out of the whirlpool of water. And another victim swears that his life was saved that day by a real crocodile! Mr. Gunasekera was literally carried out of the house by the water flow, but he did not lose his head and grabbed the nearest log. Only it turned out not to be a log, but a crocodile. The man assures that the reptile did not show a hint of aggression, allowing him to grab his tail and dragging the man all the way to the shore.

What happened after the tsunami?

Having mourned all the dead, humanity began to analyze the disaster that had occurred.

Thailand has joined the international system for monitoring tectonic activity. Special sensors have been created that can detect tremors even at great depths in the middle of the ocean.

Many countries have developed public warning systems and evacuation schemes in case of danger. Colossal work was also carried out to inform the population: they taught the rules of behavior during earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters. Now detailed instructions You can even see it on the door of any hotel.

The authorities built new buildings that could withstand the force of the shock wave of the elements: powerful beams, reinforced concrete frames, and a special angle of inclination.

Gradually, the cities were able to come to their senses: houses were rebuilt, people returned. Even tourists were able to regain confidence in their loved ones over time. heavenly beaches. Only the families of the victims still remember that fateful day for all humanity.

This is what happened in the Indian Ocean. It’s a shame that they couldn’t prevent it or at least minimize the losses. That's all for me, subscribe to the blog news to be the first to receive the latest news. Share this article with your friends on in social networks, I'm sure they will be interested in reading. Until we meet again, bye-bye.

Before going on a trip, it is very important to find out in advance everything about the safety of the place where you plan to vacation or live for some time.

Despite the fact that Thailand is one of the most safe countries In terms of crime, Southeast Asia must not forget that this country is located between two huge oceans. One of the biggest and most uncontrollable dangers that plague many of Thailand's tourist areas is tsunamis.

For informational purposes (in no case with the purpose of scaring), I would like to talk about the terrible event that occurred in Thailand and in many countries of the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. The 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 225 to 300 thousand people, citizens of 60 countries. This natural disaster is the 6th largest in the history of mankind. The most terrible consequences were in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and in Thailand the largest number of foreigners died, especially in Phuket.

Let's hope that this story will never repeat itself, but don't forget - forewarned is forearmed. Many casualties could have been avoided if the people 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, most often formed 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 shipping in deep ocean areas. Despite the fact that the waves move at speeds of up to 1000 km/h, their height is open ocean usually does not exceed 50 centimeters or 1 meter. Reaching shallow water, the tsunami loses speed and increases its height to 20-40 meters. This is the reason why tsunamis cannot always be seen in advance. Even satellite tracking systems cannot always identify danger in advance. In some cases, a tsunami can occur even without a clearly defined wave, like a series of rapid ebbs and flows. The danger primarily comes not from the wave itself, but from the incredibly large, wide and powerful stream of water that hits the shore with force.

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

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

— Unlike a storm, when the upper layers of the ocean break on the shore, a tsunami “attacks” the land with the entire thickness of the water, so the kinetic energy of a tsunami is thousands of times higher than the energy splashing onto the shore during a powerful storm.

— The width of a tsunami wave is thousands of kilometers, 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 at seabed near the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

— Storms are almost never sudden, and only the most modern ocean tracking systems can predict a tsunami. But not all potentially dangerous coasts are equipped with such expensive systems.

“Due to their strength, tsunamis penetrate much deeper into the continent, destroying infrastructure unprepared for such a disaster and also provoking man-made disasters, which only aggravate the scale of the disaster.

How to escape 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, in which case no earthquake will be felt on the coast. In the event of tremors in potentially tsunami zones, the following measures must be urgently taken:

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

— Climb to higher ground as quickly as possible or move away from the ocean.

— Many potentially hazardous areas have special signs indicating shortest way evacuation.

- Remember that a strong and sudden low tide is an obvious sign of an impending tsunami. Before the decisive blow, the tsunami takes over all the coastal water. Before the big tsunami most of victims who don't know about it a natural phenomenon practically nothing, remains on the shore, collects fish that did not have time to leave with the sharp ebb of the tide, or simply admires the unprecedented spectacle. It is extremely reckless to do this!

— With a tsunami, several waves are possible, and the first wave will not necessarily be the most powerful. If one wave has already hit the shore, you must continue to hold on safe place over the next few hours.

Tsunami film "Lo imposible"

Then I watched a film based on the real events of that very day (December 26, 2004), and decided that I definitely needed to write about this tsunami. Why? Because the film turned out to be a good drama about the fate of a specific 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 2004 tsunami provoked such a number of victims. And here's why it happened:

— The inaction of the Thai authorities, who knew that at 8 am there was an earthquake in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra, which slightly rocked the Thai resort of Phuket. The tsunami hit that 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 among the local population and, especially, tourists about how to behave during a tsunami. Nobody really knew anything - where to run, what to do... In principle, there were no warning systems as such! And this despite the fact that the west coast of Thailand, and especially tourist area 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 a 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 back in 1883! That is, it was the unexpectedness of the tsunami in a number of countries in the Indian Ocean that caused such large-scale consequences - destruction and death of a huge number of people.

Perhaps this is precisely the emphasis that is missing in the film. In my opinion, it was necessary to show that much could have been prevented. Urge people to be careful in the future. This does not mean staying at home and not traveling - it means being warned and knowing what to do in case emergency situation. And although this will not save everyone 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 is that a family with three sons finds itself at the epicenter of a tsunami. Each of them is trying to escape, help each other and find other relatives. Unlike all sorts of far-fetched disaster films (hello, “2012” and “The Day After Tomorrow”), “The Impossible” does not have super special effects and an incredibly large budget. The emphasis is on the storyline, the acting and their inimitable emotions. In general, it’s a really worthy drama, in my opinion, but I’ve already written about the shortcomings above.

Tsunami in Phuket - still from the movie “Lo Imposible”
Phuket tsunami 2004 (stills from the film “The Impossible”)

In this article, I deliberately do not use photographs from various sources illustrating authentic footage of real destruction. I wouldn't want the article to be negative. On the contrary, the purpose of the recording is to tell people 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 happens again...

After the 2004 disaster, Thai authorities announced the creation of a special tsunami tracking system. For this purpose, special buoys were placed in the ocean, which respond to the rapid movement of water masses. Exactly the same systems operate successfully off the coast of Japan and Hawaii. Also coastlines Andaman Sea in Thailand were equipped with warning signs in Thai and English languages: “Possible tsunami zone. In the event of an earthquake, move to higher ground or evacuate inland.”

Warning sign about a possible tsunami near Ao Nang (they found the “cleanest one”)))

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

Many people remember the tsunami that swept through South-East Asia in 2004, killing 400,000 people. This happened before the New Year and became a real disaster for local residents and vacationers. Here we remember the tragic events that occurred during tsunami in Thailand 2004 of the year.

Tsunami in Thailand 2004: how it happened

The cause of the super-powerful tsunami in Thailand was an earthquake in the Indian Ocean. As a result, 18 countries were affected by the wave. The underwater shock occurred on December 26 at 7.58 local time and went almost unnoticed. This led to huge casualties tsunami in Thailand 2004 of the year. After 2 hours, the first wave approached the Thai coast. The magnitude of the earthquake was 9.1 - 9.3 points (it was recognized as the 3rd most powerful in history), and the epicenter was only 160 km from Sumatra. As a result, some small islands moved as much as 20 meters, and the Earth’s rotation around its axis even slightly accelerated.

The height of the wave was 15 meters and washed away almost everything in its path: trees were torn out, buildings were destroyed, cars were washed away from parking lots, boats and larger vessels were thrown ashore. The water that flooded the beaches of Thailand, including the popular Patong, went several hundred meters deep onto the land, and in some places went 2 kilometers deep. 2004 Thailand Tsunami, which came the first time, washed away almost the entire infrastructure, but after that the wave returned twice more and completed the destruction.

2004 Thailand Tsunami: Devastation

Many escaped in the mountains, and those who did not make it climbed onto the roofs of hotels. The islands of Phuket, Phi Phi (the island was completely submerged), and the provinces of Krabi and Phangan were hit the hardest. About 8,500 people, citizens of 40 countries, died in Thailand.

The same wave reached India in 90 minutes, and reached the African coast in Somalia in 7 hours. Destruction was noted even in South Africa in Port Elizabeth. Even the state of Kerala in India, which is also known for its bloody rains, was affected, although it is located on the west coast and not the east. The total number of victims ranges from 250 to 300 thousand.

This tsunami in Thailand became the largest in 80 years and is among the TOP 10 most destructive in history.

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), a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 to 9.3 occurred in the depths of the Indian Ocean, near the Indonesian island of Simeulue. It gave rise to a series of rogue waves, which within a few hours brought terrible destruction to the shores of Asia, killing approximately 300 thousand people. Among the countries hit by the disaster was Thailand.

Start

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

During this time, residents and guests west coast Thailand ( Phuket , Krabi province and the small islands adjacent to them) began a very ordinary day. Some were in a hurry to go to work, some were still basking in a soft bed, and some had already decided to enjoy the sea. The tremors were practically unnoticeable, so no one, absolutely no one, suspected the impending mortal danger.

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

No one saw the approaching 15-meter wall of water, since it did not have a white crest, and for a long time visually merged with the surface of the sea. By the time she was noticed, it was already too late. Like an angry lion, the sea crashed onto the land with a roar and howl. With tremendous speed it carried streams of enraged water, crushing, tearing and grinding everything in its path.

The ocean traveled hundreds of meters inland, and in some places up to two kilometers. When his strength was exhausted, the movement of the water stopped, but only to rush back at the same speed. And woe to those who did not have time to take cover. At the same time, the danger was not so much the water itself, but what it carried. Huge pieces of soil, concrete and reinforcement, broken furniture, cars, advertising signs, broken high-voltage cables - all this threatened to kill, flatten and injure anyone who found themselves in the frantic flow.

Video

When the water left

After it was all over, a truly terrifying picture appeared to the survivors. It seemed that evil giants were playing terrible 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 a swimming pool, a boat on the roof of a house, a hundred meters from the sea... Buildings that once stood on the shore and were almost completely destroyed. The streets turned into a hellish mess of pieces of furniture, twisted and overturned cars, shards of glass, broken 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, camps for victims were organized with access to clean water, food and place to relax. Due to the hot climate, the danger of outbreaks of infections associated with air and air contamination increased every hour. drinking water, therefore, the government and local population faced a tough task: to locate all the dead in the shortest possible time, identify them if possible and properly bury them. To do this, it was necessary to clear away the rubble all day long, without sleep or rest. Many governments around the world sent human and material resources to help the Thai people.

The total number of deaths 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 countries were able to assess the total damage, the 2004 tsunami was recognized as the deadliest ever known.

The earthquake that raised giant waves was so strong that it pierced our planet right through, causing ground vibrations of 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 small islands near Sumatra have shifted to the southwest by up to 20 meters.

Years after the tragedy

Next year will mark 10 years since the tragedy that claimed more than 300 thousand lives and brought grief and despair to yet more more people all over the world. During this time, Thailand was able to recover and completely restore the affected areas. A year after the disaster, the issue of providing housing for those who lost a roof over their head was resolved.

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

But most importantly, Thailand has joined the international system of deep-sea tracking of the movement of masses of water in the ocean, with the help of which it is possible to 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. Extensive educational work has been carried out to familiarize people with the rules of behavior in the event of a natural disaster.

On July 9, 1958, a strong earthquake triggered a giant landslide in Lituya Bay, southwest Alaska. Three hundred million cubic meters of soil, rock and ice then fell 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 hit Cenotaph Island, creating several more giant waves in the bay.

Today, the general phobia of a possible tsunami in Thailand has practically disappeared. Tourists rush to the shores of the kingdom with renewed enthusiasm and enjoy traveling along this amazing country. The coast now looks more beautiful than it was, and only signs with the rules of behavior in the event of danger remind of the tragedy of 2004. But this is only external. The elements left behind a huge number of broken human destinies. People will keep memories of the fear they experienced for a long time and grieve for those who can no longer be returned.