An earthquake caused a massive tsunami which included four waves 15 to 20 feet high in western Indonesia, including the island of American Somoa, Somoa and Tonga. Somoa is halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. A second and unrelated earthquake occurred Wednesday killing 75 people on Sumatra Island. The first quake measured 8.3 on the Richter scale and was the result of a shallow rapture in the earth’s crust.
The tsunami is blamed for over 100 deaths, which include tourists, and the death toll is expected to rise. Many people fled to higher ground but the short ten minute warning sent from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center was not enough for many people caught in the waves. It is assumed because of the size of the tsunami that residents felt the quake for several seconds, which is a sign of an impending tsunami. The tsunami took roughly 20 minutes to reach the islands from the epicenter. The quake occurred 120 miles south of American Somoa, which has a population of 65,000. The waves flattened two Somoan villages. Among the countries sending relief supplies are the United States and New Zealand.
Tsunami waves are synonymous with death and destruction after the December 26 2004 tsunami that hit Thailand, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and other countries in that region. It was the second largest earthquake recorded with waves over 100 feet high and registered 9.3 on the Richter scale. A total of 230,000 people died in that tsunami from 11 countries and $7 billion was donated worldwide in relief. It is one of the deadliest natural disasters recorded in history.
2 comments:
One would think that after the Tsunami that hit Thailand in 2004, people and countries would create more effective methods of protecting citizens against impending Tsunamis or other natural disasters. I feel that its absolutely ridiculous that there was only a ten minute warning for people on shore. After the Tsunami in Thailand where 230,000 people died. That is an absurd number, and with newer technology, there should be a more effective way of notifying citizens of an impending tsunami.
Even though it only took twety minutes for the waves to hit land from the epicenter, there should be technology that warns of disaster faster. Ten minutes just isnt enough to seek shelter. It would probably make a world of difference if people got the full twenty minutes. There would probably be twice as many survivors with twice as much to time to take shetler. It's pretty pointless that people are dying this way. People shouldnt have to worry about waves coming onto land and sweeping away villages. There needs to bee new technology that can maybe predict the impending earthquakes. If that isnt viable you need something that immedietely recongnizes the earthquake and warns people. After that you need to make these islands protected from the waves in some way. Maybe look into new buildings that are less effected by the waves
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