DISASTER MANAGEMENT : A NEED FOR FUTURE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT : A NEED FOR FUTURE


Abstract

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53
UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. The earthquake generated a tsunami that
was among the deadliest disasters in modern history. At a magnitude of 9.0, it was the largest
earthquake since the 9.2 magnitude Good Friday Earthquake off Alaska in 1964, and tied for
fourth largest since 1900.
The earthquake originated in the Indian Ocean just north of Simeulue island, off the western
coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.The resulting tsunami devastated the shores of
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South India, Thailand and other countries with waves up to 15m (50
feet) high.
It caused serious damage and deaths as far as the east coast of Africa, with the furthest
recorded. Death due to the tsunami occuring at Port Elizabeth in South Africa, 8 000km
(5 000 miles) away from the epicentre.
Anywhere from 228,000 to 310,000 people are thought to have died as a result of the tsunami
and the count is not yet complete. The tsunami and the resultant floods varies widely due to
confusion and conflicting reports, but could total to over 235,000 people with tens of
thousands reported missing, and over a million left homeless.
DART Project is an effort by the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a capability for real-time reporting of
tsunami measurements in the deep ocean. The systems utilize bottom pressure recorders
(BPRs) capable of detecting and measuring tsunamis with amplitude as small as 1 cm in
6000 m of water. The data are transmitted by acoustic modem to a surface buoy, which then
relays the information to a ground station via satellite telecommunications.
A planned network of six buoys in the north Pacific and equatorial region focuses on the
hazard to U.S. coastal communities. Once this technology matures, consideration should be
given to a coordinated international effort to establish additional stations of direct benefit to
other Pacific Rim countries for effective disaster management programme.