86-760: Operation Unified Assistance was the American military's humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami . On 28 December 2004, elements of the Combined Support Force were deployed to U-Tapao International Airport in Thailand. More than 12,600 Department of Defense personnel were involved in the relief effort. The United States dispatched numerous C-5 and C-17 strategic airlifters and 10 C-130 Hercules tactical airlifters containing disaster supplies, 9 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft for search and rescue support, and several teams from
172-495: A large lake . Earthquakes , volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, landslides , glacier calvings , meteorite impacts and other disturbances) above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Unlike normal ocean waves, which are generated by wind , or tides , which are in turn generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun ,
258-430: A wave shoaling process described below. A tsunami can occur in any tidal state and even at low tide can still inundate coastal areas. On April 1, 1946, the 8.6 M w Aleutian Islands earthquake occurred with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI ( Strong ). It generated a tsunami which inundated Hilo on the island of Hawaii with a 14-metre high (46 ft) surge. Between 165 and 173 were killed. The area where
344-537: A co-ordination meeting was held onboard PNS Moawin between Sri Lanka Navy officials, Pakistan High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Pakistan Navy Mission Commander Commodore Ehsan Saeed to discuss the modus operandi of the relief operations. The Singapore humanitarian relief operation, "Operation Flying Eagle", involved more than 1,200 military and civil defence personnel—of whom 900 were in Aceh, Indonesia. The humanitarian assistance provided by its military, medical and rescue teams
430-427: A few minutes at a time. The Tauredunum event was a large tsunami on Lake Geneva in 563 CE, caused by sedimentary deposits destabilised by a landslide. In the 1950s, it was discovered that tsunamis larger than had previously been believed possible can be caused by giant submarine landslides . These large volumes of rapidly displaced water transfer energy at a faster rate than the water can absorb. Their existence
516-432: A huge wave. As the tsunami approaches the coast and the waters become shallow, wave shoaling compresses the wave and its speed decreases below 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph). Its wavelength diminishes to less than 20 kilometres (12 mi) and its amplitude grows enormously—in accord with Green's law . Since the wave still has the same very long period , the tsunami may take minutes to reach full height. Except for
602-537: A large problem of awareness and preparedness, as exemplified by the eruption and collapse of Anak Krakatoa in 2018 , which killed 426 and injured thousands when no warning was available. It is still regarded that lateral landslides and ocean-entering pyroclastic currents are most likely to generate the largest and most hazardous waves from volcanism; however, field investigation of the Tongan event , as well as developments in numerical modelling methods, currently aim to expand
688-528: A massive landslide from Monte Toc entered the reservoir behind the Vajont Dam in Italy. The resulting wave surged over the 262-metre (860 ft)-high dam by 250 metres (820 ft) and destroyed several towns. Around 2,000 people died. Scientists named these waves megatsunamis . Some geologists claim that large landslides from volcanic islands, e.g. Cumbre Vieja on La Palma ( Cumbre Vieja tsunami hazard ) in
774-570: A reference sea level. A large tsunami may feature multiple waves arriving over a period of hours, with significant time between the wave crests. The first wave to reach the shore may not have the highest run-up. About 80% of tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean, but they are possible wherever there are large bodies of water, including lakes. However, tsunami interactions with shorelines and the seafloor topography are extremely complex, which leaves some countries more vulnerable than others. For example,
860-462: A ridge and a trough. In the case of a propagating wave like a tsunami, either may be the first to arrive. If the first part to arrive at the shore is the ridge, a massive breaking wave or sudden flooding will be the first effect noticed on land. However, if the first part to arrive is a trough, a drawback will occur as the shoreline recedes dramatically, exposing normally submerged areas. The drawback can exceed hundreds of metres, and people unaware of
946-467: A significant tsunami, such as the 1977 Sumba and 1933 Sanriku events. Tsunamis have a small wave height offshore, and a very long wavelength (often hundreds of kilometres long, whereas normal ocean waves have a wavelength of only 30 or 40 metres), which is why they generally pass unnoticed at sea, forming only a slight swell usually about 300 millimetres (12 in) above the normal sea surface. They grow in height when they reach shallower water, in
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#17328561751151032-520: A total sum at HKD 1 m. KCR donated all the fares collected in the four-hour extension of train services on 1 January 2005. Hong Kong Red Cross collected HKD 100 m (global target US$ 46 m / HKD 360 m). MSF stopped collected donations for the tsunami, and requested donors to donate to its other programmes. World Vision Hong Kong has collected HKD 50 m. A variety show TV programme on TVB and RTHK on 2 January 2005 collected HKD 40 million ( HKET ). Various NGOs, companies and individuals set off to
1118-628: A transoceanic tsunami has not occurred within recorded history. Susceptible locations are believed to be the Big Island of Hawaii , Fogo in the Cape Verde Islands , La Reunion in the Indian Ocean , and Cumbre Vieja on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands ; along with other volcanic ocean islands. This is because large masses of relatively unconsolidated volcanic material occurs on
1204-445: A tsunami can be calculated by obtaining the square root of the depth of the water in metres multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity (approximated to 10 m/s ). For example, if the Pacific Ocean is considered to have a depth of 5000 metres, the velocity of a tsunami would be √ 5000 × 10 = √ 50000 ≈ 224 metres per second (730 ft/s), which equates to a speed of about 806 kilometres per hour (501 mph). This
1290-434: A tsunami can be generated when thrust faults associated with convergent or destructive plate boundaries move abruptly, resulting in water displacement, owing to the vertical component of movement involved. Movement on normal (extensional) faults can also cause displacement of the seabed, but only the largest of such events (typically related to flexure in the outer trench swell ) cause enough displacement to give rise to
1376-444: A tsunami is generated by the displacement of water from a large event. Tsunami waves do not resemble normal undersea currents or sea waves because their wavelength is far longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave , a tsunami may instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide . For this reason, it is often referred to as a tidal wave , although this usage is not favoured by the scientific community because it might give
1462-473: A tsunami, which is that of an extraordinarily high tidal bore . Tsunamis and tides both produce waves of water that move inland, but in the case of a tsunami, the inland movement of water may be much greater, giving the impression of an incredibly high and forceful tide. In recent years, the term "tidal wave" has fallen out of favour, especially in the scientific community, because the causes of tsunamis have nothing to do with those of tides , which are produced by
1548-612: Is also accustomed to tsunamis, with earthquakes of varying magnitudes regularly occurring off the coast of the island. Tsunamis are an often underestimated hazard in the Mediterranean Sea and parts of Europe. Of historical and current (with regard to risk assumptions) importance are the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami (which was caused by the Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault ), the 1783 Calabrian earthquakes , each causing several tens of thousands of deaths and
1634-557: Is also used to refer to the phenomenon because the waves most often are generated by seismic activity such as earthquakes. Prior to the rise of the use of the term tsunami in English, scientists generally encouraged the use of the term seismic sea wave rather than tidal wave . However, like tidal wave , seismic sea wave is not a completely accurate term, as forces other than earthquakes—including underwater landslides , volcanic eruptions, underwater explosions, land or ice slumping into
1720-744: Is derived from many sources, including earned revenues, grants, philanthropic donors, corporations, governments and other groups. For example, the African Union's contribution is financed by its member states. The following "contributions" may be viewed as either a diversion of funds originally earmarked for other purposes or increased donations to the contributing organisation. ADRA set up a crisis command center in Bangkok, Thailand to coordinate its network-wide response. ADRA International urgently solicited emergency donations for this response. To rapidly respond to this disaster only monetary donations were accepted at
1806-491: Is designed to help accurately forecast the passage of tsunamis across oceans as well as how tsunami waves interact with shorelines. The term "tsunami" is a borrowing from the Japanese tsunami 津波 , meaning "harbour wave." For the plural, one can either follow ordinary English practice and add an s , or use an invariable plural as in the Japanese. Some English speakers alter the word's initial / ts / to an / s / by dropping
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#17328561751151892-763: Is now Shakespear Regional Park at the tip of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula in the Auckland Region of New Zealand ; the attempt failed. There has been considerable speculation about the possibility of using nuclear weapons to cause tsunamis near an enemy coastline. Nuclear testing in the Pacific Proving Ground by the United States generated poor results. In Operation Crossroads in July 1946, two 20-kilotonne-of-TNT (84 TJ) bombs were detonated, one in
1978-426: Is the formula used for calculating the velocity of shallow-water waves. Even the deep ocean is shallow in this sense because a tsunami wave is so long (horizontally from crest to crest) by comparison. The reason for the Japanese name "harbour wave" is that sometimes a village's fishermen would sail out, and encounter no unusual waves while out at sea fishing, and come back to land to find their village devastated by
2064-430: The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa , and the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption . Over 20% of all fatalities caused by volcanism during the past 250 years are estimated to have been caused by volcanogenic tsunamis. Debate has persisted over the origins and source mechanisms of these types of tsunamis, such as those generated by Krakatoa in 1883, and they remain lesser understood than their seismic relatives. This poses
2150-666: The 1908 Messina earthquake and tsunami. The tsunami claimed more than 123,000 lives in Sicily and Calabria and is among the deadliest natural disasters in modern Europe. The Storegga Slide in the Norwegian Sea and some examples of tsunamis affecting the British Isles refer to landslide and meteotsunamis , predominantly and less to earthquake-induced waves. As early as 426 BC the Greek historian Thucydides inquired in his book History of
2236-735: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake of a magnitude of 9.1 was prompted by one of the worst natural disasters of modern times. On December 26, 2004, the earthquake , which struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra , generated a tsunami that wreaked havoc along much of the rim of the Indian Ocean. Particularly hard-hit were the countries of Indonesia , India , Sri Lanka and Thailand . About 230,000 people were killed, tens of thousands more were injured, and 1.7 million became homeless and displaced . Asian expatriates, governments, humanitarian organisations and individuals around
2322-413: The Canary Islands , may be able to generate megatsunamis that can cross oceans, but this is disputed by many others. In general, landslides generate displacements mainly in the shallower parts of the coastline, and there is conjecture about the nature of large landslides that enter the water. This has been shown to subsequently affect water in enclosed bays and lakes, but a landslide large enough to cause
2408-568: The Department of State and the Department of Defense to coordinate additional assistance from Utapao Naval Air Base in Thailand. Carrier Strike Group 9 was dispatched to the coast of Sumatra to provide support to the Indonesian province of Aceh . It was led by the Abraham Lincoln , with support from the Shiloh , Shoup , Benfold , and Rainier . An Expeditionary Strike Group led by
2494-593: The Jakarta Summit on 6 January 2005, the coalition transferred responsibilities to the United Nations. Throughout the entire period of the main response to the tsunami disaster – from December 2004 for the next four or five years – there was much debate about both the size and form of way that assistance was delivered. For example, just one day after the tsunami, on 27 December 2004, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland reportedly categorised
2580-483: The New Zealand national team and a World XI also had fundraising as a primary aim. Tsunami A tsunami ( /( t ) s uː ˈ n ɑː m i , ( t ) s ʊ ˈ -/ (t)soo- NAH -mee, (t)suu- ; from Japanese : 津波 , lit. 'harbour wave', pronounced [tsɯnami] ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or
2666-427: The "t," since English does not natively permit /ts/ at the beginning of words, though the original Japanese pronunciation is /ts/ . The term has become commonly accepted in English, although its literal Japanese meaning is not necessarily descriptive of the waves, which do not occur only in harbours. Tsunamis are sometimes referred to as tidal waves . This once-popular term derives from the most common appearance of
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2752-785: The Great Lakes, the Aegean Sea, the English Channel, and the Balearic Islands, where they are common enough to have a local name, rissaga . In Sicily they are called marubbio and in Nagasaki Bay, they are called abiki . Some examples of destructive meteotsunamis include 31 March 1979 at Nagasaki and 15 June 2006 at Menorca, the latter causing damage in the tens of millions of euros. Meteotsunamis should not be confused with storm surges , which are local increases in sea level associated with
2838-622: The Israeli humanitarian organization sent a jumbo jet carrying 18.5 tonnes of supplies to Colombo, however, and a rescue-and-recovery team from the Jewish ultra-Orthodox organization ZAKA arrived in Colombo with equipment used for identifying bodies, as well as body bags. Corruption, bureaucracy and nationalism hampered the humanitarian response in Indonesia. In Sri Lanka, only 30% of those eligible affected by
2924-528: The Pacific coasts of the United States and Mexico lie adjacent to each other, but the United States has recorded ten tsunamis in the region since 1788, while Mexico has recorded twenty-five since 1732. Similarly, Japan has had more than a hundred tsunamis in recorded history, while the neighbouring island of Taiwan has registered only two, in 1781 and 1867. All waves have a positive and negative peak; that is,
3010-577: The Peloponnesian War about the causes of tsunami, and was the first to argue that ocean earthquakes must be the cause. The oldest human record of a tsunami dates back to 479 BC , in the Greek colony of Potidaea , thought to be triggered by an earthquake. The tsunami may have saved the colony from an invasion by the Achaemenid Empire . The cause, in my opinion, of this phenomenon must be sought in
3096-698: The US pledge was increased tenfold to US$ 350 million, with President Bush saying that that amount would probably increase further. President Bush also signed a decree ordering flags to be flown at half-mast during the first week of the new year. During the early period of the response to the tsunami, concerns were voiced in various quarters that the international relief effort might falter if nations did not honour their initial pledges. On 3 January 2005, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged donor nations to ensure that their pledges were fully honoured, pointing to previous cases where "we got lots of pledges, but we did not receive all
3182-527: The US$ 1 billion originally pledged. In mid-March 2005, the Asian Development Bank reported that the provision of over US$ 4 billion in aid promised by governments was behind schedule. Sri Lanka criticised the nations and organisations that clamoured to pledge donations, "Not a penny had come through yet. We are doing the relief work with our government money. Sri Lanka is still waiting for the money pledged by
3268-422: The United States markedly improved in the year after the tsunami, jumping from 15% in 2003 to 38% in 2005, going against the general trend of less favorable attitudes towards America in that time period. Many Indonesians surveyed indicated that American relief efforts generally improved their view of the United States. Humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake The humanitarian response to
3354-567: The affected countries to offer assistance. The government of Hong Kong sent 120 personnel to help Hong Kong residents and search for missing people. Police and medical teams stood-by to offer assistance. Update : At 3 December 2005, Red Cross Hong Kong has already collected HK$ 620M. Japan, which is the world's second-largest donor of Official Development Assistance (known as ODA), also dispatched Japan Self-Defense Forces vessels off Northern Sumatra to supply aid. Land, Air, and Maritime Forces were already ordered preparation. Upon arrival,
3440-450: The air over and one underwater within the shallow waters of the 50-metre (164 ft) deep lagoon at Bikini Atoll . The bombs detonated about 6 km (3.7 mi; 3.2 nmi) from the nearest island, where the waves were no higher than 3 to 4 m (9.8 to 13.1 ft) when they reached the shoreline. Other underwater tests, mainly Operation Hardtack I /Wahoo in deep water and Operation Hardtack I/Umbrella in shallow water, confirmed
3526-472: The amount of aid needed at US$ 5 billion . Although numerous countries provided help for relief and assistance, the UN criticised both the US and Europe for providing inadequate resources. By 1 January 2005 over US$ 1.8 billion (£1bn) had been pledged. In wake of the disaster, Australia , India , Japan and the United States formed a coalition to coordinate aid efforts to streamline immediate assistance. However, at
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3612-539: The amounts pledged for humanitarian efforts in light of rough national economic power, which is arguably a more useful measure. There are a number of caveats that should be kept in mind while reading the table: With all the caveats in mind, the following table lists some countries in order of nominal aid donated divided by GDP. – Another way of looking at the figures. Hutchison Whampoa Limited and Li Ka Shing Foundation of Hong Kong announced on 28 December 2004 that they would donate HKD 24 million (US$ 3.08 million) for
3698-452: The amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard , scheduled for a port call in Guam , was dispatched to render assistance. A total of 48 Navy and Marine Corps helicopters were involved. Each ship could produce around 90,000 US gallons of fresh water per day. Other ships in the group were amphibious transport dock Duluth , the guided-missile destroyer Milius , the dock landing ship Rushmore ,
3784-512: The area. Among those ships was the amphibious assault ship USS Fort Mchenry (LSD43), USS Essex (LHD-2) which relieved the Bonhomme Richard , and assumed the duties as the primary rotary wing platform for the operation. USS Essex (LHD-2) also brought helicopter detachments. The last ship, USS Mercy , departed the region in April 2005. Indonesian public opinion of
3870-447: The contributions of rich countries as "stingy". This was widely misinterpreted in the media as categorising the overall response to the tsunami whereas Mr Egeland later explained that at the time he had been making a general remark about overall global aid flows in recent years. Speaking at a press conference later Mr. Egeland said, "It has nothing to do with any particular country or the response to this emergency. We are in early days and
3956-413: The danger sometimes remain near the shore to satisfy their curiosity or to collect fish from the exposed seabed. A typical wave period for a damaging tsunami is about twelve minutes. Thus, the sea recedes in the drawback phase, with areas well below sea level exposed after three minutes. For the next six minutes, the wave trough builds into a ridge which may flood the coast, and destruction ensues. During
4042-455: The deep ocean has a much larger wavelength of up to 200 kilometres (120 mi). Such a wave travels at well over 800 kilometres per hour (500 mph), but owing to the enormous wavelength the wave oscillation at any given point takes 20 or 30 minutes to complete a cycle and has an amplitude of only about 1 metre (3.3 ft). This makes tsunamis difficult to detect over deep water, where ships are unable to feel their passage. The velocity of
4128-462: The donors. Money pledged by the people has been pledged to the NGOs." Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar , stated in a BBC interview, "A lot of aid what has been coming in latterly is I'm afraid – I'm sorry to say – not very useful. For instance there was a container full of teddy bears. They're obviously given with good will, nobody says no to that." The patience of tsunami affected nations
4214-487: The earthquake occurred is where the Pacific Ocean floor is subducting (or being pushed downwards) under Alaska. Examples of tsunamis originating at locations away from convergent boundaries include Storegga about 8,000 years ago, Grand Banks in 1929, and Papua New Guinea in 1998 (Tappin, 2001). The Grand Banks and Papua New Guinea tsunamis came from earthquakes which destabilised sediments, causing them to flow into
4300-408: The earthquake. At the point where its shock has been the most violent the sea is driven back, and suddenly recoiling with redoubled force, causes the inundation. Without an earthquake I do not see how such an accident could happen. The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus ( Res Gestae 26.10.15–19) described the typical sequence of a tsunami, including an incipient earthquake, the sudden retreat of
4386-449: The false impression of a causal relationship between tides and tsunamis. Tsunamis generally consist of a series of waves, with periods ranging from minutes to hours, arriving in a so-called " wave train ". Wave heights of tens of metres can be generated by large events. Although the impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal areas, their destructive power can be enormous, and they can affect entire ocean basins. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
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#17328561751154472-406: The flanks and in some cases detachment planes are believed to be developing. However, there is growing controversy about how dangerous these slopes actually are. Other than by landslides or sector collapse , volcanoes may be able to generate waves by pyroclastic flow submergence, caldera collapse, or underwater explosions. Tsunamis have been triggered by a number of volcanic eruptions, including
4558-491: The gravitational pull of the moon and sun rather than the displacement of water. Although the meanings of "tidal" include "resembling" or "having the form or character of" tides, use of the term tidal wave is discouraged by geologists and oceanographers. A 1969 episode of the TV crime show Hawaii Five-O entitled "Forty Feet High and It Kills!" used the terms "tsunami" and "tidal wave" interchangeably. The term seismic sea wave
4644-514: The guided-missile frigate Thach , the nuclear-powered submarine Pasadena , guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill , and the coast guard cutter Douglas Munro . The US Navy also deployed the Mercy , a 1,000-bed hospital ship (initially staffed to support 250 patient beds). Other logistics ships were also employed such as the combat stores ships San Jose and Niagara Falls . In January 2005, 24 Navy ships and one Coast Guard vessel were in
4730-409: The harbour at Halifax , Nova Scotia , Canada . There have been studies of the potential for the use of explosives to induce tsunamis as a tectonic weapon . As early as World War II (1939–1945), consideration of the use of conventional explosives was explored, and New Zealand's military forces initiated Project Seal , which attempted to create small tsunamis with explosives in the area of what
4816-532: The initial amount. . Officials worked on a US$ 4M (£2M) aid package to help the Red Cross. Also, the United States dispatched disaster teams to aid the nations affected. The United States also prepared an initial US$ 15 million (£8M) aid package for affected nations. An additional US$ 20M (£11M) was offered as an emergency line of credit. On 31 December the aid was raised to US$ 350M (£190M, €260M). The income of non-governmental organisations and multilateral organisations
4902-546: The intensity of tsunamis were the Sieberg - Ambraseys scale (1962), used in the Mediterranean Sea and the Imamura-Iida intensity scale (1963), used in the Pacific Ocean. The latter scale was modified by Soloviev (1972), who calculated the tsunami intensity " I " according to the formula: where H a v {\displaystyle {\mathit {H}}_{av}} is the "tsunami height" in metres, averaged along
4988-545: The intensively studied tsunamis in 2004 and 2011, a new 12-point scale was proposed, the Integrated Tsunami Intensity Scale (ITIS-2012), intended to match as closely as possible to the modified ESI2007 and EMS earthquake intensity scales. The first scale that genuinely calculated a magnitude for a tsunami, rather than an intensity at a particular location was the ML scale proposed by Murty & Loomis based on
5074-483: The low barometric pressure of passing tropical cyclones, nor should they be confused with setup, the temporary local raising of sea level caused by strong on-shore winds. Storm surges and setup are also dangerous causes of coastal flooding in severe weather but their dynamics are completely unrelated to tsunami waves. They are unable to propagate beyond their sources, as waves do. The accidental Halifax Explosion in 1917 triggered an 18-metre (59 ft) high tsunami in
5160-503: The money". On 5 January, as countries jockeyed to make large donations, Jan Egeland said, "I'd rather see competitive compassion than no compassion", adding that too many countries were making pledges without any guarantee that the funds would arrive. Following the earthquake the previous year in Iran in Bam which killed 26,000 people, Iranian officials claimed to have received just US$ 17.5 million of
5246-611: The nearest coastline, with the tsunami height defined as the rise of the water level above the normal tidal level at the time of occurrence of the tsunami. This scale, known as the Soloviev-Imamura tsunami intensity scale , is used in the global tsunami catalogues compiled by the NGDC/NOAA and the Novosibirsk Tsunami Laboratory as the main parameter for the size of the tsunami. This formula yields: In 2013, following
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#17328561751155332-405: The next six minutes, the wave changes from a ridge to a trough, and the flood waters recede in a second drawback. Victims and debris may be swept into the ocean. The process repeats with succeeding waves. As with earthquakes, several attempts have been made to set up scales of tsunami intensity or magnitude to allow comparison between different events. The first scales used routinely to measure
5418-847: The ocean and generate a tsunami. They dissipated before travelling transoceanic distances. The cause of the Storegga sediment failure is unknown. Possibilities include an overloading of the sediments, an earthquake or a release of gas hydrates (methane etc.). The 1960 Valdivia earthquake ( M w 9.5), 1964 Alaska earthquake ( M w 9.2), 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake ( M w 9.2), and 2011 Tōhoku earthquake ( M w 9.0) are recent examples of powerful megathrust earthquakes that generated tsunamis (known as teletsunamis ) that can cross entire oceans. Smaller ( M w 4.2) earthquakes in Japan can trigger tsunamis (called local and regional tsunamis) that can devastate stretches of coastline, but can do so in only
5504-437: The ocean, meteorite impacts, and the weather when the atmospheric pressure changes very rapidly—can generate such waves by displacing water. The use of the term tsunami for waves created by landslides entering bodies of water has become internationally widespread in both scientific and popular literature, although such waves are distinct in origin from large waves generated by earthquakes. This distinction sometimes leads to
5590-541: The ongoing toll from malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis is much larger than these one-time events", said Enriqueta Bond, president of the US Burroughs Wellcome Fund. "We would do more good to invest in prevention and good public-health measures such as clean water". Tony Blair, the British prime minister, also expressed concern that tsunami aid could detract from other pressing development needs. He pointed out that there
5676-478: The possibility of a meteorite causing a tsunami is debated. Tsunamis can be generated when the sea floor abruptly deforms and vertically displaces the overlying water. Tectonic earthquakes are a particular kind of earthquake that are associated with the Earth's crustal deformation; when these earthquakes occur beneath the sea, the water above the deformed area is displaced from its equilibrium position. More specifically,
5762-433: The potential energy. Difficulties in calculating the potential energy of the tsunami mean that this scale is rarely used. Abe introduced the tsunami magnitude scale M t {\displaystyle {\mathit {M}}_{t}} , calculated from, where h is the maximum tsunami-wave amplitude (in m) measured by a tide gauge at a distance R from the epicentre, a , b and D are constants used to make
5848-438: The relief fund. Performer Karen Joy Morris (aka. Karen Man Wai Mok) pledged to donate HKD 200 thousand ( Ming Pao ). Performers of EEG also pledged to donate a total sum of HKD 630 thousand. Sir Run Run Shaw has donated HKD 10 m. Hong Kong Jockey Club donated HKD 10 million, and HKD 1 for each dollar it received from donors (target at a minimum HKD 10 m). MTR donated HKD 0.5 for each passenger trip on 2 January 2005, with
5934-544: The response has so far been overwhelmingly positive". The U.S. government, led by President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell , added another US$ 20 million on 28 December to the original U.S pledge of US$ 15 million, bringing the total up to US$ 35 million (not including direct aid rendered by naval vessels dispatched to the region). Initially, the U.S. Navy dispatched P-3C Orion patrol aircraft and an aircraft carrier to assist with relief operations. On 31 December
6020-605: The results. Analysis of the effects of shallow and deep underwater explosions indicate that the energy of the explosions does not easily generate the kind of deep, all-ocean waveforms typical of tsunamis because most of the energy creates steam , causes vertical fountains above the water, and creates compressional waveforms. Tsunamis are hallmarked by permanent large vertical displacements of very large volumes of water which do not occur in explosions. Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes, landslides, volcanic explosions, glacier calvings, and bolides . They cause damage by two mechanisms:
6106-426: The sea and a following gigantic wave, after the 365 AD tsunami devastated Alexandria . The principal generation mechanism of a tsunami is the displacement of a substantial volume of water or perturbation of the sea. This displacement of water is usually caused by earthquakes, but can also be attributed to landslides, volcanic eruptions, glacier calvings or more rarely by meteorites and nuclear tests. However,
6192-400: The smashing force of a wall of water travelling at high speed, and the destructive power of a large volume of water draining off the land and carrying a large amount of debris with it, even with waves that do not appear to be large. While everyday wind waves have a wavelength (from crest to crest) of about 100 metres (330 ft) and a height of roughly 2 metres (6.6 ft), a tsunami in
6278-921: The time. Donations could be made to the Asia Tsunami Crisis Fund online or by calling 800-424-ADRA (2372). See more information at. All money raised by Lions was distributed without any administration costs taken out. World Vision completed the final stage of its three-year Asia Tsunami Response (Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand). The US$ 346.5 million-organization's largest relief effort-program encompassed emergency relief, community rehabilitation (including child-focused programs), livelihood recovery, and infrastructure rehabilitation. Gender, protection, conflict sensitivity, HIV/AIDS and advocacy were cross-cutting components of World Vision's response. A much more complete list of American corporate donations may be found at [1] . There were numerous large-scale fundraising events with hundreds of participants around
6364-457: The transoceanic reach of significant seismic tsunamis, and 2) that the force that displaces the water is sustained over some length of time such that meteotsunamis cannot be modelled as having been caused instantaneously. In spite of their lower energies, on shorelines where they can be amplified by resonance, they are sometimes powerful enough to cause localised damage and potential for loss of life. They have been documented in many places, including
6450-750: The tsunami as of 10 February had received any aid, and there were allegations of local officials giving aid only to their supporters, some of whom were not victims of the tsunami. The Sri Lankan government has set up a "Special Complaint Unit" for citizens to record grievances. The following table is a partial listing of cash commitments from various governments and nongovernmental organisations, taken from and other sources: Note: Exchange rates were taken on 8 January 2005, when €1 = US$ 1.30585; GBP 1 = US$ 1.87110; CAD 1 = US$ 0.811853; AUD 1 = US$ 0.757346; HKD 1 = US$ 0.1282; 1 INR= US$ 0.0228102; 1 CNY= 0.120831; 1 NOK = US$ 0.158526; 1 DKK = 0.175711; 1 SEK = US$ 0.144363; and 1 CHF = US$ 0.844131. The table below examines
6536-447: The understanding of the other source mechanisms. Some meteorological conditions, especially rapid changes in barometric pressure, as seen with the passing of a front, can displace bodies of water enough to cause trains of waves with wavelengths. These are comparable to seismic tsunamis, but usually with lower energies. Essentially, they are dynamically equivalent to seismic tsunamis, the only differences being 1) that meteotsunamis lack
6622-457: The use of other terms for landslide-generated waves, including landslide-triggered tsunami , displacement wave , non-seismic wave , impact wave , and, simply, giant wave . While Japan may have the longest recorded history of tsunamis, the sheer destruction caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami event mark it as the most devastating of its kind in modern times, killing around 230,000 people. The Sumatran region
6708-399: The very largest tsunamis, the approaching wave does not break , but rather appears like a fast-moving tidal bore . Open bays and coastlines adjacent to very deep water may shape the tsunami further into a step-like wave with a steep-breaking front. When the tsunami's wave peak reaches the shore, the resulting temporary rise in sea level is termed run up . Run up is measured in metres above
6794-631: The world arrived, eager to offer aid and technical support. Such was the global scope of the disaster that the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters was activated in quick succession by the French Civil Protection Agency, the Indian space agency ISRO , and by UNOOSA on behalf of UNOPS , thus providing a wide variety of humanitarian satellite imagery to aid and rescue organisations. The World Bank initially estimated
6880-575: The world. Two of the nations most affected by the tsunami, India and Sri Lanka, are leading cricket -playing nations. The International Cricket Council has launched the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal to raise funds for the humanitarian effort. The highlight of this was a two-match One Day International series between a World XI and an Asian XI. It has been reported on Cricinfo that the first of these matches raised A$ 8.4 million. Other matches, such as those in late January 2005 between
6966-526: Was a disaster comparable to a "preventable tsunami every week in Africa", where 10,000 people die daily from AIDS and malaria alone. In the early stages, before the extent of the disaster was clear, Sri Lanka refused Israel's offers of aid, objecting to the inclusion of 60 Israeli soldiers in the 150-person mission planned by Israel's army , to set up field hospitals, including internal medicine and paediatric clinics, an Israeli army spokesman reported to BBC. Later,
7052-576: Was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history, with at least 230,000 people killed or missing in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean . The Ancient Greek historian Thucydides suggested in his 5th century BC History of the Peloponnesian War that tsunamis were related to submarine earthquakes , but the understanding of tsunamis remained slim until the 20th century, and much remains unknown. Major areas of current research include determining why some large earthquakes do not generate tsunamis while other smaller ones do. This ongoing research
7138-544: Was being stretched: "Now the government had worked out a scheme that until 26 April everything that has come, everything that will be on the seas will be admitted tax free. After that, no!". Kadirgamar went on to say, "For instance we do not need rice, we are expecting a bumper harvest, anyone who sends rice is wasting their time and money." Many commentators claim excessive and competitive donor responses threaten less dramatic but equally important relief efforts elsewhere. "While everyone opens up their coffers for these disasters,
7224-515: Was confirmed in 1958, when a giant landslide in Lituya Bay , Alaska, caused the highest wave ever recorded, which had a height of 524 metres (1,719 ft). The wave did not travel far as it struck land almost immediately. The wave struck three boats—each with two people aboard—anchored in the bay. One boat rode out the wave, but the wave sank the other two, killing both people aboard one of them. Another landslide-tsunami event occurred in 1963 when
7310-590: Was deemed necessary by the UN or emergency relief organisations. The Greek people raised over €15M (US$ 19.9M) through private donations made during a TV charity marathon which included the auction of articles such as commemorative items from the Athens Olympic Games and the Euro 2004 event, as well as the fountain pen of the retiring President of the Hellenic Republic. The Greek Government added €1M (US$ 1.3M) to
7396-850: Was estimated to cost S$ 20 million. Singapore also offered to rebuild hospitals and clinics in Aceh. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) deployed three Endurance class landing platform dock ships —RSS Endurance , RSS Persistence and RSS Endeavour —off the coast of Meulaboh, one of the worst-hit areas where all road access was cut off. On board, these ships were medical and engineering teams and volunteers with NGOs. The ships were also loaded with medical supplies and heavy equipment to help clear roads and debris. It also dispatched six Chinook helicopters and two Super Puma helicopters to Aceh, two Chinook helicopters and two Super Puma helicopters to Phuket, Thailand. C130s were also dispatched to ferry relief supplies to tsunami-hit areas. Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that Denmark would increase this amount if it
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