UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES - BATAAN

Rizal St. Dinalupihan Bataan

“2004 INDIAN OCEAN EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI”

A Mini Research Presented to

Mr. Jayson T. Flores, LPT
University of Nueva Caceres-Bataan
Dinalupihan, Bataan

In Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements in
Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
12 STEM – Courage
S.Y. 2022 - 2023

The Group members:

Wayne Gabriel Dela Cruz

Gabrielle Anne Estanislao

Sherwin Torres Jr.

Ghadd Sacdalan

September 10, 2022

 UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES - BATAAN
Rizal St. Dinalupihan Bataan

Table of Contents

A. What caused the disaster? .................................................................................................. 3

B. When and Where exactly did the natural event originate? ............................................. 3

C. How extensive was the area affected? ............................................................................... 3

D. Was the cause of the disaster forecasted or predicated? Were there warnings issued?

How did the people react to the warning? ............................................................................. 3

E. How many lives were lost? How many were injured and missing? Can the lost of lives

be qualified in terms of pesos or dollars? .............................................................................. 3

F. What could have been done to prevent the loss of many lives?....................................... 4

G. What was the resulting economic damage as a percentage of GNP for the disaster

occurred? .................................................................................................................................. 4

H. Did the disaster affect the performance of the country’s economy years after it

occurred? How? ....................................................................................................................... 4

I. How did World Vision help people recover from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

and tsunami? ............................................................................................................................ 4

J. What particular loss or damage cannot be recovered or repaired? ............................... 4

K. How justified are pre-disaster measures and expenditures? .......................................... 5

References:................................................................................................................................ 5
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Rizal St. Dinalupihan Bataan

A. What caused the disaster?

The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by a giant earthquake where one of the
earth's major tectonic plates – the Indo-Australian plate (A) – collides with the smaller Burma
microplate (B) at a rate of about 6 cm/year. Driven by convectional currents in the earth's
mantle, this movement is responsible for producing deep-focus earthquakes that can force the
ocean floor upwards, generating tsunamis.

B. When and Where exactly did the natural event originate?

A powerful undersea earthquake that struck off the coast of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, set off
the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, also known as the Christmas or Boxing Day tsunami, on
Sunday morning, Dec. 26, 2004, at 07:58:53 local time.

C. How extensive was the area affected?

The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 lasted for seven hours and reached out across the Indian
Ocean, devastating coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and Thailand,
and as far away as East Africa. With the earthquake epicenter less than 40 kilometers from
the coast of the Sumatra Island, Indonesia was perhaps the worst affected country. The resulting
tsunami extensively flooded coastal areas, reaching inland from 500 meters to about two
kilometers in the west coast.

D. Was the cause of the disaster forecasted or predicated? Were there warnings issued?
How did the people react to the warning?
They had no idea it was coming. That's because despite a history of tsunamis caused by
volcanoes and earthquakes, Indonesia has not had an effective early warning system for years.
The disaster hit without warning. Many of the hundreds of people who died when a tsunami
struck the Indonesian coast Saturday night were nowhere near shelter

E. How many lives were lost? How many were injured and missing? Can the lost of lives
be qualified in terms of pesos or dollars?
At least 94,081 people dead, 7,191 people missing, in the aftermath of a tsunami triggered by
the most powerful earthquake (9.0-magnitude) since 1964.Nearly 230,000 people died in the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, making it one of the deadliest disasters in modern
history. Many died because of the earthquake, many mourned the loss of their loved ones. they
are still struggling to recover so money cannot compensate for the death of people.
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Rizal St. Dinalupihan Bataan

F. What could have been done to prevent the loss of many lives?
World Vision pre-positions relief supplies and trains staff for emergency work in areas like
child protection, relief supply chain management, clean water provision, and more. In disaster-
prone communities where we work, we organize programs to reduce risks from disasters and
train local first responders. today there are modern technologies that help us to know if there is
a tragedy or disaster. but it's not that sure because it's just an estimate, it's better to always be
prepared for any kind of disaster to prevent danger.

G. What was the resulting economic damage as a percentage of GNP for the disaster
occurred?
In terms of the death toll and the number of displaced people, this was the worst natural disaster
in recorded history in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The total economic cost of damage
was estimated at US$ 9.4 billion. In Aceh the cost of damage (US$4.5billion), was almost equal
to its GDP in the previous year.

H. Did the disaster affect the performance of the country’s economy years after it
occurred? How?
Ten years after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Aceh provides an example of
remarkable resilience and recovery that reflects the combination of individual ingenuity, family
and community engagement and the impact of domestic and international aid. The tsunami
devastated thousands of communities in countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Destruction was
greatest in the Indonesian provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra, where an estimated 170,000
people perished and the built and natural environment was damaged along hundreds of
kilometers of coastline. In response, the Indonesian government, donors, NGOs and individuals
contributed roughly $7 billion in aid and the government established a high-level bureau based
in Aceh to organize recovery work.

I. How did World Vision help people recover from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
and tsunami?
In response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, World Vision mounted its
largest-ever relief response across five countries simultaneously — Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, India, and Myanmar — and raised more than $350 million.
Most tsunami-related rehabilitation work was completed by 2007. Today, World Vision’s
expansive child sponsorship, health, education, water, food, agriculture, and income-
generating activities are found across each of the tsunami-affected countries.

J. What particular loss or damage cannot be recovered or repaired?

"Communities along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean were devastated, and the
tsunamis killed an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries, making it one of the deadliest
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Rizal St. Dinalupihan Bataan

natural disasters in recorded history" (Reid, 2019). The deaths of many people in the 2004
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami are a loss that cannot be repaired or recovered. That
disaster took many lives and made many people suffer. Also, the special memories that most
families have made in their beloved homes are forever gone and smashed into pieces. The
damage it does to the psychological health of the survivors is one of the most painful things a
man can ever experience. Imagine the pain that they experienced, losing everything that they
loved in an instant. It must be one of the most dreadful things a person can experience, causing
them to lose hope.

K. How justified are pre-disaster measures and expenditures?

Nature has various manifestations, both gentle as well as aggressive. We see how sometimes it
is so calm, while other times it becomes fierce. The quiet side is loved by everyone, of course.
However, when the ferocious side is shown, devastation happens. Certain things of nature are
beyond our control, as humans cannot control everything. The tsunami killed people from the
immediate vicinity of the earthquake in Indonesia, Thailand, and the northwest coast of
Malaysia, to thousands of miles away in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and as far
afield as Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania. At the time of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and
tsunami, there was still no warning service covering the Indian Ocean, unlike the Pacific Ocean.
This was partly due to the absence of major tsunamis since August 1883 (the Krakatoa
eruption). In light of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, UNESCO and other world bodies called
for an international tsunami monitoring system. This catastrophe provides a devastating
example of the speed with which a tsunami triggered close to shore can strike. Even if coastal
communities are prepared for the tsunami threat, there will likely be only minutes from the
triggering event until the time that waves reach the shore—not enough time to disseminate
warning messages and barely enough time for anyone to flee more than a short distance.
Because of this major catastrophic event, many organizations have started to prepare for
situations like this to prevent future casualties.

References:
World Bank Blogs. (2022, September 9). Resilience and recovery ten years after the 2004
Indian Ocean tsunami: A summary of results from the STAR project. Retrieved September 10,
2022, from https://blogs.worldbank.org/impactevaluations/resilience-and-recovery-ten-years-
after-2004-indian-ocean-tsunami-summary-results-star-project
Reid, K. (2019, December 26). 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. World Vision.
Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-
stories/2004-indian-ocean-earthquake-tsunami-facts
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2022, August 20). Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.
Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Indian-Ocean-tsunami-of-2004