Lahiru-

106A32104
History of the Tsunami

According to the National Geophysical Data

Centre, the first recorded tsunami
occurred off the coast of Syria over four
thousand years ago. When the island
volcano of Krakatoa, Indonesia, exploded in
1883, tsunamis swept as far away as the
English Channel.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.

 • Theword tsunami
What does
(pronounced tsoo-
the name nah'-mee) is
tsunami composed of
mean? the Japanese words
"tsu" (which means
harbor) and "nami"
(which means
"wave").
 • Itwas a powerful
What Causes megathrust quake,
tsunami in occurring where a
heavy ocean plate slips
Sri Lanka? under a lighter
continental plate. The
quake caused the
ocean floor to suddenly
rise by as much as 40
meters, triggering a
massive tsunami.
How did the tsunami
affect Sri Lanka?

• The tsunami took a dramatic toll on

unsuspecting Sri Lankans - 35,322 were
killed, half a million were displaced, and
more than 100,000 houses were destroyed.
Half of the damage struck areas had been
hard-hit by a 21-year armed conflict,
making access complex and politically
charged.
 On the morning of 26 December,

1. Nature of Tsunamis and massive tidal waves

caused by the massive earthquake that

the Disaster
struck off the western coast of
northern Sumatra, hit the eastern,
southern and large parts of the
western coasts of Sri Lanka. The waves
swept thousands of people away,
destroyed infrastructure and flooded
large areas of coastal lands. Of the 25
districts in the countr y, 12 have been
severely affected. As of 31 December,
the Government is reporting 27,589
deaths, 889,175 people displaced with
over 79,100 houses destroyed.
2. Area
affected
The tidal wave has particularly
affected the coastal districts of
Jaffna, Mullativu, Trincomalee,
Batticaloa, Ampara, Hambantota,
Matara and Galle. Areas in the
North and East of the country had
already been affected by serious
monsoon floods in previous
months leading to displacement
and infrastructure damage. The
areas and regions most affected
are reflected in the attached map.
 • The impact has been devastating for
those communities affected as the
3.Impact massive loss of life has decimated
communities. In the most affected
districts large numbers of displaced
are taking refuge in schools and
government buildings and are out in
the open on areas of higher ground
with little or no access to life
sustaining services and facilities. In
the immediate term, there are
concerns that the death toll will
increase in the absence of adequate
relief efforts. The immediate priority
areas of response are for water and
sanitation, health, shelter, food and
non-food items.
Galle

• While there is access to the district, there is

considerable damage to infrastructure including to
roads and bridges. 70 % of buildings immediately
located on the coastline have been completely
destroyed and at least 30% of structures have suffered
damage up to 1 km inland. Of immediate concern is
the damage caused to the health centers, in particular
the Galle Maternity hospital. While the population has
been routinely immunized, there remain fears of
potential water and vector borne disease outbreaks.
While there has been a disruption to water supply,
potable water is available. However, the lack of
sanitation facilities is a major concern.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

Matara

• While there is access to Matara, secondary

roads are in poor condition and may
hamper efforts to bring relief supplies to
those affected. Food and water is available
to affected communities although concerns
remain on the health situation in view of
the limited sanitary conditions.
• What has Sri • What has Sri Lanka done to prepare
for tsunamis?
Lanka done • Establishment of early warning
to prepare systems including robust
communications links with local and
for tsunamis? international technical agencies, an
around the clock emergency
operations center, and engaging
people from the grassroots level in
both disaster awareness and
mitigation activities.
 COUNTRY-
LEVEL • release and distribution by UNHCR of relief
INTERNATIONAL items totaling US$380,000
RESPONSE
• release and ongoing distribution of
5,300MTS of food by WFP with US$500,000
made available for the local purchase of
urgently needed food stocks
• Support from FAO to assess damages to
fisheries and agriculture sector.
• The provision of a 10 member team sent by
OCHA to support the Government and the
UN family with assessment and
coordination activities.
•THANK
YOU This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.