Case Studies- peoples stories

Case studies on the tsunami

peoples stories

The tsunami took nearly 3 hours in 2004 and became the deadliest natural disaster in human history, in 2004 it would take to travel from it's epicenter near Sumatra, Indonesia, to the Eastern coasts of India and sri lanka. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami had devastated Phuket, Thailand; Banda Aceh, Indonesia; and India’s Andaman and Nicobar islands and was international headlines. It was 2004 and was entering the era of technology like internet, mass communication, cell phones, and social networking but for fishermen and villagers in the south of india and sri lanka, it might as well have been the 1900's though warnings were sent to the Indian coast guards that there were no protocols for getting information from off of lifesavings to the villages far from urban centres. The description of the detail of the tsunami was that it hit with virtually no warning, which killed almost more than 47,000 people in just those two countries across the Indian Ocean. The final estimated death toll was more than 220,000 nearly all of whom receive absolutely no advancements of notice in which the wake of the tragedy came a new drive for a tsunami warning system. 

Tsunamis is a rarely seen incident that has killed almost millions of life and separated people from families, if a tsunami is ever seen as a threat in the region in either Asia or Europe evacuated to higher grounds to avoid the collision of the tsunami; in 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami cause the geologic record that which shows occurrences which have been highly variable, with the intervals between tsunami’s ranging from just every few decades to, in this case, around 500 years.In the immediate aftermath, those countries were focused on reconstruction of Thailand and which Funding for any warning system would have to come from international donors, who had pledged billions in relief aid. Germany led with a €60 million investment (roughly $64 million U.S.), with Japan also playing a key role. Australia, meanwhile, invested in its own warning center that would work with regional infrastructure.

“I was a laying in bed in the Ban Thai resort on Patong Beach, my friend was showering as we heard this huge noise, a fight? I looked out of our upgraded first floor room to the pool /patio and saw nothing but water, filled with small fish, and floating sundries. A broken pipe was my first thought, I pulled out bottles of shampoo trying to save the pool guy more work from the clean up. It just got worse and worse, run to the second floor came a yell in a foreign language, I ran thru our room and we dashed up the back flight of stairs as wave 2 or 3 swept around our hotel. I went into the water to pull out a man, let me get you to your room I said, this is not my hotel he responded, where did you come from? I was just walking on the beach and now Im here came his response thru many thankful tears, his legs were mangled, I wrapped him in a bed sheet from a toppled maids cart and set him in the lobby, I never saw him again when I returned a boat was sitting where the lobby bench had been. I walked out and took photos of Starbucks (same as your shots), we stood there at the same exact same time the day before spending too much on expensive coffee now it was empty, not even a cash register. And more spooky.... no people, where was everyone? We flew out the next day after spending the night on the other side of the island with Thai friends. I flew home, two weeks later I broke down during a tsunami benefit as I reviewed my pictures again and again. I took a month off work, got intensive therapy and support from friends, and meds, and became a mental hermit for a long time.

I have returned currently in BKK and off to Phuket 12/25 for the anniversary, Ill be in the red and white target shirt... same bed, same room, same hotel trying to chase away the memories that have haunted me for the past year.”-mark nelson