Asian Tsunami Disaster

Asian Tsunami Disaster

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Ratings: 8.05/10 from 73 users.

Asian Tsunami DisasterThe 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea mega-thrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on December 26, 2004, with an epicenter off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.

The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake. The resulting tsunami is given various names, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Asian Tsunami, Indonesian Tsunami, and Boxing Day Tsunami.

The earthquake was caused by subduction and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people in fourteen countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (100 feet) high.

It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia was the hardest hit, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.

With a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3, it is the third largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. This earthquake had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, between 8.3 and 10 minutes.

It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 cm (0.4 inches) and triggered other earthquakes as far away as Alaska. Its hypo-center was between Simeulue and mainland Indonesia.

The plight of the many affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response. In all, the worldwide community donated more than $14 billion (2004 U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid.

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Aaron
Aaron
3 years ago

It's a tragic event but the documentary is beautifully done. Very moving.

MYKE77
MYKE77
12 years ago

Scary stuff. My heart goes out to all the poor families that were affected by this act of nature. Being a father of two beautiful girls, I could only imagine the fear parents trying to look after their kids were going through as the waves were coming.

Tapan Naskar
Tapan Naskar
12 years ago

My house is located about 200Km from sea, and about 1 km from river Hoogli in Howrah district in India. We have a man made pond. The water level in that pond raise very suddenly and came into our house. This happen to many such ponds in the locality.

Shafiq Ahmed
Shafiq Ahmed
12 years ago

I used to see tsunami in my dreams even before the first tsunami happened (before 2004). I could not believe that this could happen in reality. But it did happen. Now even twice. The recent one is Japan. I still see this and believe me or not I saw it last night and I can even remember what happened in that. I am not writing this to show my abilities of seeing dreams that become true but just want to make you guys realize that whatever you can imagine and whatever bizarre dream you see, it is possible to happen in the real world. When I used to see the dreams of the sea water approaching the dry land and then washing up every thing with itself and sucking back them to the sea, I could not explain this to any body because I thought its another bizarre type of dream which has nothing to do with reality so I did not bother to tell this to any body. Also I did not know the name of such thing which every body later came to know it is called tsunami. Well, whatever it is but its major victims are POOR people. Even in this documentary you see the most poor family lost a life of a sweet little kid. ahhhh again a kid. It seems the nature choses the most helpless, the easy target. POOR AND KIDS, BUT SPECIFICALLY KIDS OF THE POOR. As I wrote in one of my other comment about another documentary that FATE IS NOT FAIR. If you are born in a poor family, you will have to be on the front of the whole human beings to face the nature's or human's killing brutality. I cried when the mother of that poor family said that she has not seen her little daughter again. Of course she is a mother and she will not believe her little sweet daughter is dead now. SOME BODY MUST TELL HER YOU WOULD NOT SEE HER AGAIN BECAUSE SHE WAS THE DAUGHTER OF A POOOOR MOTHER. WHAT AN IRONY, EVEN A WIDOW MOTHER. AHHHHHHH, ITS PAINFUL, I would stop writing now as my heart is melting again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

jk
jk
12 years ago

Not much you can do to prepare for something like that (except get to higher ground if the water goes out -- if there's time). Happy to hear some families remained in tact.

Matt Kukowski
Matt Kukowski
12 years ago

Filming people in their moments of DEATH is disturbing. Why are people so weird to get a thrill from this crap? Yeah, the earth plates MOVE and shift and make waves like a stone thrown into a pond. How is this so fascinating or hard to believe. You people make me SICK.

Draw Vinette
Draw Vinette
12 years ago

I found this to be a great documentary explaining the forensic science that went into trying to explain all of the plate tectonic events that occurred to explain the huge destructive tsunami waves that were observed on December 25, 2004.

I remember this event quite clearly but had no idea until now how wide spread the damage from this event had been, which now explains the huge loss of life.

It was very interesting to learn how 1,600 km of ocean plate had snapped back up causing the massive tidal waves on both sides of the Indian Ocean, and the other part of the crust that had snapped up in advance of the much larger event.

The small crustal snap must have happened three times to explain the three large waves.

Knowing what I know now about this event, the west coast of California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia really need to understand their offshore fault that breaks regularly every several hundred years as 9.0 earthquakes.

Having lived in the San Francisco Bay area and experienced many 5.0 single point earthquakes, the idea of having 1,600 km of plate move was eye opening.

The reason is because this is probably what will happen on the west coast of the United States and Canada when it happens.

What worries me even more though is the potential for a small asteroid strike in the Pacific Ocean. I would be interested in seeing a documentary that analyzes different small asteroid strikes in the Pacific Ocean and the effects around the ring of fire.

Not Earth ending asteroid strikes but small asteroid strikes capable of creating tsunami waves similar to the 2004 Indian Ocean event. If this is even possible.

These small asteroid strikes have happened on a periodic basis in the Atlantic Ocean and are believed to have created the layers of coal that is now mined in the Eastern United States and Canada. The seams of coal are the result of prehistoric eastern coast forests being periodically obliterated and all of the trees and plant matter being pushed together and then covered with sea sediment further inland.

A very good documentary on explaining the science behind the 2004 Indian Ocean mega earthquake and the resultant tsunami waves that affected the entire area claiming over 230,000 lives.

Karenwasherefirst
Karenwasherefirst
12 years ago

Nature is talking and she is saying get the hell out, NOT send money. How many times do the same things have to occur before people will figure it out, "hello, you live in the ring of fire"!

stacy
stacy
13 years ago

horrible (but true) subject matter, this video really affected me in a very sad sorta way. Very well done, engaging to say the least

some guy
some guy
13 years ago

You f*cking tinfoil hatters really annoy me. Who of you has any clue of plate tectonics, or any science involved with this? Don't you think it's a bit insensitive to plaster your paranoid B.S. over everything, especially catastrophies like this?

fly poster
fly poster
13 years ago

Saying it was H.A..R.P is silly, because tsunami's are a fairly common occurance, although big ones are rarer, but not unheard of. Also what would the motive be?

Saying it it was a nuke is ridiculous without evidence of dead sea life - floating fish, and radiation.

Conspiraloonacy!

awake now
awake now
13 years ago

Well actually there is some very credible info out there (if you search) that suggests that the only way this happened was through a well placed nuke in the deep sea valleys of Indonesia. But Rina, i hear you also

Rina Ralls
Rina Ralls
13 years ago

H.A.R.R.P. the one angels don't play.

Waldo
Waldo
13 years ago

I am only poking at you Charles, I didn't mean for that to sound ugly. I wished I could go to Thailand. It must be hard though to be on vacation and all and see people living in poverty, if vacation was why you were there. That nine year old girl was so pretty, I really hate what happened to these poor souls. I bet that lady from England was so relieved to see her family again, she will never again feel such rapture.

This was a great documentary, the footage of the sunami waves coming inland was both interesting and horrible all at once. They mix in some CGI waves as well but it is so well done I found myself wondering what was actual footage and what was CGI. They also explain and illustrate the rising of the sea floor and several islands. They could have spent more time explaining the phenomenon of sunamis and the earth quakes that cause them, but still well worth the watch.

Waldo
Waldo
13 years ago

A few years? Whew, what a close call. LOL A little dramatic today Charles?

Charles B
Charles B
13 years ago

I was on one of those very beaches a few years earlier on Puket Island in Thailand. Amazing to think about. We just have to be ready to go at any time---love God; love life; have no regrets.

Jon
Jon
13 years ago

RIP :(