On 26 December 2004 the world witnessed the worst natural disaster in living
memory. At around 1 am (GMT) a massive undersea earthquake occurred just
off the coast of Indonesia. The quake, the most powerful for 40 years, triggered
a series of deadly tidal waves, which fanned out across the Indian Ocean. At the
time this book went to print the latest estimate was that 280,000 people in
coastal areas from Somalia to Sumatra were killed and many millions left home-
less or destitute.
Coastal areas in the northern Indonesian province of Aceh, the closest
inhabited area to the quake epicentre, took the full force of the tsunami. The
nearby Indian-controlled Andaman and Nicobar islands were also hit. Waves
measuring 10 metres in height slammed into towns and villages without
warning. Initial reports from Aceh did not even hint at the monstrous scale of
disaster, speaking of unexplained flash floods damaging bridges and roads.
Tourists enjoying the delights of southern Thailand’s beach resorts saw a wall
of water approaching at high speed. As the tsunami swept in, foreign holiday-
makers and locals alike were trapped. Many drowned in hotel rooms, others
were dragged out to sea. The deadly waves lost little of their power as they
raced across the Indian Ocean, so when they reached eastern Sri Lanka, just a
couple of hours later, they crashed into coastal areas with overwhelming force.
As the tsunami moved inshore, reducing buildings to rubble, it also hit a
passenger train. The carriages were packed with more than 1,500 people, most
of whom drowned as the train was ripped off the tracks.
The low-lying Maldives are just four metres above sea level and as the deadly
waves continued their rampage across the Indian Ocean they flooded the archi-
pelago. Locals and tourists, many of them newlyweds enjoying their honey-
moons, were left clinging to palm trees to try to avoid being swept away.
Between six and seven hours after the earthquake occurred, the waves it trig-
gered arrived on Africa’s east coast. Surging seas destroyed homes and
poisoned water supplies. Worst affected there was Somalia, where fishing
boats were engulfed by the waves and crews lost.
The scale of the Asian tsunami disaster shocked the world and instigated an
unprecedented relief effort. Government aid to the affected countries reached
US$3.5 billion and was matched by massive public donations across the world
as funds were raised to assist the survivors and the devastated region. It was a
terrible tragedy that touched every nation. The immediacy of the disaster as
news of the tsunami broke was amplified in many Western countries by the
sheer numbers of nationals present in those popular tourist destinations at that
time of year. As the story unfolded in the UK, significant attention was turned
towards the thousands of British tourists on holiday in the region. The scale and
complexity of the disaster presented an unprecedented challenge to travel
companies and the industry at large.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar