GAR 2015 Main Report

1.1 Dis-astrum and kata-strophe

Disasters have been interpreted as threatening development from the outside. As a result, disaster risk generation within development has not been addressed effectively.

In the early morning hours of 26 December 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake, the third largest ever registered on a seismograph, occurred between the island of Simeulue and mainland Indonesia.1 The earthquake triggered massive tsunamis that impacted the coast of Sumatra as well as most of the countries that border the Indian Ocean. The violence of their impact was such that an estimated 230,000 people died in 14 countries, particularly in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India, but also as far away as Somalia.

Devastating tsunamis have occurred throughout history. The word tsunami is Japanese, formed by the combination of tsu (= harbour) and nami (= waves). The most destructive tsunami in Japanese history took place on 15 June 1896, killing

around 22,000 people.2 Triggered by an earthquake off the Sanriku coast, the waves reached a height of 40 metres, destroying everything in their path.

The earthquakes and tsunamis that engulfed the port of Callao in Peru in 1746 and Lisbon in 1755 captured the attention of Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire and Rousseau and provoked speculation on the causes of disaster (UNISDR, 2011a

UNISDR. 2011a,Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction: Revealing Risk, Redefining Development, Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR.. .

). In the Indian Ocean, the eruption of Krakatoa on 27 August 1883 led to massive tsunamis. On 28 December 1908, the Messina earthquake and tsunami in the Mediterranean killed approximately 123,000 people in Sicily and Calabria and was considered the worst tsunamirelated disaster prior to the events in the Indian Ocean in 2004 (Figure 1.1).

The coastal population of Simeulue and the Andaman Islands largely escaped the impact of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Understanding and responding to tsunamis was still deeply ingrained in their culture, prompting them to evacuate to higher ground. But elsewhere the tsunami caught local populations and foreign tourists unaware and unprepared.

A tsunami early warning system, including education and preparedness on how to react after an earthquake, could have enabled hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate and survive the disaster. An operational tsunami warning system had existed in the Pacific Basin since 1949.3 However, no such early warning system had been developed in the Indian Ocean, and for

Chapter 1

(Source: Miller, 1909

Miller, Martin. 1909,The World’s Greatest Disaster: The Complete Story of the Italian Earthquake Horror, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.. .

Figure 1.1 Devastating earthquake and tsunami in Messina, 1908

Introduction:

A history of violence

	23 23 1.1 Dis-astrum and kata-strophe Disasters have been interpreted as threatening development from the outside. As a result, disaster risk generation within development has not been addressed effectively. In the early morning hours of 26 December 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake, the third largest ever registered on a seismograph, occurred between the island of Simeulue and mainland Indonesia.1 The earthquake triggered massive tsunamis that impacted the coast of Sumatra as well as most of the countries that border the Indian Ocean. The violence of their impact was such that an estimated 230,000 people died in 14 countries, particularly in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India, but also as far away as Somalia. Devastating tsunamis have occurred throughout history. The word tsunami is Japanese, formed by the combination of tsu (= harbour) and nami (= waves). The most destructive tsunami in Japanese history took place on 15 June 1896, killing around 22,000 people.2 Triggered by an earthquake off the Sanriku coast, the waves reached a height of 40 metres, destroying everything in their path. The earthquakes and tsunamis that engulfed the port of Callao in Peru in 1746 and Lisbon in 1755 captured the attention of Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire and Rousseau and provoked speculation on the causes of disaster (UNISDR, 2011a x UNISDR. 2011a,Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction: Revealing Risk, Redefining Development, Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR.. . ). In the Indian Ocean, the eruption of Krakatoa on 27 August 1883 led to massive tsunamis. On 28 December 1908, the Messina earthquake and tsunami in the Mediterranean killed approximately 123,000 people in Sicily and Calabria and was considered the worst tsunamirelated disaster prior to the events in the Indian Ocean in 2004 (Figure 1.1). The coastal population of Simeulue and the Andaman Islands largely escaped the impact of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Understanding and responding to tsunamis was still deeply ingrained in their culture, prompting them to evacuate to higher ground. But elsewhere the tsunami caught local populations and foreign tourists unaware and unprepared. A tsunami early warning system, including education and preparedness on how to react after an earthquake, could have enabled hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate and survive the disaster. An operational tsunami warning system had existed in the Pacific Basin since 1949.3 However, no such early warning system had been developed in the Indian Ocean, and for Chapter 1 (Source: Miller, 1909 x Miller, Martin. 1909,The World’s Greatest Disaster: The Complete Story of the Italian Earthquake Horror, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.. . .) Figure 1.1 Devastating earthquake and tsunami in Messina, 1908 Introduction: A history of violence	Page 1 Page 10 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 ->Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 40 Page 50 Page 60 Page 70 Page 80 Page 90 Page 100 Page 110 Page 120 Page 130 Page 140 Page 150 Page 160 Page 170 Page 180 Page 190 Page 200 Page 210 Page 220 Page 230 Page 240 Page 250 Page 260 Page 270 Page 280 Page 290 Page 300 Page 310