The Indian Ocean Tsunami : The Global Response to a Natural Disaster

December 2004, A Tsunami Swept Over The Coasts Of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, And Other South Asian Countries, Leaving Hundreds Of Thousands Dead And Many More Without The Resources To Rebuild Their Lives. With Casualties As Far Away As Africa, The Aftermath Was Overwhelming: Ships Could Be Spotted Miles Inland; Cars Floated In The Ocean; Legions Of The Unidentified Dead -- An Estimated 225,000 -- Were Buried In Mass Graves; Relief Organizations Struggled To Reach Rural Areas And Provide Adequate Aid To Survivors. The Indian Ocean Tsunami: The Global Response To A Natural Disaster Is The First Comprehensive Assessment Of The Environmental, Social, And Economic Costs Of This Tragedy. Soon After The Tsunami, An International Team Of Geographers, Geologists, Anthropologists, And Political Scientists Traveled To The Most Damaged Areas To Observe And Document The Tsunami's Impact. The Indian Ocean Tsunami Draws On Data Collected By This Team. Editors Pradyumna P. Karan And Shanmugam P. Subbiah, Along With Contributors From Multiple Disciplines, Examine Numerous Issues That Arose In The Aftermath Of The Tsunami, Such As Inequities In Response Efforts, Unequal Distribution Of Disaster Relief Aid, And Relocation And Housing Problems. The Indian Ocean Tsunami Is Organized Into Several Sections, The First Of Which Deals With The Ecological Destruction Of The Tsunami. It Includes Case Studies And Photographs Of The Damage In Japan, Indonesia, South India, And Other Areas. The Second Section Analyzes The Economic And Social Aspects Of The Aid Responses, Specifically Discussing The Role Of Ngos In Tsunami Relief, The Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Reconstruction Process, And The Lessons The Tsunami Offers To Those Who Are Responsible For Dealing With Future Disasters. In The Tsunami's Aftermath, The Inadequacies Of Governmental And Privately Funded Aid And The Challenge Of Rehabilitating Devastated Ecosystems Quickly Became Apparent. With This Volume, Karan And Suhbiah Illuminate The Need For The Development Of Efficient, Socially And Environmentally Sustainable Practices To Cope With Environmental Disasters. They Suggest That Education About The Ongoing Process Of Recovery Will Mitigate The Effects Of Future Natural Disasters. Including Maps, Photographs, And Statistical Analyses, The Indian Ocean Tsunami Is A Clear And Definitive Evaluation Of The Tsunami's Impact And The World's Response To It. --book Jacket. Introduction: When Nature Turns Savage / Pradyumna P. Karan -- The Tsunami Disaster On The Andaman Sea Coast Of Thailand / Masatomo Umitsu -- The Geoenvironment And The Giant Tsunami Disaster In The Northern Part Of Sumatra Island, Indonesia / Masatomo Umitsu -- Geological And Geomorphological Perspectives Of The Tsunami On The Tamil Nadu Coast, India / S. R. Singarasubramanian ... [et Al.] -- Tsunami Inundations And Their Impact In The Kaveri River Delta, Tamil Nadu, India / S. Rani Senthamarai And J. Francis Lawrence -- Impact Of The Tsunami On The Coastal Ecosystems Of The Andaman Islands, India / Ramesh Ramchandran ... [et Al.] -- Environmental Damage In The Maldives From The Indian Ocean Tsunami / Koji Fujima -- Tsunami Disasters In Seenigama Village, Sri Lanka, And Taro Town, Japan / Kenji Yamazaki And Tomoko Yamazaki -- Post-tsunami Recovery In South Thailand, With Special Reference To The Tourism Industry / David Zurick -- The Role Of Ngos In Tsunami Relief And Reconstruction In Cuddalore District, South India / Muthusami Kumaran And Tricia Torris -- Sociocultural Frame, Religious Networks, Miracles : Experiences From Tsunami Disaster Management In South India / Seiko Sugimoto, Antonysamy Sagayaraj, And Yoshio Sugimoto -- Achievements And Weaknesses In Post-tsunami Reconstruction In Sri Lanka / Martin Mulligan And Judith Shaw -- Improving Governance Structures For Natural Disaster Response : Lessons From The Indian Ocean Tsunami / Miranda A. Schreurs -- Transnational Geopolitical Competition And National Disasters : Lessons From The Indian Ocean Tsunami / Christopher Jasparro And Jonathan Taylor. Edited By Pradyumna P. Karan And Shanmugam P. Subbiah ; Cartography By Dick Gilbreath. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

On December 26, 2004, a massive tsunami triggered by an underwater earthquake pummeled the coasts of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and other countries along the Indian Ocean. With casualties as far away as Africa, the aftermath was overwhelming: ships could be spotted miles inland; cars floated in the ocean; legions of the unidentified dead—an estimated 225,000—were buried in mass graves; relief organizations struggled to reach rural areas and provide adequate aid for survivors. Shortly after this disaster, researchers from around the world traveled to the region's most devastated areas, observing and documenting the tsunami's impact. The Indian Ocean Tsunami: The Global Response to a Natural Disaster offers the first analysis of the response and recovery effort. Editors Pradyumna P. Karan and S. Subbiah, employing an interdisciplinary approach, have assembled an international team of top geographers, geologists, anthropologists, and political scientists to study the environmental, economic, and political effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The volume includes chapters that address the tsunami's geo-environmental impact on coastal ecosystems and groundwater systems. Other chapters offer sociocultural perspectives on religious power relations in South India and suggest ways to improve government agencies' response systems for natural disasters. A clear and definitive analysis of the second deadliest natural disaster on record, The Indian Ocean Tsunami will be of interest to environmentalists and political scientists alike, as well as to planners and administrators of disaster-preparedness programs.

On December 26, 2004, a massive tsunami triggered by an underwater earthquake pummeled the coasts of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and other countries along the Indian Ocean. With casualties as far away as Africa, the aftermath was overwhelming: ships could be spotted miles inland; cars floated in the ocean; legions of the unidentified dead — an estimated 225,000 — were buried in mass graves; relief organizations struggled to reach rural areas and provide adequate aid for survivors. Shortly after this disaster, researchers from around the world traveled to the region's most devastated areas, observing and documenting the tsunami's impact. The Indian Ocean Tsunami: The Global Response to a Natural Disaster offers the first analysis of the response and recovery effort. Editors Pradyumna P. Karan and S. Subbiah, employing an interdisciplinary approach, have assembled an international team of top geographers, geologists, anthropologists, and political scientists to study the environmental, economic, and political effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The volume includes chapters that address the tsunami's geo-environmental impact on coastal ecosystems and groundwater systems. Other chapters offer sociocultural perspectives on religious power relations in South India and suggest ways to improve government agencies' response systems for natural disasters. A clear and definitive analysis of the second deadliest natural disaster on record, The Indian Ocean Tsunami will be of interest to environmentalists and political scientists alike, as well as to planners and administrators of disaster-preparedness programs. Copyright page ......Page 5 Contents ......Page 6 Illustrations and Tables ......Page 8 Preface ......Page 12 Introduction ......Page 14 1 The Tsunami Disaster on the Andaman Sea Coast of Thailand ......Page 48 2 The Geoenvironment and the Giant Tsunami Disaster in the Northern Part of Sumatra Island, Indonesia ......Page 64 3 Geological and Geomorphological Perspectives of the Tsunami on the Tamil Nadu Coast, India ......Page 78 4 Tsunami Inundations and Their Impact in the Kaveri River Delta, Tamil Nadu, India ......Page 112 5 Impact of the Tsunami on the Coastal Ecosystems of the Andaman Islands, India ......Page 126 6 Environmental Damage in the Maldives from the Indian Ocean Tsunami ......Page 140 7 Tsumani Disasters in the Seenigama Village, Sri Lanka, and Taro Town, Japan ......Page 148 8 Post-tsunami Recovery in South Thailand, with Special Reference to the Tourism Industry......Page 176 9 The Role of NGOs in Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction in Cuddalore District, South India ......Page 196 10 Sociocultural Frame, Religious Networks, Miracles ......Page 226 11 Achievements and Weaknesses in Post-tsunami Reconstruction in Sri Lanka ......Page 250 12 Improving Governance Structures for Natural Disaster Response ......Page 274 13 Transnational Geopolitical Competition and Natural Disasters ......Page 296 Contributors ......Page 314 Index ......Page 318 pt. 1. Environmental and ecological impacts pt. 2. Socioeconomic dimensions of recovery, reconstruction, and response pt. 3. Geopolitical perspective.