Tsunamis Become Disasters

Tsunamis become disasters because of the human context in which they occur. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Use examples of known tsunami events recently and in the past to illustrate your arguments.

Wisner, Blaikie and Davis (2004) argue that "disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability," meaning that in unpopulated areas hazards cannot become disasters as there is no vulnerability (Quarantelli 1998). Without humans being involved, tsunamis are nothing but giant waves; they may modify areas of deserted land and destroy coral reefs but that does not make them disasters. Tsunamis become disasters when humans are involved; when their lives are at risk, their homes are destroyed, their livelihoods are lost etc. In addition, the economic loss caused by tsunamis could also largely affect the country as a whole. This essay will address the factors that affect the quality of human life in the 2011 Japan and 2004 South Asia tsunamis, and what made them become two of the world's biggest disasters.

Tsunamis become disasters when they result in loss of lives, injuries, and displacement of human population. In the case of South Asia and Tohoku tsunamis the coastline was densely populated leading to thousands of lives being lost as well as extensive damage to infrastructure - these were two of the greatest disasters the modern world had ever seen. The 2004 South Asia tsunami caused more than 270,000 deaths in fourteen countries across two continents (The Bolton Council of Mosques 2007-2012), whereas the Tohoku tsunami had caused approximately 20,000 deaths. This latter death toll was surprisingly high as Japan has the world's largest seismometer network, tsunami barriers and earthquake early-warning system (Cyranoski, 2011). In comparison, the Indian Ocean had no underwater warning system and therefore, the high count of human deaths in South Asia was not surprising. The number of casualties would have been less had Japan's early-warning system not failed, when seismologists underestimated the magnitude of the earthquake (Cyranoski, 2011). Due to the false calculation, people were only expecting a tsunami of 4-5 metres and did not feel the need to flee to higher ground, as they relied on the 20-metre thick barriers to protect them. However, there was no way the barrier could have stopped such a large wave, hitting the shore at an estimated height of 50 metres. (Monastersky, 2012) The citizens' overreliance on Japan's safety measures contributed to the high death toll, which could have otherwise been prevented. By breaking through one of the most technologically and physically advanced barrier and seismologist networks, killing thousands of people as a result and destroying mass amounts of infrastructure, the Tohoku tsunami became a disaster.

The numbers of casualties due to tsunamis are magnified as a result of high population densities living on coastlines. Nearly 3 billion people, or almost half the world population, live in coastal zones (Arun, 2006) for a variety of reasons including fishing for income and survival, proximity to ports, tourist resorts and the simple fact that most cities are historically built on the coastlines. Without an adequate warning system coastline populations are at the most risk as they would have little or no warning of the tsunami approaching. Coastlines are usually completely washed away, boats are destroyed and people may not have enough time to find higher ground. In Thailand, the sudden withdrawal of the sea was the only indication that a tsunami was coming whereas in Sri Lanka, the huge wave would have been the first thing they saw (Cummins and Leonard, 2005).

Tsunamis become disasters when they result in destruction of infrastructure and property in built-up areas, affecting the lives of the human population. If Japan's warning system had not failed lives would have been saved, however infrastructure would still be destroyed and people would still lose their homes, livelihood, schools etc. Despite having a substantially lower number of casualties, the Tohoku disaster caused extensive damage. Large areas of coastline were completely washed away, villages were erased (Conder, 2012) and those homes that survived will face many issues, such as flooding and structural damage. Reconstruction estimates have been as much as $310 billion (BBC News, 2011). Likewise, the South Asia tsunami caused damage to roads, bridges, water and electricity supplies, destroying health centres and schools. For developing nations in South Asia destruction to infrastructure has a more damaging effect than in developed countries due to limited financial capacity to rebuild. The landscape was altered unrecognisably, with large areas of coastlines washed away and some landmarks shifted to new locations. Debris and waste were widely scattered and farmland and underground water supplies flooded (Global Education, 2009). According to Grossman (2012), the large amount of the estimated 25 million tons of debris caused by both the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami washed away into the sea could hit the Hawaiian Islands and have catastrophic consequences, such as damage to the reefs and beaches that are homes of many indigenous species.

The Tohoku tsunami resulted in the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident with the melting down of three reactors: the largest nuclear accident since 1986. (Kyutoku et al., 2012). An investigation of the radiation levels inside and outside the plant found that they were up to 1,000 times and 8 times normal levels respectively (Tabuchi and Wald, 2011). The reactors of the nuclear plant sustained major damage to the cooling system meaning that radioactive isotopes were released into the air, ultimately leading to contamination of soil, water and food. Many cities had found evidence of tap water, soil and food products being contaminated (Hur, 2011). Damaged water and sewage treatment systems increase the chances of disease outbreaks, although this is less likely to occur in developed countries (Conder, 2012). Areas affected by radioactive