What were the effects of the tsunami?

This lesson we’ll see that the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami caused considerable damage and loss of life. Disaster affect poor

countries more than rich countries.

Reports on the death toll and damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami vary widely, due mainly to the enormous scale of the disaster. The figures in this table are estimates provided by the United Nations.

The effects of the disaster

The effects of the disaster were made worse by the fact that the countries affected are quite poor. These countries therefore do not have the money, organisation or technology to predict, plan for and cope with major natural disasters.

For example, there is no tsunami warning system in place for the region. If people had known that the wave was on its way, many thousands of lives may have been saved.

1. Look at these six photos. Choose the one you think best shows the effects of the tsunami.

a. Describe the main features it shows.

b. Imagine you were there. Describe your feelings.

2a. Describe two problems from the tsunami that were short-term.

b. Describe two problems that were long-term.

c. If you had been on holiday at a Thailand beach resort, would you stay or would you leave? Give reasons for your answer.

3. Describe the effects of the tsunami using the newspaper headlines shown below.

4. Explain how natural disasters in poor countries usually do more damage than similar disasters in rich countries.

Use these headings:

Disaster prediction

Disaster preparation