The Tsunami

Lesson-2

The Tsunami

 

By Sonali Deraniyagala

 

 

The Tsunami Introduction

 

Tsunamis are long, high sea waves caused by an earthquake or other natural disaster. Thailand and parts of India were affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Tamil Nadu Coast. The magnitude of the earthquake was the third largest ever recorded. The lesson includes a few accounts of people who used their wits and, fortunately, survived it bravely.

 

The Tsunami Summary

 

The lesson starts with some stories from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The first is about Ignesious, the manager of a cooperative society who was woken up by his wife because she felt the earthquake. He rushed his family out of the house after setting his television on the floor, where they saw large waves coming towards them on the beach. Two of his children, who had been holding hands with their mother's father and brother, were swept away with her. Only two children stayed with Ignesious and were saved.

Next day that is the story of Sanjeev, a police officer in the Nicobar Islands who managed to save his wife and baby daughter, but when he heard the cries of his guesthouse cook's wife, he ran into the water, which swallowed both of them. Meghna, a thirteen-year-old girl who was swept away by the waves with her family and seventy other people, managed to survive by sticking to a wooden door. She was invisible to rescue helicopters for two days and reached the shore only through a wave.

The fourth story is about Almas Javed's family. As soon as her father got to know about the tsunami, he moved everyone to a safe place. Almas' grandfather was hit in the head by something while doing so, and when Almas' father tried to save him, they were carried away by the waves. Almas' mother and aunts were holding on to the leaves of a coconut tree that had been uprooted by the massive waves when Almas found a wooden log and climbed on it to save herself.

The Smith family, originally from South England, came to Thailand to spend their vacations at a beach resort. Penny and Colin Smith had two daughters, the elder of whom, a ten-year-old named Tilly, assisted in saving the entire family and many other people from the massive waves. As she watched the sea rise and the beach shrink, she remembered a geography lesson in which she was shown visuals of the 1946 tsunami that hit the Hawaiian islands. She burst out hysterically and shouted for everyone to flee. Her parents took the children to the third floor of the hotel, which had survived at least three tsunami waves. Along with their family, many others who had followed them were saved.

The third and final part of the lesson discusses how animals managed to stay safe. Two beliefs provide an explanation for the same phenomenon. For starters, they have a sixth sense and can predict disasters. Second, they have acute hearing abilities that make them sensitive to the vibrations of the earth. According to the facts, animals in Sri Lanka's The Yala National Park managed to protect themselves, while the giant and powerful waves took the lives of sixty people. Only the carcasses of two water buffalos were found. One such man in Galle reported that his two dogs refused to go for their usual beach run, which they usually look forward to. This also saved his life.

 

The Tsunami Lesson Explanation

 

A tsunami is a very large and powerful wave caused by earthquakes under the sea. On 26 December 2004, a tsunami hit Thailand and parts of India such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Tamil Nadu coast. Here are some stories of courage and survival.

These stories are all from the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. Ignesious was the manager of a cooperative society in Katchall. His wife woke him up at 6 a.m. because she felt an earthquake. Ignesious carefully took his television set off its table and put it down on the ground so that it would not fall and break. Then the family rushed out of the house.

 

  • Archipelago- a group of many islands and the surrounding sea
  • Cooperative society- A co-operative society is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.

 

The lesson begins with the stories of people who lived in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands when a tsunami struck on December 26, 2004. The first is the account of a cooperative society manager in Katchall, one of Nicobar's islands. Ignesious was his name. His wife felt an earthquake around six o'clock in the morning and immediately woke him up. Ignesious kept the television set on the floor to keep it from falling off the table and breaking. They then immediately managed to flee the house.

When the tremors stopped, they saw the sea rising. In the chaos and confusion, two of his children caught hold of the hands of their mother’s father and mother’s brother, and rushed in the opposite direction. He never saw them again. His wife was also swept away. Only the three other children who came with him were saved.

 

  • Tremor- a slight shake (Earth tremors: the Earth’s shake during an Earthquake)
  • Chaos- complete disorder or confusion

 

The sea began to rise as soon as the earthquake calmed down. Two of his children held hands with their mother's father and mother's brother out of sheer chaos and confusion. They fled to avoid the oncoming wave, but Ignesious never saw them again. His wife was also swallowed by the waves. Only he and his three children who remained with him could be saved in the end.

Sanjeev was a policeman, serving in the Katchall island of the Nicobar group of islands. He somehow managed to save himself, his wife and his baby daughter from the waves. But then he heard cries for help from the wife of John, the guesthouse cook. Sanjeev jumped into the water to rescue her, but they were both swept away

 

  • Guest house- a private house offering accommodation to paying guests

 

Sanjeev, a Katchall police officer, was able to save himself and his family. He was married and had a daughter. But he saw his guesthouse cook John's wife crying for help. So he jumped into the water to save her, but both of them were drowned by the water.

Thirteen year-old Meghna was swept away along with her parents and seventy-seven other people. She spent two days floating in the sea, holding on to a wooden door. Eleven times she saw relief helicopters overhead, but they did not see her. She was brought to the shore by a wave, and was found walking on the seashore in a daze

 

  • Relief helicopters- helicopters bringing help to people (e.g. during floods)
  • Daze- a state of stunned confusion or bewilderment

 

The waves also took a thirteen-year-old girl named Meghna and her parents, as well as seventy-seven other people. Meghna managed to stay alive by sticking to a wooden door. She remained in the water for two days, noticing the relief helicopters at least eleven times but they were unable to locate her. A wave eventually carried her to the beach. She was found only when she was walking along the beach in complete disbelief and shock

Almas Javed was ten years old. She was a student of Carmel Convent in Port Blair where her father had a petrol pump. Her mother Rahila’s home was in Nancowry island. The family had gone there to celebrate Christmas. When the tremors came early in the morning, the family was sleeping. Almas’s father saw the sea water recede. He understood that the water would come rushing back with great force. He woke everyone up and tried to rush them to a safer place.

 

  • Port Blair- Port Blair is the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal
  • Nancowry island- an island in the central part of the Nicobar Islands
  • Recede- move back from where it was

 

Almas Javed, ten, is the son of a petrol pump owner in Port Blair. She attended the Carmel Convent while there. The family had travelled to her mother's home on Nancowry island, located in the Nicobar Islands' central region, to celebrate Christmas. The entire family was sleeping on the day of the disaster when tremors began early in the morning. It wasn't until Almas' father saw the sea water move back that he realised it would come back with unusually great force. He immediately roused everyone and rushed them to a safe place out of harm's way.

As they ran, her grandfather was hit on the head by something and he fell down. Her father rushed to help him. Then came the first giant wave that swept both of them away. Almas’s mother and aunts stood clinging to the leaves of a coconut tree, calling out to her. A wave uprooted the tree, and they too were washed away.

 

  • Clinging- hold on tightly to
  • Uprooted- pull (comething, especially a tree or a plant) out of the ground

 

Almas' grandfather was hit by something and fell as they ran away from danger. Almas' father ran towards him in an attempt to help him. When the first massive wave hit, it took both of them with it. Almas' mother and aunts, on the other hand, held tight to the leaves of a coconut tree, calling for her. A powerful wave swept them away as it uprooted the tree from the ground.

Almas saw a log of wood floating. She climbed on to it. Then she fainted. When she woke up, she was in a hospital in Kamorta. From there she was brought to Port Blair. The little girl does not want to talk about the incident with anyone. She is still traumatized.

 

  • Kamorta- one of the Nicobar islands
  • Traumatized- greatly shocked and distressed

 

Almas climbed a log of wood she saw before she fainted. When she regained consciousness, she found herself in a hospital on the Nicobar island of Kamorta. The girl was taken to Port Blair and is still shaken by the incident. She became so distressed that she refused to discuss the incident with anyone.

Tilly Smith (a British schoolgirl) was able to save many lives when the tsunami struck Phuket beach in Thailand. Though she has won a number of awards, her parents have not allowed their daughter to be interviewed on television and made into a heroine. Now here is a story from Thailand. The Smith family from South-East England were celebrating Christmas at a beach resort in southern Thailand. Tilly Smith was a ten-year-old schoolgirl; her sister was seven years old. Their parents were Penny and Colin Smith. It was 26 December 2004. Deadly tsunami waves were already on their way. They had been triggered by a massive earthquake off northern Sumatra earlier that morning. “The water was swelling and kept coming in,” Penny Smith remembered. “The beach was getting smaller and smaller. I didn’t know what was happening

 

  • Resort- a place where people go on holiday
  • Sumatra- it is a large Indonesian island

 

Thailand was also hit by the tsunami. The story revolves around the Smith family, who travelled to Southern Thailand from South-East England to spend Christmas at a beach resort. Penny and Colin Smith had two daughters, one of whom was ten years old and the other was seven. They had already experienced an earthquake in the morning of December 26, 2004. The tsunami was now on its way. Penny Collin recalls seeing the water swelling as it continued to come in and shrink the beach. She says she had no idea what was going on.

But Tilly Smith sensed that something was wrong. Her mind kept going back to a geography lesson she had taken in England just two weeks before she flew out to Thailand with her family.

Tilly saw the sea slowly rise, and start to foam, bubble and form whirlpools. She remembered that she had seen this in class in a video of a tsunami that had hit the Hawaiian Islands in 1946. Her geography teacher had shown her class the video, and told them that tsunamis can be caused by earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides

 

  • Whirlpools- a quickly rotating mass of water in a river or sea into which objects may be drawn, typically caused by the meeting of conflicting currents

 

Tilly, on the other hand, felt sure that something was wrong. She could recall what she had learned in her geography class two weeks before she returned to England for a vacation. She remembered what she had seen in her class as she watched the sea water rise and form whirlpools. It was a video of a 1946 tsunami that hit the Hawaiian islands. The teacher also explained how tsunamis are caused by earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides.

Tilly started to scream at her family to get off the beach. “She talked about an earthquake under the sea. She got more and more hysterical,” said her mother Penny. “I didn’t know what a tsunami was. But seeing my daughter so frightened, I thought something serious must be going on.”

 

  • Hysterical- affected by or deriving from uncontrolled emotion; when you are hysterical, you shout, laugh or cry in a wild excited way, without any control over yourself

 

As soon as she realised what was going on, she started shouting at her family to leave the beach. Her mother later explained that she was referring to an earthquake beneath the sea, which caused her to become terrified and uncontrollable. Penny said she had no idea what a tsunami was, but seeing her daughter so terrified, she knew the situation was dire.

Tilly’s parents took her and her sister away from the beach, to the swimming pool at the hotel. A number of other tourists also left the beach with them. “Then it was as if the entire sea had come out after them. I was screaming, ‘Run!’” The family took refuge in the third floor of the hotel. The building withstood the surge of three tsunami waves. If they had stayed on the beach, they would not have been alive.

 

  • Refuge- shelter or protection from danger
  • Withstood- endured without collapsing
  • Surge- force; momentum

 

Tilly's parents took their daughters to the hotel pool to escape the beach. A number of tourists followed them as well. Then they saw huge waves chasing them, as if the entire sea had broken loose. Penny shouted for everyone to get out of harm's way. They sought refuge on the third floor. Three tsunami waves struck the hotel building. She went on to say that if they had been at the beach, they would not have survived.

 

The Smiths later met other tourists who had lost entire families. Thanks to Tilly and her geography lesson, they had been forewarned. Tilly went back to her school in England and told her classmates her terrifying tale.

 

  • Forewarned- inform someone of possible future danger or problem

 

The Smiths later had the opportunity to meet other tourists who had lost their entire families in the tsunami. All credit goes to Tilly and her geography lesson for forewarning them. Tilly later told her English classmates about the incident.

Before the giant waves slammed into the coast in India and Sri Lanka, wild and domestic animals seemed to know what was about to happen. They fled to safety. According to eyewitness accounts, elephants screamed and ran for higher ground; dogs refused to go outdoors; flamingoes abandoned their low-lying breeding areas; and zoo animals rushed into their shelters and could not be enticed to come back out.

 

  • Slammed- hit something with great force
  • Fled- run away from a place or situation of danger
  • Eyewitness- a person who has seen something happen and can give a first-and description of it
  • Enticed- attract or tempt by offering pleasure or advantage.

 

It is believed that wild and domestic animals knew what was coming before the massive waves crashed into the coasts of India and Sri Lanka. This is because they fled from danger to somewhere safe. A few eyewitnesses described how elephants screamed and ran for higher ground, flamingos left their low-lying breeding grounds, and zoo animals ran into their shelters where no amount of temptation could bring them out. Even the dogs refused to go outside.

Many people believe that animals possess a sixth sense and know when the earth is going to shake. Some experts believe that animals’ more acute hearing helps them to hear or feel the earth’s vibration. They can sense an approaching disaster long before humans realize what’s going on.

We cannot be sure whether animals have a sixth sense or not. But the fact is that the giant waves that rolled through the Indian Ocean killed more than 150,000 people in a dozen countries, but not many animals have been reported dead.

 

  • Sixth sense- a supposed intuitive faculty giving awareness not explicable in terms of normal perception
  • Acute hearing- reacting readily to stimuli or impressions; sensitive

 

People are well aware that animals are sensitive to the earth's movement. Some experts believe that because they have enhanced acute hearing abilities, they can hear or feel the earth's vibrations in advance. As a result, they can detect impending disasters much earlier than humans. It is obvious that we cannot say for certain that animals are intuitive and can detect disasters early on, but the evidence points in that direction. According to statistics, the Indian Ocean's massive waves killed 150,000 people, but not many animals were killed.

Along India’s Cuddalore coast, where thousands of people perished, buffaloes, goats and dogs were found unharmed. The Yala National Park in Sri Lanka is home to a variety of animals including elephants, leopards, and 130 species of birds. Sixty visitors have washed away from the Patanangala beach inside the park; but no animal carcasses were found, except for two water buffaloes. About an hour before the tsunami hit, people at Yala National Park had observed three elephants running away from the Patanangala beach.

 

  • Perished- die, especially in a violent or sudden way
  • Carcasses- the dead body of an animal

 

Animals such as buffalos, goats, and dogs were found unharmed on India's Cuddalore coast, where the waves killed thousands of people. In contrast, sixty visitors were swept away by the water in Sri Lanka's Yala National Park, while no animals were harmed except two water buffaloes. It should be noted that Yala National Park is home to a diverse range of animals, including elephants, leopards, and approximately 130 bird species. In fact, visitors to Yala National Park reported seeing three elephants flee from Patanangala Beach at least an hour before the waves arrived.

A Sri Lankan gentleman who lives near Galle on the coast said his two dogs would not go for their daily walk on the beach. "They're usually really excited to go on this outing," he says. But on that tragedy day, they refused to go, saving his life.

 

About the Author

 

 

Sonali Deraniyagala (born 1964) is a memoirist and economist from Sri Lanka. She was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and received her doctorate from the University of Oxford after studying economics at Cambridge University. She teaches economics at SOAS, University of London, and is a research scholar at Columbia University in New York City. She lives her time between New York and London. She married economist Stephen Lissenburgh, and in December 2004, while on vacation in Sri Lanka's Yala National Park, she lost her two sons, husband, parents, best friend, and best friend's mother in the Indian Ocean tsunami. She survived by clinging to a tree branch after the tsunami carried her two miles inland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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