How can tsunamis affect people

A thing to remember is that all warning systems and preparation procedures depend on accurate and timely detection of the event that causes the tsunami. If the tsunami is caused by something other than an earthquake, say, an underwater landslide, there will most likely be no warning unless there is an appropriate array of tsunami detection buoys in the vicinity. Geoscience Australia is responsible for overseeing a series of seismic monitors in the Indian, Pacific and Southern oceans that provide near-instantaneous information regarding earthquake events.

An automated system reviews events to determine the likelihood that a tsunami will result. An expert seismologist then makes a final determination and passes on relevant information to the Bureau of Meteorology, within 15 minutes of the earthquake event. The Bureau of Meteorology manages an array of coastal sea level gauges and oceanic tsunami detection buoys and uses the information from these, along with the seismic information from Geoscience Australia, to select the appropriate pre-computed scenario, assess the ultimate tsunami risk and potential severity and then issues any appropriate warnings.

The JATWC continues to monitor the event to see if it unfolds according to the prediction, and updates warnings and advice as necessary. The national authority of each country is then responsible for issuing tsunami warnings to their citizens. While tsunami events are rare, they can be devastating.

However, through a combination of rigorous science, consistent and reliable monitoring of our Earth and oceans, and appropriate preparation and warning procedures, we are working towards a better understanding of these potentially deadly events to protect our communities and keep people safe.

Protecting people from tsunami Expert reviewers. Dr Hannah Power University of Newcastle. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. What is a subduction zone? The energy within a tsunami The earthquake or other disturbance that causes a tsunami can impart a great deal of energy into the wave. The impacts of tsunami Many tsunami don't break as they hit land. The mud bricks of this house were washed away in the tsunami leaving only the foundations behind.

Predicting and preparing for tsunami There is a huge amount of variability in the actual events that can cause tsunami—earthquakes can have vastly different magnitudes and very different displacement regimes. Ocean buoy used to detect the presence of tsunami.

Image source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology. How do you predict an earthquake? Feeling the heat: geothermal energy. Population and environment: a global challenge. Daily life for individuals in a nation affected by a tsunami changes because of the damage the disaster causes to the economy. Locations that were previously popular destinations for visitors suffer depression as a result of lost tourism, with people staying away out of fear and during reconstruction.

Rebuilding after a tsunami puts a significant financial strain on governments as well, resulting in an economic downturn that can affect entire regions of the world. After a tsunami, contaminated water and food supplies pose a risk to people's health.

Flood waters can carry many sources of contamination such as dirt or oil. In addition, infectious diseases increase after a tsunami. Malaria and cholera may become more common. People may have to stay in shelters or other close quarters that make spreading diseases easier. Tsunamis can lead to other devastating health consequences. People may have traumatic injuries from the destruction of property and landscapes. There may be loss of access to basic services such as power, sewer, and water.

Communications, transportation ground, air, and marine , and health and public safety services may be disrupted. Impacts from a large local tsunami will likely be in addition to impacts from a preceding earthquake, and impacts from both may trigger secondary hazards, which could be more devastating than the direct destruction.

Earthquakes and tsunamis can cause fires, transportation accidents, and hazardous material releases into the environment, contaminating water supplies and threatening public health.

These impacts can further complicate evacuation, response, and recovery. Earthquakes and tsunamis can also change the land, both above and below the water. In some places it may rise, in others it may fall. If the coast subsides falls , flooding may be extended to unexpected areas and tsunami barriers may fail or be overtopped. Orthopaedics in Sri Lanka post-tsunami. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 87 6 Johnson L and Travis A.

Emerg Med Australas 18 2 Lee V, Low E, Ng et al. Disaster relief and initial response to the earthquake and tsunami in Meulaboh, Indonesia. Ann Acad Med Singapore 34 9 Medical needs of tsunami disaster refugee camps.

Fam Med 37 6 The long-distance tertiary air transfer and care of tsunami victims: injury pattern and microbiological and psychological aspects. Crit Care Med 33 5 Operation Sumatra Assist: surgery for survivors of the tsunami disaster in Indonesia. ANZ J Surg 76 Fan S. Clinical cases seen in tsunami hit Banda Aceh: from a primary health care perspective.

Ann Acad Med Singapore. J Korean Med Sci 21 1 Assessment of health-related needs after tsunami and earthquake--three districts, Aceh Province, Indonesia, July-August Who died as a result of the tsunami? Risk factors of mortality among internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka: a retrospective cohort analysis. BMC Public Health.

Timing of mortality among internally displaced persons due to the tsunami in Sri Lanka: cross sectional household survey. Redwood-Campbell L and Riddez L. Prehosp Disaster Med 21 1 :s A snapshot of the Indian Ocean tsunami: societal impacts and consequences. Disaster Prevention and Management 15 1 Tsunami mortality and displacement in Aceh province.

Disasters 30 3 : Roy N. Prehosp Disaster Med 21 5 Mental health problems among adults in tsunami-affected areas in southern Thailand. JAMA 5 The Sri Lanka tsunami experience. Disaster Manag Response 4 2 Tsunami mortality estimation and vulnerability mapping in Aceh, Indonesia. American Journal of Public Health 97 S1 : Tsunami mortality in Aceh Province, Indonesia.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization 85 2 : Trimodal death and the injuries of survivors in Krabi Province, Thailand, post-tsunami. ANZ J Surg 76 5 Health indicators in children from Meulaboh, Indonesia, following the tsunami of December 26, Mil Med. The revisit of tsunami in Thailand: characteristics of wounds.

Int Wound J. Tsunami-related injury in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Global Public Health 4 2 Infections and treatment of wounds in survivors of the Tsunami in Thailand. Int Wound J 6 5 The earthquake and Tsunami- observations by Japanese physicians since the 11 March catastrophe. Critical Care. Brennan and Rimba. Rapid health assessment to determine the public health impact of the tsunami in three communities of the Aceh Jaya district. Facility-based, retrospective record review to describe tsunami-related injuries at the provincial hospital in Krabi province.

Description of primary health care services delivered in an internally displaced persons camp by a medical team from Singapore. A description of the patients treated by two Korean medical teams over a nine day period following the tsunami. Description of surgical and humanitarian assistance operations of a joint Australian and New Zealand operation in the four week period following the tsunami. Description of patients treated in Banda Aceh by a medical team from Singapore in the first few weeks following the Tsunami.

No morbidity data reported.