Samoan 2009 tsunami report:
What caused the earthquake and tsunami?
On Tuesday the 29th of September 2009, a huge tsunami hit Samoa – as well as several other islands – and impacted many, leaving a path of destruction. Tsunamis are big waves that are generated from earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions that occur in the ocean. When the waves move inland they gradually gain height as the ocean gets shallow. So, the speed of the tsunami is related to the depth of the ocean. Tsunamis travel very fast but tend to slow down when reaching shallow water. The tsunami – in the case of Samoa – was caused by an underwater earthquake in the ocean. An earthquake is when the Earth’s surface shakes in response to the sudden release of energy in its lithosphere …show more content…
Samoa was affected the most by the tsunami as it was the closest to the epicentre, as well as many other factors. Samoa is very vulnerable to earthquakes because of both natural and cultural characteristics. Characteristics such as; that Samoa is vulnerable to volcanic activity, because the island was made from volcanism. Samoa has very low land with the highest point only being 200m from the shore. Also, 70% of the people who live there have houses on the coast line. These factors mean that Samoa is very vulnerable to earthquakes. Samoa also lies in the Pacific ring of fire which is known to have the most volcanic …show more content…
The Samoan tsunami caused great economic and cultural damage to Samoa as well as the other islands impacted. With the loss of homes, buildings, land and of course lives, it caused a lot of grief for the families and people of Samoa, Tonga and American Samoa. The tsunami caused the death of over 100 people; 77 people in Samoa, 25 in American Samoa and 6 in Tonga.
Economically Samoa was affected greatly. 65% of the nation’s income came from tourism. This stopped when the Tsunami struck, with many resorts and buildings being destroyed and tourism shops and businesses ruined. This meant that they didn’t have many tourists and consequently money flow wasn’t coming in. This resulted in people becoming unemployed and millions of dollars being lost. Schools, buildings, and homes were all destroyed and the recovery cost was just under 150 million dollars.
The tsunami also had many natural effects like changing the lands natural features, like the sea grass beds on the coastline. A lot of pollution and debris was dispersed around and marine life’s habitats were destroyed and contaminated. Food sources were also affected, for example shellfish were contaminated and could not be
What caused the earthquake and tsunami?
On Tuesday the 29th of September 2009, a huge tsunami hit Samoa – as well as several other islands – and impacted many, leaving a path of destruction. Tsunamis are big waves that are generated from earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions that occur in the ocean. When the waves move inland they gradually gain height as the ocean gets shallow. So, the speed of the tsunami is related to the depth of the ocean. Tsunamis travel very fast but tend to slow down when reaching shallow water. The tsunami – in the case of Samoa – was caused by an underwater earthquake in the ocean. An earthquake is when the Earth’s surface shakes in response to the sudden release of energy in its lithosphere …show more content…
Samoa was affected the most by the tsunami as it was the closest to the epicentre, as well as many other factors. Samoa is very vulnerable to earthquakes because of both natural and cultural characteristics. Characteristics such as; that Samoa is vulnerable to volcanic activity, because the island was made from volcanism. Samoa has very low land with the highest point only being 200m from the shore. Also, 70% of the people who live there have houses on the coast line. These factors mean that Samoa is very vulnerable to earthquakes. Samoa also lies in the Pacific ring of fire which is known to have the most volcanic …show more content…
The Samoan tsunami caused great economic and cultural damage to Samoa as well as the other islands impacted. With the loss of homes, buildings, land and of course lives, it caused a lot of grief for the families and people of Samoa, Tonga and American Samoa. The tsunami caused the death of over 100 people; 77 people in Samoa, 25 in American Samoa and 6 in Tonga.
Economically Samoa was affected greatly. 65% of the nation’s income came from tourism. This stopped when the Tsunami struck, with many resorts and buildings being destroyed and tourism shops and businesses ruined. This meant that they didn’t have many tourists and consequently money flow wasn’t coming in. This resulted in people becoming unemployed and millions of dollars being lost. Schools, buildings, and homes were all destroyed and the recovery cost was just under 150 million dollars.
The tsunami also had many natural effects like changing the lands natural features, like the sea grass beds on the coastline. A lot of pollution and debris was dispersed around and marine life’s habitats were destroyed and contaminated. Food sources were also affected, for example shellfish were contaminated and could not be