Disasters explained: tsunamis
Tsunamis can destroy lives, homes, crops and roads in the blink of an eye. Learn more about what they are, what causes them and what the effects are.
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Two decades on, the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami remains one of the deadliest sudden onset emergencies in modern history. The scale of the destruction and human toll was vast.
The tsunami affected over 2.5 million people across 14 countries around the Indian Ocean. A quarter of a million people were killed and nearly two million left homeless.
People on the nearest coastlines of Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka faced the brunt of the destruction. Whole communities were devastated. People lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods. People as far away as Somalia, the Seychelles and South Africa were affected.
A boat rammed into the roof of a house after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Image credit: Mark Pearson
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Why did the Boxing Day tsunami happen?
The tsunami was triggered by a ‘megathrust earthquake’ measuring 9.1 magnitude causing a 1,200km section of the earth’s crust to shift beneath the Indian Ocean.
It struck at 8am in the morning and remains the third most powerful earthquake ever recorded.
Walls of water reaching 20m high and travelling up to 800km per hour over deep water, hit parts of Aceh, Indonesia. In some places, the waves spread 3km inland, carrying debris and seawater with them. They devastated everything they hit, and retreating waters eroded whole shorelines.
Key facts about the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami
Why was the Boxing Day tsunami so devastating?
The tsunami was so devastating because of its high magnitude (9.1 magnitude), speed (800km per hour) and geographical spread (reaching from Indonesia to South Africa). It arrived with little warning and there was little time for communities to flee.
There was also a lack of preparedness. There was no warning system and coastal communities didn’t realise the earthquake could cause a tsunami, so they didn’t move to higher ground.
Disasters like this one are not natural. Seismic events like tsunamis occur because of natural processes on Earth – but it is human factors like where people live, what types of home they have, political instability, and the lack of proactive measures to protect them that influence whether it becomes a disaster.
Learn more about why disasters aren’t natural and see how damaging the term can be.
Who did the Boxing Day tsunami affect?
Over 2.5 million people were affected by the tsunami in 14 different countries. A quarter of a million people were killed and nearly two million were left homeless.
When did the Boxing Day tsunami happen?
The tsunami struck at 8am on 26th December 2004.
Where did the Boxing Day tsunami hit?
The tsunami hit parts of Aceh, Indonesia. People on the coastlines of Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka faced the brunt of the destruction. But people as far away as Somalia, the Seychelles and South Africa were also affected.
ShelterBoxes arrive by boat after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami
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How did ShelterBox respond to the Boxing Day tsunami?
ShelterBox was founded in 2000 so we were a relatively new and small charity when the tsunami hit in 2004.
Our response to the Boxing Day tsunami was the largest in our history at the time. Working alongside Rotary, we supported tens of thousands of people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives with emergency shelter. We started with 200 boxes and many more followed.
Whist we no longer offer aid in boxes, it’s how we worked at the time to provide emergency shelter around the world. We packed and sent thousands of boxes of aid from our then headquarters in Helston, Cornwall. Each box contained a tent, toolkit, ground sheet, water filter, and mosquito net, as well as kitchen pots and pans, hats and gloves.
ShelterBox response team member unloading ShelterBoxes after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
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For the first time in our history, we recruited ShelterBox volunteers to travel with our boxes and make sure affected families received them.
We appealed for blue-light staff – firefighters and healthcare workers – and within days we had a first team of four people ready to travel to Sri Lanka.
With the help of local volunteers, the newly formed ShelterBox volunteers began distributing boxes to people who needed them most.
The response changed the way we worked. These were the first ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) volunteers. They are now an established and essential part of ShelterBox responses around the world.
Our work supporting people after the tsunami was only possible because of a massive surge of support from incredible people in Cornwall but also across the whole of the UK and abroad, wanting to donate or volunteer to support people affected.
Help us be ready when disaster strikes
When disasters strike without warning, emergency shelter can be the difference between life and death. Being prepared means we are ready and can reach people more quickly and efficiently.
Help us have shelter aid ready to go in warehouses around the world.
Together, we can make sure more people have emergency shelter and other essential items to survive and recover after disaster.
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