Humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

The humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was prompted by one of the major natural disasters of modern times. On 26 December the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, spawned a tsunami that wreaked havoc along much of the rim of the Indian Ocean. Particularly hard-hit were the countries of India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Over 280,000 people were killed, tens of thousands more were injured and over one million were made homeless.

Humanitarian situation

The tsunami exacted a heavy toll on coastal communities and especially fisherfolk in the regionhttp://www.icsf.net. In India and Thailand, government and Civil Society Organisations were able to mobilise resources and responded as quickly as possible. India also provided assistance to neighbouring countries. The people and governments in the nations of Sri Lanka and Indonesia were to some extent overwhelmed by the enormity of the catastrophe, especially in inaccessible areas.

Related Topics:
India - Thailand - Sri Lanka - Indonesia

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The first tasks of the governments and humanitarian aid agencies were to bury the massive numbers of dead and prevent an epidemic of communicable diseases. The World Health Organization warned that the number of deaths from preventable diseases such as cholera, diphtheria, dysentery and typhoid could rival the death toll from the disaster itself. These diseases are largely spread by the bodily wastes of the living after the loss of normal sanitary facilities, the shared use of inadequate facilities in makeshift refuges, and the lack of clean water.

Related Topics:
Epidemic - Communicable disease - World Health Organization - Cholera - Diphtheria - Dysentery - Typhoid

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Many usual sources of water were spoiled by salt water, broken by the force of the tsunami, or contaminated with bodies of dead people or livestock, requiring water purification equipment or trucking potable water into the affected region. Other high priorities were delivery of medical supplies and personnel to overwhelmed hospitals and clinics, tent shelters and clothing to people who have lost their houses and belongings, and food, especially baby food. Several governments appealed for body bags to assist in the safe disposal of corpses.

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Information about the impact of the tsunami on individual countries is available for:

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• India
• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Myanmar
• Somalia
• Sri Lanka
• Thailand