The most terrible earthquakes of the 21st century. Survived the tsunami: stories of survivors of the most destructive disaster of the 21st century Examples of tsunamis that occurred in the 21st century
Humanity, practically unaware catastrophic tsunamis in the 20th century, already in the first two decades of the current century, it experienced the impact of three powerful “rogue waves”. Another example of the monstrous power of the elements was the disaster on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on September 28, 2018.
The tsunami was caused by an underwater earthquake: two successive shocks of magnitude 6.1 and 7.4. Numerous aftershocks were recorded after them. After some time, the enraged sea burst into the city, which suffered from a seismic shock. According to preliminary information, the number of victims of the natural disaster was more than 800 people. Thousands of buildings, bridges and roads were destroyed in the coastal strip. A large coastal area is flooded. Apparently, the number of victims will increase.
People managed to film the approach of the tsunami to the shore with cameras from mobile gadgets. The recordings show that it was the impact of a whole series of waves.
A tsunami occurs during an earthquake in the sea or ocean - with a sharp and strong displacement of the bottom, especially if the process is accompanied by an instantaneous vertical rise of one of the wings of a tectonic rupture. The maximum amplitude of waves occurs when rocks move at a depth of about 10 kilometers and decreases with the deepening of the source.
A water mountain is formed above the place of tectonic shift, which, when subsiding, generates waves that diverge in all directions from the epicenter, like a stone thrown into the water. IN open ocean they are very long. The distance between the two crests of such waves reaches 100-150 kilometers at a fairly low height - a few meters. Ships may not notice a tsunami far from the coast.
Waves of this kind travel at speeds of up to 600-800 kilometers per hour. As the depth decreases, they become slower due to friction with the shallows. However, the height of the tsunami is increasing. The wave energy is redistributed from the lower part of the water column to the upper part, which moves at a higher speed. A white breaker appears on the crest, and the wave takes on an asymmetrical shape. The side facing the shore becomes steep and concave.
Such waves with their entire mass crash onto the shore and destroy everything in their path. The height of a tsunami can grow to monstrous proportions in narrow bays. When the wave's energy runs out, it rushes back into the ocean, taking with it all floating objects. Typically, tsunamis come in series: after the first wave hits, new ones should be expected.
Most often, tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean, where the ring of fire of active volcanoes is located and constant strong earthquakes occur. It is here, in the zone of the active continental margin, that heavy and colder oceanic lithospheric plates submerged under lighter but higher continental ones. The processes of interaction between them cause shaking earth's crust.
It is very difficult to predict a tsunami, but residents of coastal areas, having felt tremors, should immediately go inland and rise to higher ground. A characteristic sign of the approach of a “rogue wave” is a sharp and strong retreat of the sea. If an earthquake occurs near the coast, people have no more than half an hour to save themselves. In the event that the source of the tremors was located at a considerable distance from the coastline, the authorities have time to notify the population and organize evacuation.
The last powerful tsunami occurred on March 11, 2011 in Japan, it was caused by a strong earthquake - magnitude 9.0 with an epicenter 373 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. The height of the waves that day in some places was about 40 meters. The impact of the elements caused an accident on nuclear power plant"Fukushima I". About 16 thousand people died in the disaster. Approximately 5.5 thousand were injured.
The most terrible and deadly earthquake in human memory was the earthquake and tsunami in Indian Ocean in 2004. In terms of its strength, the shaking of the earth's crust that day is recognized as the second of all recorded in history. The magnitude 9.3 tremor caused waves that affected several countries in Asia and Africa: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Somalia and others. Total number the death toll was monstrous: more than 235 thousand people.
In the 21st century, two more significant tsunamis were recorded: September 6, 2004 in Japan (wave height of about a meter, several dozen people were injured) and April 2, 2007 in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea (wave height of several meters, 52 dead).
In the last century, fewer catastrophic tsunamis were recorded. True, it is worth noting that the technical means that humanity had at that time do not allow us to talk about high accuracy of observations.
On July 17, 1998, a huge underwater landslide following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake triggered a tsunami off the coast of New Guinea, killing more than two thousand people.
On March 28, 1964, a powerful earthquake of magnitude 9.2 in Prince William Sound caused a series of waves up to 67 meters high. The disaster claimed the lives of about 150 people.
On July 9, 1958, the highest known tsunami in the observable history of the Earth was recorded. An earthquake in southwestern Alaska caused an entire mountain to fall into Lituya Bay, causing a wave more than 500 meters high to crash onto the opposite shore of the bay. Because the disaster occurred in a sparsely populated area, only five people died.
On March 9, 1957, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 on the Andrean Islands near Alaska caused two waves up to 15 meters high, and also “awakened” the Vsevidov volcano on Umnak Island after a 200-year hibernation. More than 300 people became victims of the disaster.
On November 5, 1952, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 8.3 to 9, 130 kilometers off the coast of Kamchatka, caused three successive tsunamis up to 18 meters high, which washed away almost the entire Soviet city of Severo-Kurilsk. More than two thousand people died then.
A peculiar story telling about the tsunamis that have occurred over the past five thousand years was discovered by scientists during excavations in a sea cave in Indonesia. This discovery showed that science knows very little about how and when earthquakes can cause giant waves.
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Tsunami is one of the most terrifying natural phenomena. It is a wave formed as a result of “shaking” of the entire thickness of water in the ocean. Tsunamis are most often caused by underwater earthquakes.
Approaching the shore, the tsunami grows into a huge shaft tens of meters high and hits the shore with millions of tons of water. The largest tsunami in the world caused colossal destruction and led to the death of millions of people.
Krakatoa, 1883
This tsunami was not caused by an earthquake or landslide. The explosion of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia generated a powerful wave that swept along the entire coast of the Indian Ocean.Residents of fishing villages within a radius of about 500 km from the volcano had virtually no chance of survival. Victims were observed even in South Africa, on the opposite shore of the ocean. In total, 36.5 thousand people are considered dead from the tsunami itself.
Kuril Islands, 1952
The tsunami, triggered by a magnitude 7 earthquake, destroyed the city of Severo-Kurilsk and several fishing villages. Then the residents had no idea about the tsunami and after the earthquake stopped they returned to their homes, becoming victims of a 20-meter water shaft. Many were caught up in the second and third waves because they did not know that a tsunami is a series of waves. About 2,300 people died. Authorities Soviet Union decided not to report the tragedy in the media, so the disaster became known only decades later. 
The city of Severo-Kurilsk was subsequently moved to a higher place. And the tragedy became the reason for the organization of a tsunami warning system in the USSR and more active scientific research in seismology and oceanology.
Lituya Bay, 1958
An earthquake with a magnitude of more than 8 provoked a huge landslide with a volume of more than 300 million cubic meters, consisting of stones and ice from two glaciers. To these were added the waters of the lake, the shore of which collapsed into the bay. 
As a result, a gigantic wave was formed, reaching a height of 524 m! It swept across the bay, licking the vegetation and soil on the slopes of the bay like a tongue, completely destroying the spit that separated it from Gilbert Bay. This is the highest tsunami wave in history. The banks of Lituya were not inhabited, so only 5 fishermen became victims.
Chile, 1960
On May 22, the consequences of the Great Chilean Earthquake with a magnitude of 9.5 were a volcanic eruption and a tsunami 25 m high. Almost 6 thousand people died. 
But the rogue wave did not calm down there. At the speed of a jet plane she crossed Pacific Ocean, killing 61 people in Hawaii, and reached the shores of Japan. Another 142 people became victims of the tsunami, which occurred at a distance of more than 10 thousand km. After this, it was decided to warn about the danger of a tsunami even in the most remote areas of the coast that may be in the path of a deadly wave.
Philippines, 1976
The powerful earthquake caused a wave, the height of which seems to be unimpressive - 4.5 m. Unfortunately, the tsunami hit the low-lying coast for more than 400 miles. But the residents were not prepared for such a threat. The result is more than 5 thousand dead and about 2.5 thousand missing without a trace. Almost 100 thousand residents of the Philippines were left homeless, and many villages along the coastline were simply completely washed away along with their inhabitants. 
Papua New Guinea, 1998
The consequence of the earthquake on July 17 was a gigantic underwater landslide, which caused a 15-meter wave. And so the poor country suffered several natural disasters, more than 2,500 people died or went missing. And more than 10 thousand residents lost their homes and livelihoods. The tragedy became the impetus for studying the role of underwater landslides in causing tsunamis. 
Indian Ocean, 2004
December 26, 2004 is forever inscribed in blood in the history of Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and other countries on the Indian Ocean coast. On this day, the tsunami claimed the lives of about 280 thousand people, and according to unofficial data - up to 655 thousand. 
The underwater earthquake caused waves 30 m high that hit coastal areas within 15 minutes. The large number of deaths is due to several reasons. This is a high degree of population on the coast, low-lying areas, and a large number of tourists on the beaches. But the main reason is the lack of an established tsunami warning system and poor awareness of people about safety measures.
Japan, 2011
The height of the wave resulting from the magnitude 9 earthquake reached 40 m. The whole world watched in horror the footage of the tsunami destroying coastal buildings, ships, cars... 
The disaster caused the death of more than 25 thousand people. But the main consequence of the Japanese tsunami is a global radiation threat associated with damage to the reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The cause of mass death of people and destruction of nature can be not only natural disasters. The editors of the site bring to your attention the most frightening man-made disasters that shocked the world. In addition, in areas flooded by a tsunami, terrible epidemics often begin, leading to the development of diseases and killing people.
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Every year the number of natural disasters in the world increases, on average, by about 20 percent. Experts from the International Federation of the Red Cross came to this disappointing conclusion. Most of all, the organization's specialists are concerned about the sharp increase in the number of deaths as a result of earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods. Over the past 10 years, mortality in disasters has increased from 600 thousand to 1.2 million people per year, and the number of victims has increased from 230 to 270 million. Natural disasters cause catastrophes and cause enormous damage to the world's population. According to the UN, in the last 20 years alone, disasters have claimed more than 3 million human lives on our planet.
Which natural disasters cost residents the most?
Earthquake in Japan in March 2011
The earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011 is comparable in scale only to the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, when Tokyo and Yokohama were almost completely destroyed. In total, the disaster claimed the lives of more than 15,800 people and left more than half a million people homeless in Japan; the coastal areas of the eastern part of the island of Honshu were devastated. But the disaster of 2011 was worse not only because of the destruction caused by the elements. The earthquake triggered an accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. Economic damage amounted to $243.9 billion.
2008 Sichuan earthquake
The 2008 Sichuan earthquake killed more than 69,000 people, one of the largest in human history. More than 4.8 million people were stranded, more than 1.5 million homes were damaged or destroyed, and economic losses exceeded $190 billion.
Hurricane Katrina 2005
Economic damage amounted to $108 billion. According to the American National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Katrina became one of the most destructive natural disasters in US history. More than 1.2 million homes were damaged or destroyed. New Orleans and surrounding areas were flooded. More than 1,800 people died and more than 600,000 were forced to flee their homes. Looters were rampant in the city, and in order to restore order, the authorities even had to bring in the National Guard into the city.
Hurricane Sandy 2012
Economic damage amounted to $50 billion. The hurricane affected not only the United States, but also seven countries in the Caribbean region. A total of 132 people were killed and 305,000 homes were either destroyed or seriously damaged.
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami was a truly international disaster. Economic damage amounted to $34 billion. It affected 15 countries and claimed the lives of more than 250 thousand people (not only local residents, but also tourists). There is still no exact data on the number of victims. Particularly affected were Indonesia (near the coast of which tremors were recorded), India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives. The disaster affected mainly not very developed countries, so the economic damage was not as huge as, say, from the earthquake and tsunami near the island of Honshu 7 years later.
The deadliest natural disasters were
An earthquake in Haiti that occurred on January 12, 2010 at 16:53 local time. About 3 million people were affected by the disaster, and the death toll reached about 316,000.
The Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, known in the scientific world as the Sumatra-Adaman earthquake. The epicenter of the tremors was an area near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The tsunami that followed the shocks killed almost 230 thousand people in 14 countries.
Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar, which became the worst natural disaster in Myanmar on May 2, 2008, resulting in approximately 146,000 deaths and 55,000 missing. The death toll may be higher, but the Burmese government, fearing adverse political consequences, has lowered the numbers.
2008 earthquake in Kashmir province, Pakistan on October 8, 2005. According to official figures from the Pakistani government, about 75,000 people were killed, and international experts estimate the death toll at 86,000. The tremors were also felt in such neighboring countries like Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Western China, as well as the Indian part of Kashmir, where about 1,400 people died. The earthquake was a consequence of the growth of the Himalayas.
The earthquake in Sichuan Province, China on May 12, 2008, also sometimes called the Great Earthquake. According to official data, about 69,197 people died. This earthquake is considered the deadliest in China since the 1976 earthquake in Tanhan province, where about 240 thousand people died.
About a year ago, in April 2015, an earthquake occurred in Nepal, causing thousands of deaths and enormous destruction, including valuable historical monuments. This is one of the most strong earthquakes in history. A cataclysm of this magnitude is already the seventh in a row in the 21st century. Let's remember each of them:
Bam, 2003
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 occurred on December 26, 2003 in ancient city Bam in Iran. On that terrible day, 35 thousand people lost their lives, and another 22 thousand were injured. And this despite the fact that the city’s population is only 200 thousand inhabitants.
Indian Ocean, 2004
Exactly one year after the Iranian tragedy, an underwater earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean, causing the deadliest earthquake in history. modern history tsunami. The magnitude of the tremors was 9.1–9.3 points. The tsunami hit several countries, among which those closest to the epicenter were Thailand, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, etc. Its destructive power was so great that even in Port Elizabeth (South Africa), 6900 kilometers away from the epicenter, a huge number of residents died. The total number of deaths during the disaster reached 225-300 thousand.
Sichuan, 2008
The Sichuan earthquake occurred on May 12, 2008. According to the China Seismological Bureau, the magnitude of the earthquake was 8 Mw. The epicenter of the cataclysm was the seismically active Longmenshan fault, located 75 km from the city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. According to official sources, as of August 4, 2008, the death toll was about 70 thousand people, another 18 thousand were missing.
Haiti, 2010
The date of the tragedy was January 12, 2010. Previously, such a destructive earthquake was recorded on the island in 1751. The number of deaths during the tragedy 6 years ago exceeded 200 thousand people, and material damage amounted to 5.6 billion euros.
Chile, 2010
In the same year, on February 27, one of the strongest earthquakes in the last half century occurred in Chile. Earth vibrations of magnitude 8.8 caused enormous destruction, killing about a thousand people.
Japan, 2011
The earthquake off the coast of the Japanese island of Honshu, which occurred on March 11, 2011, went down in history as the Great East Japan Earthquake. The strongest earthquake in the history of the country caused an equally terrible tsunami, the height of the waves reaching 40 meters. One of the consequences of the disaster was the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. The disaster destroyed three nuclear reactors, causing a strong radioactive release into the atmosphere. The death toll exceeded 15 thousand people, about 3 thousand are missing.
Nepal, 2015
On April 25 and 26, 2015, powerful tremors began in Nepal, with a magnitude ranging from 4.2–7.8 Mw. According to the country's government, 4,000 people have been confirmed dead and damage is estimated at $5 billion. In addition, the earthquake triggered avalanches on Everest, killing more than 80 climbers.
Today marks ten years since the tragedy - the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia, which claimed 235 thousand lives. But the 2004 tsunami was remembered not only for the huge number of victims and destruction, but also numerous stories miraculous rescues. People, caught by surprise by the disaster, were forced to fight for life, clinging to trees, the remains of houses and the ruined shells of restaurants. Some of those who managed to overcome the elements do not remember how they escaped. Others, they claim, were pulled ashore by animals, and some were even found only many years after the disaster.
Wati was just eight years old when a huge tsunami swept her away from the Indonesian island of Sumatra the day after 2004. After months of unsuccessful searches, parents and relatives thought they would never see Vati again.
However, seven years later the girl was found. All this time, little Vati tried to find her relatives on her own. As it turned out, she was carried away to the neighboring town of Meulaboh. The search was further complicated by the fact that after the tsunami the girl lost her memory and did not remember how she ended up in a foreign city. Vati could not say anything other than the name of her grandfather Ibrahim. This is what brought her home. One of the waiters in a street cafe realized who we were talking about and brought the girl to the family.
Surviving mosque
The 2004 tsunami brought the most serious destruction to the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh. A huge wave, moving four kilometers deep into the mainland, washed away all locality into the ocean, leaving not even the skeletons of concrete houses. More than half the population of the city of 230,000 died that day, and of all the buildings on the coast, only one survived - the city mosque.
Rescued underwater
American Faye Wachs was diving with her husband near the Thai island of Phi Phi when the tsunami began, CNN reports.
While the wave passed over them, the couple and the instructor were at depth. The only thing they could notice was a sharp deterioration in visibility. Due to the murky water, the instructor ordered the group to rise to the surface. Having emerged, Faye did not immediately understand what had happened. They swam around her human bodies and debris of houses.
Rescue Animals
Eyewitnesses of the tragic events of 2004 claim that animals were the first to sense the approach of the disaster. People say that a few minutes before the tsunami, as soon as the water began to recede, all living creatures left the danger zone. If a person could better read the signs that nature gives him, perhaps many would be able to leave the disaster area in time.
A British tourist, who did not want to reveal his name, told wftv.com that on December 26, on the beach of Phuket island, he saw an elephant saving small children. According to an eyewitness, the animal used its trunk to lift the babies onto its back and carry them out of the seething water.
In January 2005, Sri Lankan pensioner Upali Gunasekera told indiatraveltimes.com that a crocodile saved him from the tsunami. According to the old man, when the storm began, he was on his property on the coast.
When the wave suddenly washed him away, the old man managed to grab onto a log that was floating nearby. However, this log turned out to be a real crocodile. Upali assures that the animal did not show any aggression and calmly pulled him ashore in a safe place, after which he disappeared.
Whose boy?
A Murugupialai couple from Colombo had to undergo a DNA test to prove that the child rescued from the tsunami was their son, reports seattletimes.com.
“Baby 81” (the child was taken to the hospital under this number) was admitted to the city hospital the day after the disaster.
However, when his parents came to pick him up, it turned out that nine other women were also laying claim to the child. At the same time, everyone assured that this was their son. Since the boy’s documents were lost, the court ordered all participants in the case to undergo DNA tests to establish the relationship.
Last photo
Canadian Christian Pilet from the city of North Bend, while vacationing in Thailand in 2005, found a broken camera on the coast. To his surprise, the device’s memory card was intact, the Seattle Times writes.
Christian was shocked when he opened the photos. As it turned out, the camera belonged to the Neill couple who died during the tsunami in December. From these photos you can trace the last moments of their lives.
There are no signs of trouble, people sunbathe carefree on the beach.
Clouds begin to gather over the ocean, and an incomprehensible black stripe appears on the horizon.
The last photo taken a few meters from the deadly tsunami.
Christian Piele decided to establish who owned the camera. As a result of long searches on the Internet, the Canadian learned that the dead lived not just anywhere, but in a neighboring city not far from Vancouver.
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