Tsunami Relief

The tsunami that occurred in the Indian Ocean in 2004 was one of the most catastrophic disasters to happen in recent history. On December 26, 2004, an earthquake struck near the northwest coast of the Indonesian island, Sumatra. The earthquake was measured to be a 9.0 magnitude and resulted in a tsunami that damaged coasts along the rim of the Indian Ocean. The countries that were the most devastated by the tsunami were India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. In total, 230,000 people lost their lives, with thousands of others injured. In addition, about 10 million people were left homeless as a result of the tsunami destruction.

Humanitarian Efforts for Tsunami Relief:
At the forefront of the tsunami help efforts was the Indian and Thailand governments providing mobilized tsunami relief to coastal areas directly effected by the tsunami. Civil Society Organizations were also quick to respond to provide aid and resources that were desperately needed. The Indian government also provided tsunami relief in the form of naval ships to countries that neighbored them and were among the countries most effected by the disaster. This was very important because Sri Lanka and Indonesia were not prepared to handle the disasterous effects of the tsunami.

The tsunami relief effort prioritized their efforts to make sure that first the essentials were given to people who needed it. The governments and humanitarian agencies that were first to respond gave food and clean water to refugees who were left homeless, without clean water and with little or no food. Also, medical care for injured persons was also provided in the tsunami help effort. This was especially important, because death tolls from the aftermath of the tsunami were in danger of rapidly rising due to unsanitary conditions causing preventable diseases.

Since all water was deemed undrinkable because of being contaminated with salt, corpses, and other unsafe substances, water purification systems were sent to the area surrounding the Indian Ocean rim. Another priority for tsunami help was to send medical personnel to help treat the wounded and sick and provide relief for overcrowded shelters and hospitals. Next, clean clothing, tents for shelter, and body bags for safe corpse disposal were shipped to the area.

Further Tsunami Relief:
The United States government added a total of $350 million in pledge support for the victims of the tsunami, while the U.S. Navy aided in search-and-rescue missions to find survivors. Many people criticized the relief effort though as being “competitive” and not as useful as intended. Also, while many nations pledged financial support, there were worries that they would not live up to them by actually paying.

Evaluation of the Tsunami Help Effort:
After the tsunami help effort was finished, an evaluation of the situation was conducted, showing that the initial needs for the locals was met, but agencies had room for improvement for the longer-term needs. The areas that needed better planning, coordination and execution were lines of communication, accountability to persons who needed tsunami relief, and transparency towards donors.