Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Somalia
Encyclopedia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, as far as 4500 km (2,796.2 mi) from the epicentre of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
, were swept away and destroyed by the resulting tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
on 26 December 2004. The confirmed death toll stood at 298, as of 5 January 2005. According to presidential spokesperson Yusuf Mohamed Ismail of the transitional government, more than 50,000 people were displaced.
Most of the damage was in the coastal region of the semi-autonomous Puntland
Puntland
Puntland , officially the Puntland State of Somalia , is a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998....
area, particularly the region between Hafun
Hafun
Hafun is a 40 km long low-lying peninsula in the Bari region of northern Somalia. The promontory juts out into the Indian Ocean, where it is known as Ras Hafun or Raas Xaafuun...
in the Bari region and Garacad
Garacad
-References:*...
in the Mudug
Mudug
Mudug is an administrative region in north-central Somalia. Bordered by the Ogaden, the Somalian regions of Nugaal and Galguduud, and the Indian Ocean, its capital is the city of Galkacyo.-Districts:...
region. The narrow and low-lying peninsula of Hafun
Hafun
Hafun is a 40 km long low-lying peninsula in the Bari region of northern Somalia. The promontory juts out into the Indian Ocean, where it is known as Ras Hafun or Raas Xaafuun...
, 1150 km (714.6 mi) northeast of Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, was particularly devastated. In Puntland, rising waters destroyed properties in especially Hafun and Kulub, while parts of the towns and villages of Bander Beyla, Eyl, Foar and Bargaal were flooded. Other coastal areas, including Lower Juba, were also somewhat affected. The UN reported that the waves destroyed 1,180 homes, smashed 2,400 boats and rendered freshwater wells and reservoirs unusable. The village of Kulub, near Gara'ad, was still partially submerged as of 6 January. At Kulub, Hurdiye and other places, teams from the World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
reported that all the boats and other fishing equipment used by the residents to make a livelihood had been lost.
Aftermath
Around 12 tons of riceRice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and vegetable oil were delivered to Hafun on 30
30
Year 30 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vinicius and Longinus...
December
December
December is the 12th and last month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.December starts on the same day as September every year and ends on the same day as April every year.-Etymology:...
, four days after the tsunami. Previous attempts to deliver aid failed after trucks were unable to pass tsunami damaged roads near Foar, a village of 1000 people living in mud-and-wattle huts that had been destroyed
Destroyed
Destroyed is the first full length studio album by punk band Sloppy Seconds. It was released in 1989 on Toxic Shock records. The album cover is a parody of the Kiss album Destroyer from 1976.-Track listing:#"I Don't Wanna Be A Homosexual"...
. The main sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
bridge which connects the Hafun peninsula to the mainland was damaged, so the twelve tonnes were then transferred onto two four-wheel drive vehicles that managed the 60 km (37.3 mi) trip from Foar to Hafun in seven hours. The UN warned that the tsunami had worsened the situation after four years of drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
in northern Somalia and that further aid was desperately needed. It has distributed 200 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s of food aid to 12,000 people, but states that food for 30,000 is needed. The UN had four teams in the area and on 4 January appealed for US$13,000,000 to assist 54,000 Somalis affected by the tsunami. As part of the flash inter-agency appeal of US$977,000,000 made by the UN Secretary-General on 6 January, USD10,000,000 was requested for Somalia. In February, the U.S. government made one million dollars available for tsunami relief in Somalia.
Much of the remote 1000 km (621.4 mi) coast is controlled by various
Various
Various, or Various Production, is an English dubstep/electronic music duo formed in 2003. The group blends samples, acoustic and electronic instrumentation, and singing from a revolving cast of vocalists. Its members, Adam and Ian, purposefully give very little information about the group or...
clan-based militias, making obtaining accurate information difficult. Relief officials were unable to make observation flights because of the fear of being fired upon by anti-aircraft batteries. The transitional Somali government was based in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
because the capital city of Mogadishu was too unsafe. Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Ali Mohammed Ghedi
Ali Mohammed Ghedi
Ali Mohamed Ghedi was the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia from 2004 to 2007. He was relatively unknown in political circles upon his appointment as prime minister in November 2004. He is affiliated with the Abgaal subclan of Mogadishu's Hawiye clan, one of...
cancelled a trip on 4 January 2005, which would have been his first
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one.First or 1st may also refer to:* First , minor summit below the Schwarzhorn in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland* First , mountain in Bernese Alps in Switzerland...
visit to Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
since being appointed.
External links
- "Remote Somali village reels from latest hardship", USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, 6 January 2005 - "Somali tsunami victim toll rises", BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, 5 January 2005 - "Somali tsunami death toll climbs", Mail & GuardianMail & GuardianThe Mail & Guardian is a South African weekly newspaper, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a strong focus on politics, government, the environment, civil society and business.- The Mail & Guardian newspaper :...
, 2 January 2005 - "SOMALIA: After the tsunami", Integrated Regional Information NetworksIntegrated Regional Information NetworksIntegrated Regional Information Networks, commonly known as IRIN, acts as a news agency focusing on humanitarian stories in regions that are often forgotten, under-reported, misunderstood or ignored....
, 19 January 2005 - "Somalia's secret dumps of toxic waste washed ashore by tsunami", Times Online, March 4, 2005
- Hermann M. Fritz and Jose C. Borrero, "Somalia Field Survey after the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami", Earthquake Spectra, Vol. 22, No. S3, pp. S219–S233, June 2006