Online NewsHour: Tsunami Warnings

Scientists are working on a tsunami early warning system to prevent future catastrophes like the one that occurred in South Asia on Dec. 26, 2004. On that day, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake on the deep beneath the Indian Ocean triggered a series of massive tidal waves that leveled coastal villages, took tens of thousands of lives, and left millions injured and homeless.

Aceh region of Indonesia after December 2004 tsunami hit


January 11, 2005 South Asia Disaster Spurs Tsunami Alert Effort The devastating tsunamis that struck South Asia highlighted the need for an early tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean like the one in place in the Pacific Ocean. Correspondent Betty Ann Bowser of the NewsHour's Science Unit reports on the science of tsunami warnings.






	March 28, 2005 Massive Earthquake Strikes off Coast of Sumatra Thousands fled from low-lying areas in Indonesia Monday after an 8.7-magnitude earthquake, described by geologists as an aftershock of the Indian Ocean's devastating Dec. 26 earthquake, hit off the coast of Sumatra Island. Officials issued a tsunami warning for as far away as Sri Lanka. Gwen Ifill speaks with Jim Devine, senior science advisor to the director of the U.S. Geological Survey, about how the earthquake originated.

	December 27, 2004 Rare Indian Ocean Earthquake Brings Widespread Destruction After an overview of the effects of the South Asian tsunami from an ITN reporter in Thailand, Jim Devine of the U.S. Geological Survey describes the cause of the earthquake and the ensuing massive tidal waves and the rarity of such a thing occurring in the Indian Ocean.


















	After the devastation unleashed on southern Asia by the earthquake-driven tsunamis, scientists are reevaluating their methods of predicting quakes. This June 2004 report outlines efforts to help with early detection.




	Funded by: National Science Foundation		Reports are produced solely by the NewsHour and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.