Tsunami
| In an instant hundreds of thousands of lives were swept away by the horrific waves of the tsunami of December 26, 2004. From this day, the word tsunami became a part of our everyday lexicon. Tsunami, comes from Japanese, meaning “harbor wave.”With waves measuring up to 30 meters and, in the Pacific Ocean, traveling over 700 kilometers per hour, tsunamis are giant waves that can destroy everything in their path. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and even meteorites that hit Earth can cause tsunamis. Once it reaches the shoreline, its terrifying speed strips beaches of sand that may have taken years to form. As it moves past the beaches and onto land, it not only destroys homes and vegetation but also wrecks havoc on other resources necessary for human survival. The flood of seawater contaminates the drinking water supply, leaving inhabitants without clean water to drink. Within the blink of an eye, water, food, and shelter are lost. The aftermath of a tsunami is just as threatening. With the destruction of homes comes garbage and human waste. Diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and malaria come quickly. For those that didn’t die in the moments after the tsunami, the days and weeks after can be just as perilous. Although the world was generous after the most recent tsunami, it will take many years, perhaps generations before the lives of the victims are rebuilt. Though it’s been almost half a year since the tsunami, we must never let the memory of the lives lost and those it affected be forgotten. | Tsunami Relief
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