In the independent republic of Maldives, all islands except for 9 were hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. 82 people were killed and 24 reported missing and presumed dead after the archipelago was hit by a tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on 26 December 2004.[1] Two-thirds of the capital city Malé was flooded during the first hours of the day. Outlying low-level atolls were badly affected, and some low-lying islands, including some of the major resorts, were submerged at the peak of the tsunami.
The government declared a state of national disaster[2] and a special task force was set up to provide aid and supplies. Rescue efforts were hampered by loss of communication capability with the over one thousand islands that compose the nation, as well as by the lack of disaster planning.
Total damage is estimated to be nearly $460 million, which accounted for nearly 62% of the GDP. But in total, the reconstruction of the everything that was damaged was around 1 billion dollars.[3]
Notes
edit- ^ "www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv".[permanent dead link]
- ^ "The President proclaims State of Emergency following National Disaster". 26 December 2004. Archived from the original on 12 March 2005.
- ^ Shaw, Rajib; Pardasani, Manoj (January 2006). "Tsunami reconstruction and redevelopment in the Maldives". Disaster Prevention and Management. 15 (1): 79–91. doi:10.1108/09653560610654257.
External links
edit- Maldives Disaster Management Centre Archived 4 January 2005 at the Wayback Machine
- Photos from Malé, Maldives
- Blog with photos and thoughts from Maldives
- British Foreign Office advice for the Maldives.