Archive:Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Somalia
Villages and coastal communities in Somalia, as far as 4,500km (2,800 miles) from the epicenter of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake were swept away and destroyed by the resulting tsunami on December 26, 2004. As of January 5, 2005 the confirmed death toll stood at 298, of whom 142 were lost when the wave hit land and 34 when a boat at sea overturned. 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 area, especially the northeastern peninsula of Hafun, 1150km (715 miles) northeast of Mogadishu, in the region of Bari. In Puntland, rising waters engulfed the town mosque of Brava and the villages of Beyla, Garacad, Muduy and Nugaal were reportedly destroyed. Around 12 tons of rice, maize and vegetable oil were delivered to Hafun on December 30, four days after the earthquake. Previous attempts to deliver aid failed after trucks were unable to pass tsunami damaged roads near Foar. The main bridge which connects the Hafun peninsula to the mainland was washed out. The twelve tons were then transferred onto two four-wheel drive vehicles that managed the 60km trip from Foar to Hafun in seven hours. The UN warned that the tsunami had worsened the situation after four years of drought in northern Somalia and further aid is desperately needed. The UN reported that the water destroyed 1,180 homes, smashed 2,400 boats and rendered freshwater wells and reservoirs unusable.
Much of the remote 1,000km (600 mile) coast is controlled by various clan-based militias, making obtaining accurate information difficult. The transitional Somali government is based in Nairobi, Kenya because the capital city of Mogadishu is too unsafe.
External links
- Somali tsunami death toll climbs, Mail and Guardian, 2 January 2005