Acehtsunami

If the first part of a tsunami to reach land is a trough known as drawback, rather than a wave crest. The water along the shoreline recedes dramatically, exposing usually submerged areas.

A drawback generally occurs because the tectonic plate on one side of the fault sinks suddenly during the earthquake, causing the overlaying water to propagate outwards with the trough of the wave at its front. This is why there would not be any drawback when the tsunami traveling on the other side arrives ashore, as the tectonic plate is “raised” on that side of the fault line.

Drawback starts to begin before the wave arrives at an interval equal to half of the wave’s period. If the slope of the coastal seabed is small, drawback can exceed about hundreds of meters. People who are unaware of the danger sometimes remain near the shore to satisfy their curiosity or to collect fish from the exposed seabed. During the Indian Ocean tsunami, the sea withdrew and a number of people went onto the exposed sea bed to investigate. Photos show people walking on the normally submerged areas with the advancing wave in their background.

It has been planned and designed as a symbolic reminder of the disaster, as well as an educational centre. In addition it will also serve as an Emergency disaster shelter in case the area is ever hit by a tsunami again.

Aceh served as home for more than half the 240,000 people who died in the disaster. The outburst of aid which followed was the largest in history. Almost all that aid money has now been spent - gone to pay for more than 130,000 houses and thousands of kilometers of road, bridges, as well as schools, and other infrastructure.

Yet this new museum building, paid for by Ache’s Reconstruction Fund, breaks with the tradition of post-disaster construction.

Thunderstorms and Lightning

1 . Facts About Thunderstorms
2 . Facts About Lightning
3 . How Can I Protect Myself From a Thunderstorm or Lightning?

All thunderstorms are dangerous. Every thunderstorm produces lightning. In the United States, an average of 300 people are injured and 80 people are killed each year by lightning. Although most lightning victims survive, people struck by lightning often report a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms. Other associated dangers of thunderstorms include tornadoes, strong winds, hail, and flash flooding. Flash flooding is responsible for more fatalities—more than 140 annually—than any other thunderstorm-associated hazard.

Dry thunderstorms that do not produce rain that reaches the ground are most prevalent in the western United States. Falling raindrops evaporate, but lightning can still reach the ground and can start wildfires.

Facts About Thunderstorms

1 . They may occur singly, in clusters, or in lines.
2 . Some of the most severe occur when a single thunderstorm affects one location for an extended time.

3 . Thunderstorms typically produce heavy rain for a brief period, anywhere from 3 0 minutes to an hour.
4 . Warm, humid conditions are highly favorable for development.
5 . About 10 percent of thunderstorms are classified as severe—one that produces hail at least three-quarters of an inch in diameter, has winds of 58 miles per hour or higher, or produces a tornado.

Facts About Lightning

1 . Lightning’s unpredictability increases the risk to individuals and property.
2 . Lightning often strikes outside of heavy rain and may occur as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall.
3 . “Heat lightning” is actually lightning from a thunderstorm too far away for thunder to be heard.     However, the storm may be moving in your direction!
4 . Most lightning deaths and injuries occur when people are caught outdoors in the summer months during the afternoon and evening.
5 . Your chances of being struck by lightning are estimated to be 1 in 600,000 but could be reduced even further by following safety precautions.
6 . Lightning strike victims carry no electrical charge and should be attended to immediately.

Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Every state is at some risk from hazard.

Some tornadoes are clearly visible, while rain or nearby low-hanging clouds obscure others. Occasionally, tornadoes develop so rapidly that little, if any, advance warning is possible.

Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still. A cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible. Tornadoes generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm. It is not uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.

The following are facts about tornadoes:

1 . They may strike quickly, with little or no warning.

2 . They may appear nearly transparent until dust and debris are picked up or a cloud forms in the funnel.

3 . The average tornado moves Southwest to Northeast, but tornadoes have been known to move in any direction.

4 . The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 MPH, but may vary from stationary to 70 MPH.

5 . Tornadoes can accompany tropical storms and hurricanes as they move onto land.

6 . Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water.

7 . Tornadoes are most frequently reported east of the Rocky Mountains during spring and summer      months.

8 . Peak tornado season in the southern states is March through May; in the northern states, it is late    spring through early summer.

9 . Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., but can occur at any time.