Somalia Field Survey after the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

Abstract

The 26 December 2004 tsunami severely affected Somalia, with some 300 deaths at a distance of 5,000 km from the epicenter of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake. Somalia's physical characteristics allowed a detailed assessment of the far-field impact of a tsunami in the main propagation direction. The UNESCO mission surveyed five impacted towns south of the Horn of Africa along the Puntland coast in northern Somalia: Eyl, Bandarbeyla, Foar, Xaafuun, and Bargaal. The international team members visited Somalia during 2–10 March 2005. The team measured tsunami runup heights and local flow depths on the basis of the location of watermarks on buildings and eyewitness accounts. Maximum runup heights were typically on the order of 5–9 m. Each measurement was located by means of global positioning systems (GPS) and was photographed. Numerous eyewitness interviews were recorded on video.