The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Somalia: Hafun and the Puntland coast

In short

At 00:58 UTC on 26 December 2004 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off Sumatra, Indonesia. About 7.5 to 8 hours later its tsunami reached Somalia, 5,000 km away. It killed some 300 people and destroyed shelters, houses, water sources, fishing boats and gear (Fritz and Borrero, Earthquake Spectra 22(S3): S219–S233, 2006).

The hardest-hit stretch was 650 km of coast between Garacad (Mudug) and Xaafuun (Bari), in Puntland. About 18,000 households were "directly affected and in need of urgent humanitarian assistance" (Fritz and Borrero 2006, pp. S219–S220).

The waves

A UNESCO survey team visited Eyl, Bandarbeyla, Foar, Xaafuun and Bargaal from 2 to 10 March 2005 and measured watermarks and debris lines (Fritz and Borrero 2006, pp. S219–S221).

• Arrival. Witnesses put the first waves at about noon local time: 8:30 UTC in Bandarbeyla, 9:00 in Foar and Bargaal, 9:45 in Xaafuun.
• Number. At least four waves came in every town. In Xaafuun four "powerful waves" came about 12 minutes apart.
• Height. Maximum run-up was typically 5 to 9 metres. The highest measured was almost 9 metres at Bandarbeyla. A witness at Eyl described an even higher point on a cliff.
• Duration. The sea took 3 to 7 hours to return to normal.
• Tide. The main waves arrived near low tide. At high tide they could have run up to 2 metres higher (p. S231).

The survey found the run-up heights in Somalia were roughly double those in Oman to the north and Madagascar to the south (p. S222).

Hafun

The town of Xaafuun (Hafun) sits on a low sand spit joining the Hafun peninsula to the mainland. It "was completely flooded, with depths of up to 2 m". Nineteen bodies were recovered and 160 people were presumed missing: "the highest number of casualties in a single African town" (Fritz and Borrero 2006, p. S222).

The World Food Programme said the town's 4,500 people "seem to have lost all their possessions" and were left without shelter, water, food or medicine. Two WFP trucks with 31 tonnes of food were stuck 60 km away because the road had been destroyed (Mail & Guardian / AFP, 30 December 2004). Hafun's history as an ancient port is told on the ancient port of Opone, Ras Hafun.

The dead and the needy

• Deaths. Somali authorities reported nearly 300 deaths. Humanitarian agencies disputed the figure (Al Jazeera / AFP, 4 March 2005). The UNESCO survey gives "some 300" (Fritz and Borrero 2006).
• Fishermen. By 30 December at least 40 fishermen were confirmed dead and more than 60 missing after their dhows capsized (Mail & Guardian, 30 December 2004).
• People in need. WFP first estimated 30,000 to 50,000 people "in need of immediate relief" (Mail & Guardian, 30 December 2004).

Washed-up waste

In March 2005 the UN Environment Programme said there were "indications that hazardous waste, radioactive waste, chemical waste and other substances" dumped on the Somali coast had been damaged by the tsunami. Its spokesman reported villagers' accounts of "mouth bleeds, abdominal haemorrhages, unusual skin disorders and breathing difficulties" (Al Jazeera / AFP, 4 March 2005).

Outside Somalia

The same tsunami killed people across the Indian Ocean. The survey team gives a total death toll of about 300,000 (Fritz and Borrero 2006, p. S219). The wider event is described on Wikipedia, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, including its effect on Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka train wreck.

Sources

• Fritz, H. M. and Borrero, J. C. (2006). Somalia field survey after the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Earthquake Spectra 22(S3): S219–S233. doi:10.1193/1.2201972.
• Mail & Guardian / AFP (2004). Tsunami: 30,000 Somalis in need of aid, 30 December 2004.
• Al Jazeera / AFP (2005). Tsunami exposes Somalia toxic waste, 4 March 2005.
• Wikipedia. 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.