Tsunami Facts

A series of traveling waves generated by an earthquake below the ocean floor. The wave may have sufficent energy to travel across entire oceans. Tsunamis steepen and increase in height on approaching shallow water and can surge over low-lying coastal areas causing severe damage, as in Sri Lanka on Dec 26, 2004.

The first wave came shortly after the dogs, water buffalo, cats, cows, elephants and goats had headed inland.  It was about six feet (2 meters) above normal and flooded the low-lying areas of the beach. The next wave, a few minutes later at 8:57 am on December 26, 2004, was the largest. In places, it was taller than the palm trees along the shore.

You can imagine the force locked into a wave that large. Over 24 feet tall (8 meters) and moving at 500 km (300 mph) across the Indian Ocean, then encountering the land mass known as Sri Lanka.  The third & fourth waves were ½ the size of the second. It was all over within 10 minutes.