Papua New Guinea tsunami
On July 17, 1998, a devastating tsunami struck the northwest coast of Papua New Guinea, following a 7.0 magnitude undersea earthquake. The earthquake occurred near the coast, leaving little time for warning systems to alert villagers, resulting in catastrophic consequences as waves up to 33 feet high surged toward the shore at dusk. The affected region, particularly around Sissano Lagoon in West Sepik Province, saw significant destruction, with reports estimating around 2,500 individuals dead or missing and thousands left homeless. Many of the casualties included children and vulnerable populations who were unable to reach safety in time.
In the aftermath, survivors faced immense challenges, with bodies scattered and decaying in the tropical heat, leading to makeshift burial efforts. International aid began to arrive, though logistical difficulties hampered relief efforts. Communities rallied as survivors sought to rebuild their lives amidst the ruins of their homes. The tsunami not only devastated the physical landscape but also left deep emotional scars on the affected communities, highlighting the resilience of the people of Papua New Guinea in the face of such a tragic event.
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Papua New Guinea tsunami
Tsunami
Date: July 17, 1998
Place: Northwestern Papua New Guinea
Result: 2,000 dead, 500 missing
On July 17, 1998, an undersea earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck about 18 miles (29 kilometers) off the northwest coast of Papua New Guinea. Although seismological stations in the South Pacific measured the tremor, the earthquake erupted under the seabed so close to the coast that there was no time to send warnings to villagers to evacuate.
Starting as long, silent ripples on the deep waters of the Bismarck Sea, the waves swept toward the shore at dusk. They gathered height and power as they neared the beaches around Sissano Lagoon in West Sepik Province. At that point, they were up to 33 feet (10 meters) high and sounding, some said, like a jet plane taking off. The waves crashed over the thatched wooden houses as villagers were preparing dinner. “We just saw the sea rise up and it came toward the village and we had to run for our lives,” said a man who lost 8 members of his family.
The Death Toll. The population of the affected area, a strip of land about 25 miles (40 kilometers) long and 370 miles (590 kilometers) northwest of the capital Port Moresby, numbered between 8,000 and 10,000. At least 6,000 people were homeless after their houses were reduced to matchwood by the tsunami. The governor of West Sepik Province said, “I am looking at a very conservative figure of 3,000 people dead, based on the number of bodies recovered so far and the number of people seen hiding in the jungle. I’ve had a look and all there is are bodies. The stench is overpowering.” A Roman Catholic priest echoed the governor’s estimate. He said that many of those killed were children who had been too small to run away and too weak to climb coconut trees to safety before the waves engulfed them. The area disaster coordinator said that the village of Warapu alone had a death toll of 500, mostly elderly people and schoolchildren. “Schools in Arop, Sissano, and Warapu will be closed because we don’t have the children. They’re all dead,” he said. The final count would be 2,500 dead or missing.
Papua New Guinea is the eastern half of the large island of New Guinea and a former British colony. It has been a member of the British Commonwealth since 1975, when Australia, which administered the country on Britain’s behalf, granted it independence. Queen Elizabeth II sent a message of sympathy to the region. “She said she was shocked at the tidal wave and that her thoughts were with the families of the bereaved and injured,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.
Relief Efforts. A week after the disaster, the official death toll was 1,500, but thousands remained unaccounted for. Bodies, some partly eaten by crocodiles, dogs, and pigs, were still being spotted in the lagoon and nearby mangrove and bush areas. With many of the bodies quickly deteriorating because of the tropical heat, bereaved families dug makeshift graves in the rubble of their homes. There were no coffins. The dead were simply covered with straw matting. While 700 injured were being treated in local hospitals and by doctors and nurses flown in from Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, numbed survivors gathered in makeshift aid centers. Some parents had lost all of their children. Other victims had been unable to find a single family member alive. Approximately 200 children who were visiting one of the villages for a traditional festival were feared dead, swept away in an instant.
Many of the survivors, fearing more waves, took refuge on higher ground. Some walked for four hours through dense jungle to villages that lay inland. Devastation lay behind them. Village huts, some built on the sandy shoreline shaped by a 1935 tsunami, had been ripped from the ground. The region’s lack of airstrips meant that Australian Army Hercules planes ferrying in medical supplies and a mobile field hospital had to land in Vanimo, the provincial capital, about 69 miles (110 kilometers) west of the disaster zone. Their cargo was then reloaded onto small planes and helicopters to be taken to the centers where aid workers and church officials cared for survivors.
Several days after the disaster, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) flew into the area sixteen water tanks that had been shipped from Australia the previous year for drought victims. Helicopters carried another twenty of the 317-gallon (1,200-liter) tanks into accessible areas of the rugged country. The area surrounding the lagoon and the worst-hit villages of Sissano, Warapu, and Arop were sealed off to stop the spread of disease from decaying corpses. However, some people from the vanished villages were already asking aid workers for axes and bush knives so they could rebuild their homes and vegetable plots on their traditional lands.
Bibliography
Geist, E. L. “Source Characteristics of the July 17, 1998, Papua New Guinea Tsunami.” EOS/Transactions of the American Geophysical Union 79, supp. (1998): 571.
Monastersky, R. “How a Middling Quake Made a Giant Tsunami.” Science News 154 (August 1, 1998): 69.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. “Waves of Death.” Science News 154 (October 3, 1998): 221.
Satake, Kenji, ed. Tsunamis: Case Studies and Recent Developments. Springer, 2006.
Tappin, David R. “Sediment Slump Likely Caused 1998 Papua New Guinea Tsunami. ”EOS/Transactions of the American Geophysical Union 80 (July 27, 1999): 333.