Ashkenazi Isaac, Shemer Joshua
Medical Services and Supply Center, Medical Corps, Israel Defense Forces.
Harefuah. 2005 Mar;144(3):154-9, 232.
On December 26, 2004, the fourth strongest earthquake over the past century struck in the Indian Ocean off the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Measuring 9.0 in magnitude, the earthquake triggered massive tsunamis that struck the Indian Ocean countries and Somalia, and killed more than tens of thousands and destroyed entire villages, leaving over a million homeless. Tsunamis are water waves that are caused by sudden vertical movement of a large area of the sea floor during an undersea earthquake. Tsunami speed can exceed 800 kilometers per hour, and as it reaches shallow water the height of the wave drastically increases. There are two natural warning signs of a possible tsunami: the earthquake itself and later, in the minutes preceding a tsunami strike, the sea often recedes temporarily from the coast. Despite these warning signs and despite a lag of up to several hours between the earthquake and the impact of the tsunamis, nearly all of the victims were taken completely by surprise. One of the most common myths associated with natural disasters is that dead bodies are responsible for the spread of epidemics. This article discusses the myths that often lead authorities and others to take inappropriate action, and presents valuable lessons to be learned from this catastrophic disaster.
2004年12月26日，上世纪第四强烈的地震在印度尼西亚北苏门答腊岛西海岸外的印度洋发生。这场地震震级为9.0级，引发了巨大的海啸，袭击了印度洋沿岸国家和索马里，造成数万人死亡，整个村庄被摧毁，超过100万人无家可归。海啸是由海底地震期间大面积海底突然垂直移动引起的水波。海啸速度可超过每小时800公里，当它到达浅水区时，浪高会急剧增加。可能发生海啸有两个自然预警信号：地震本身，以及稍后在海啸袭击前几分钟，海水常常会暂时从海岸退去。尽管有这些预警信号，而且地震与海啸影响之间有长达数小时的时间差，但几乎所有受害者都完全措手不及。与自然灾害相关的最常见的误解之一是尸体是传染病传播的原因。本文讨论了常常导致当局和其他人采取不当行动的误解，并介绍了从这场灾难性灾难中吸取的宝贵教训。
