Georgia
Institute of Technology Savannah
Field
Surveys of the December 26 Tsunami:
Indonesia to Somalia
SAVANNAH (April
12, 2005)—Coastal regions from Southeast Asia to East Africa
were severely affected by the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami,
which was generated by an earthquake of magnitude Ms 9.0 off the West
coast of Northern Sumatra. Three months after the massive tsunami
hit eleven Indian Ocean countries, the death toll stands at more than
273,000. How do engineers and scientists collect field data after
such a catastrophic event? And what impact will the collected data
have on the preservation of life and infrastructure in future catastrophic
scenarios?
Dr. Hermann Fritz, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental
Engineering at the Savannah campus of Georgia Tech, will help to answer
these questions in a public lecture to be held at noon on April 26,
2005 on the campus of Armstrong Atlantic State University.
In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, Dr. Fritz was part of International
Tsunami Survey Teams (ITST) covering the northern tip of Sumatra,
the south coast of Sri Lanka, and selected islands of the Maldives.
Dr. Fritz was also the lead investigator on the first scientific team
to work in Somalia, where research focused on the ravaged Puntland
Coast.
Through photographs and video accounts, Dr. Fritz will explain how
the research data collected after the tsunami, including wave heights
and periods and water run-up and inundation distance along the shoreline,
will help to provide not only a detailed picture of the event but
also aid in computer modeling and prediction techniques for future
events. The effects of the tsunami on the shoreline and infrastructure
in the near and far field of the epicenter, along steep and shallow
coasts as well as coral atolls will also be discussed. This event
is free and open to the public.
The ITST members were supported by the Earthquake Engineering Research
Institute (EERI), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
and Georgia Tech Savannah.
Field
Surveys of the Indian Ocean Tsunami
April 26, 2005 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Armstrong Atlantic State University, University Hall, room 156
Related Links:
Georgia Tech Savannah: www.gtsav.gatech.edu
Dr. Hermann Fritz: www.gtsav.gatech.edu/cee/faculty/fritz.html