The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the economies of some of the affected countries

Abstract

Avalanche literature exists on the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami even from the economic perspective. However, these studies are not done using historical  tools of analysis and most of them are not academic in nature and also lack in-depth analysis. This paper is a departure from extant studies. It takes a  historical analysis of the phenomena of the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 and its implications on the economy of the affected countries. It is an attempt  to narrow the existing historiographical gap on the subject. Using extant literature and oral historical sources, it affirms, the indispensable nexus  between the Tsunami and catastrophe of the affected areas; with specific attention to agriculture and related livelihoods, tourist industries,  manufacturing industries, wildlife, and transportation industries, et cetera. Besides the paper analyses the international response to the catastrophic  tidal waves. Evidence threw up leads to the major conclusion that, the tsunami truncated the economic activities leading to economic destruction and retardation in the affected countries. Given the debilitating economic challenges associated with the tsunami, the paper suggests, among others, a more proactive involvement of the universities and scholars in studying catastrophic events and disaster management with the hope of averting its future  occurrence, the installation of scientific earthquake and tsunami detecting gadgets so that early warning could be issued to people to run to the higher  ground when the need arises.