TO INDIAN OCEAN
TSUNAMI MAIN
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Video footage of the tsunami hitting Banda Aceh

View Sumatra Panorama Shot

View Dr. Borrero's notes
Dr. Jose Borrero of the University of Southern California Tsunami research group recently returned from the Aceh province of Northern Sumatra, one of the areas hardest hit by the tsunami and earthquake. The map below shows the areas where he collected data and took photographs.
Travel to the site was made possible by grants from the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and the National Science Foundation. Logistical support and support on the ground were made possible by the National Geographic Society.

01_000014 View towards the sea at Idi.	01_000018 Prawn hatcher at Idy. The wave did not spill into the prawn tanks, ~ 2m elevation, 50m from shore.	01_000019 The beach at Idi, note the long jetty in the distance. Locals said the Navy gave a warning for them to evacuate. The wave come to Idi 1.5 hours after the earthquake.
01_000022 Despite low wave heights, the wave penetrated several hundred meters inland and destroyed the front row wooden houses.	02_000008 Riding to school.	02_000017 Local girls near a refugee camp.
02_000025 Paneraja. The wave swept across a rice paddy, to the highway in the distance.	02_000030 Panteraja house damage.	03_000005 Central Aceh convenience store.
03_000009 Coming into Banda Aceh	03_000015 The tower at the Grand Mosque, Banda Aceh.	03_000020 Boats slammed into a bridge in central Banda Aceh.
03_000022 Looking towards the ocean from the bridge.	03_000025 The bridge, note the railing smashed in from the impact.	03_000027 Jose on the bridge.
03_000034 A body in the debris, Banda Aceh.	04_000004 Banda Aceh in ruins.	04_000015 Debris on 2nd story balcony.
04_000017 Body bags in Banda Aceh.	04_000025 Banda Aceh. Looking directly into the flow direction, the ocean is over 3 km away.	04_000028 Wave removed roof tiles to maximum flow depths. Note 5 m staff
04_000030 Salvaging what they can.	05_000004 This area had many low houses and aquaculture ponds. Would natural mangrove forests have lessened the tsunami impact?	05_000012 Debris on balcony.
05_000026 View to central mosque from sea shore. full zoom on a 300 mm lens.	05_000027 View to mosque, wider angle, 70 mm lens.	05_000035 Debris on balcony.
07_000004 Overturned freighter at Lhoknga	07_000012 Bark stripped from trees to nearly 15 m. Lhoknga	07_000019 Barge and tugboat on the beach, Lhoknga

07_000022 Cement factory at Lhoknga	07_000023 Vegetation stripped away from mountain side at Lhoknga.	07_000025 A survivor tells the story of losing his entire family.
07_000027 The clearing. Note the men holding a 5 m staff. I estimate 15 m runup.	07_000034 Standing at the edge of the trim line. 15 m? maybe 20 m? The barge and tug with the capsized freighter in the background.	08_000011 Debris on a bridge support, 8 m above still water level.
09_000012 Structural damage, Banda Aceh.	09_000023 An emu that survived, Uleele, Banda Aceh.	09_000030 Uleele water front area, Banda Aceh.
10_000010 Capsized freighter. Lhoknga	10_000012 Trees uniformly removed by tsunami along the Sumatra west coast.	10_000014 Trim line.
10_000015 Overwashed area.	10_000030 Inland overwash.	11_000015 Overwashed headland.
11_000016 Overwashed headland.	11_000032 US Navy Seahawk	11_000033 Jose Borrero on board a US Navy helicopter.
12_000010 Banda Aceh, east side.	12_000030 Boat on house, Banda Aceh.	12_000031 Debris at 5 m, banda Aceh.
13_000011 Mosque, western Banda Aceh.	13_000021 Elephants used for clearing debris.	13_000022 Feeding elephants.
13_000025 Local crew.	13_000026 National Geographic: Jeff Swimmer, Jeff Streich, Jose Borrero (USC), Dan Cesareo.