Earthquake and Tsunami

Tsunami related documents for reference

Rapid Assessment Report of the Impact of the Tsunami In The Maldives

Executive summary

1.      The tsunami that struck on the morning of the 26^th December 2004 was the worst disaster to have ever hit the Republic of the Maldives - 82 people lost their lives, and a further 26 people are still missing. Of the 200 inhabited islands, available data indicates that 69 were completely flooded, 17 were half flooded, and 27 and 24 suffered one third and minimal flooding respectively. In 51 islands, an estimated 4,000 homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed.

2.      The Government responded to this disaster immediately, providing a free food distribution to all islands within days of the disaster, as well as providing other non-food items and tents together with other aid agencies, NGO’s, and the private sector.

3.      The objective of this assessment was to rapidly provide a description of the impact of the tsunami on food security, and to determine if there are people in need of food assistance, the response and targeting options, and any other longer-term assistance needs for WFP and partners.

4.      Within these parameters, this assessment drew on secondary data to categorize islands by broad economic activities, and post-disaster data to ascertain levels of damage that would have had an economic impact on people’s purchasing power. Secondary data was used to estimate the numbers of people in the islands involved in different types of income generating activities, and field visits and focus group discussions on the islands were conducted to ascertain how these have been impacted on by the tsunami.

5.      The assessment categorized 199 islands (the capital Male’ was excluded) into 4 areas: Category 1, in which more than half the population was displaced (13 islands) due to loss of homes and large scale flooding; Category 2, where there has been complete or more than half flooding and / or large structural damage (82 islands), and where the greatest numbers of people likely to require assistance would be found; Category 3, where between a third and a half of the islands were flooded (23 islands) and in which some people may have been affected; and Category 4, which had minimal flooding and little to no structural damage (81 islands), where monitoring to ensure that no negative effects of the tsunami begin to manifest themselves on people’s livelihoods.

6.      Key findings indicated that in the 13 (Category 1) islands where displacement has occurred, all people irrespective of economic activity would require assistance. Almost all houses have been lost - people are crowding into tents or with other families thereby increasing the risk of disease outbreaks, and strain is being placed on water, sanitation, and other facilities and resources of the host communities. IDP’s have been identified as one of the most vulnerable groups, and would require immediate and continued assistance until they can return and rebuild their homes, or be resettled elsewhere. An estimated 12,000 people fall into this category.

7.      In terms of economic profiling of the population, those families that are unemployed and are not receiving remittances are considered to be the extreme vulnerable, as they will be relying on other members of the community for their needs. Those families that rely on agricultural production have lost seeds, tools and fertilizers, and water and arable land has currently become too salty for agriculture – until these two resources have been desalinated, there is little scope for these people to produce income. Small skilled artisans that require power tools, such as carpenters, welders, and seamstresses have either lost their tools and equipment or it has been damaged by salt water – they have little other income generating options until this equipment is replaced, and few skills to pursue alternative livelihood options in the short term. Families that dry and process fish for the Male’ and export markets have lost some or all of their equipment, and will be facing economic hardships until this equipment has been replaced. All these groups should be considered vulnerable to the current situation, and would require support to get their livelihoods back on track.

8.      Those families from the agricultural, skilled artisan, fishing, or fish-processing groups that have secondary or other sources of income are also vulnerable to loss of income and as such food insecurity, but to a lesser degree than those families who pursue the same activities yet as their primary income source.

9.      A third group of people were identified – those who had a regular source of income, or who would not require specialized tools to pursue livelihood activities and could benefit from the reconstruction that is about to take place. Government employee’s and public service workers, those involved in construction or working in tourist resorts, traders, and those families that are receiving remittances from outside of the islands fall into this group. Although these people have also been affected by the tsunami, will face economic trials in rebuilding their homes, and would benefit from any relief efforts, they nonetheless still have a source of income that the other groups may not.

10.   The most appropriate and immediate to longer-term response for all of the affected populations would be through cash based employment, linked to reconstruction. Cash injected into the island economies will boost people’s purchasing power, stimulating trade and the flow of goods and commodities required for people to rebuild homes and livelihoods. Credit and loans schemes for those that need to replace lost tools and equipment are essential, particularly if this equipment will be used in reconstruction efforts. However, many people are concerned that they would be unable to take a second loan, if they have an outstanding debt from the time before the tsunami.   

11.   Cash based employment has already started in most islands by the Government, the private sector, and national and international NGO’s. During the time it takes to establish and implement these programmes, and in the lead time for people to be paid and benefit from this income, food assistance would be beneficial in the immediate short term for vulnerable people to act as a safety net and alleviate expenditures from limited financial resources. Such food assistance though, should be limited in duration, clearly targeted, and phased out according to vulnerability and livelihood profiles once the benefits from cash based programmes are realized. Food for work schemes will not be appropriate for the most part, and food support should be given freely.

12.   The Government is currently giving a second free food distribution to an estimated 36,000 people that are displaced and have lost their homes, tools and equipment, or those that have damages to houses, although the level of damage has not been defined. This is also the same group of people that received a free cash payment in January. Beneficiary figures have been determined by the Ministry of Planning, and will be revised as the situation changes. At this stage, there is no Government decision on whether they will continue free food or cash distribution after January.

13.   During the time that it takes for WFP food stocks to arrive in the Maldives, WFP could play a role in assisting the Government to target and monitor their own in-country stocks, and phase out food distributions as cash based programmes begin to take effect and benefit the most vulnerable. WFP could then replace these stocks, and furthermore, should give consideration to replacing some Government stocks distributed freely immediately after the tsunami.

14.   In total, an estimated 29,000 vulnerable people would benefit from food assistance in the interim period whilst cash based employment schemes begin and money starts flowing through the island economies. These people are to be found throughout islands categorized as 1, 2, and 3, and will comprise of various livelihood profiles.

15.   In the 13 Category 1 islands where mass displacement has occurred, food assistance would be beneficial to 12,000 people irrespective of livelihood group.

16.   In those 82 islands that fall into Category 2, food assistance would be beneficial to families that are unemployed and have no family support, agriculturalists, manufacturers, and three quarters of the fish processors. An estimated 14,500 people would benefit from such assistance to alleviate limited household cash resources and income, and act as a safety net during the time it takes to establish cash employment, credit, and loans.

17.   Vulnerable groups that could benefit from food interventions in the 23 islands in Category 3 would be the unemployed with no remittances, agriculturalists, half of the manufacturers and a quarter of the fish processors. A total of 2,200 people would benefit from this assistance.

18.   Given the loss of fresh foods from the diet, and the likelihood that there will not be great improvements until agriculture is re-established, the provision of high energy fortified biscuits to schools will help to mitigate against the loss of essential nutrients amongst school children.

19.   The remaining 81 islands that fall into Category 4 should be monitored by the Government to ensure that no negative changes in food security occur.

20.   In the absence or delay of cash employment schemes, WFP should revisit its phase out strategy to ensure that the most vulnerable groups do not unnecessarily suffer food shortages, and to arrest possible further nutritional deterioration.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A special and deeply felt acknowledgement is given to all the people on the islands who talked about the tsunami and its effect on their lives to the assessment team.

The team would like to thank the Government of the Republic of the Maldives for their assistance and cooperation during this assessment. In particular, for their time and information, representatives of the Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources, the Ministry of Atolls Development, the Ministry of Tourism, and the National Statistics Department. From the latter, Aishat Shahuda and Ahmad Nihad are especially thanked for their time and provision of data. The team would also like to thank and acknowledge all the staff in the Disaster Management Centre that so willingly shared data and their knowledge and understanding of the situation from the field reports being received. 

Steve Collins is gratefully acknowledged for his invitation to join the OXFAM assessment in Thaa and Laamu atolls and for his involvement and participation in this assessment. FASHAN, SHE, and the CARE Society are also greatly acknowledged for their involvement and assistance in conducting this study during the island visits. Save the Children UK are thanked for their discussions over the findings, and for their thoughts in formulating and drawing conclusions from the assessment.

For their logistical support and facilitation in liaising with various Ministries and the National Disaster Management Centre, UNDAC, UNICEF, and UNDP Maldives are thanked.

For their assistance in the preparation and analysis of the Vulnerability and Poverty Analysis 2004 data used in this study, a special thanks and acknowledgement is given to Karen van der Wiel and Judith Poleon. For her contributions and inputs into the impact of the tsunami on nutrition, Nina Kolbjornsen from WFP is acknowledged.

The team would also like to thank all those others that have assisted and facilitated the work in this study, and reviewed and provided invaluable comments and feedback prior to the finalization of this report.

1. Background

The Republic of Maldives is an archipelago state, located 600 kilometers south of India. It comprises of some 1,200 islands grouped in 26 atolls, which straddles the equator from north to south across 500 miles of the Indian Ocean.

Only 200 islands are inhabited, most of them small and with an average population of around 1,000 or less people. Very few of these islands are larger than one square kilometer, are low lying and have an average elevation of 1.6 meters above sea level. They are surrounded by fragile coral reef systems and lagoons, and given their low elevations, are vulnerable to the surrounding expanse of the Indian Ocean.

As of mid-2004, the population of the Maldives is 270,000, of which an estimated 74,000 live in the capital Male’, and the remainder throughout the Republic on 199 inhabited islands. The country’s economy was primarily based on fisheries, although this has been changing rapidly in the last two decades in favour of tourism and other tertiary sectors. The potential for other economic activities such as agriculture and industrialization is limited, due to the lack of resources such as fresh water, physical space, and labour.

The Republic of the Maldives is divided into 20 administrative units, also referred to as atolls. Each atoll has an atoll chief, who handles all atoll-based administration, and facilitates and works on behalf of other central Government authorities. Each inhabited island has an island chief, who handles all island-based administration on behalf of the atoll office.

On the 26^th of December 2004, a powerful earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale ripped through the seabed off the western coast of Indonesia’s northern island of Sumatra. Less then three and a half hours later, a second quake, measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, occurred near the Nicobar islands of India. These earthquakes triggered tsunamis that wreaked havoc across most of the coastal areas in the region, with waves travelling over 2,500 kilometers to surge over the Maldives that same morning. Waves between 1 to 3.7 meters high were reported all over the archipelago.

This was the worst disaster to have ever hit the Maldives, and 82 people – mostly children and women – lost their lives. A further 26 people are still missing.

The tsunami flooded most of the 200 inhabited islands, destroying homes, health facilities, infrastructure, roads, harbours and jetties. Water tanks, electricity supplies, and communication networks were destroyed. On some islands, agricultural crops, fishing facilities, food and fuel stocks were simply washed away. On some islands, the devastation is complete – there are no structures left standing, just piles of rubble and debris littered across the island, outlining the course of the waves. Here, islanders reported that the tsunami struck from three sides at once, the waves converging in the centre and crushing all in its path. The tsunami also occurred at low tide. Had it happened at high tide, the situation may have been completely different – an additional 6 feet of water would have been added to the height of the waves. Given the low lying elevations of the islands, one can only wonder at what this would have implied for people living on the islands.  

The Government response to the tsunami was instantaneous. Almost immediately, contact was made with all atoll offices to get a handle on the situation and to determine the status of people on the islands. Where communications to the islands were lost, boats were launched to establish contacts and ascertain the extent of the disaster. Communications and task force centres were established in Male’ and the atoll offices, to collect and relay information to prioritize and determine the most needed responses. Within days, the Government had distributed food and other essential commodities to all the islands. Many individuals and the private sector including resorts and businesses responded in kind, sending food, clothes, and other essentials to people in need. In Male’, the Government established a crisis centre and was managed around the clock by the Ministries and volunteers, collating data and passing information on immediate requirements to islands that were most affected.

At the same time, WFP launched a series of rapid assessments throughout the region in those countries that were most affected by the tsunami. The purpose was to ascertain whether people were in urgent need of assistance, and what the medium term requirements would be. This report covers the findings of the rapid assessment mission sent to the Maldives, and aims to broadly outline the types of responses that could be used to address the immediate to mid-term need over the next few months. A more detailed and in-depth assessment as a follow through to ascertain the long-term impacts of the tsunami on livelihoods is required. It must also be noted that in mid-2004, an in-depth Vulnerability and Poverty Assessment (VPA) was launched by UNDP and the World Bank on behalf of the Government. This data is now currently under analysis, the findings of which will give a deeper understanding of the pre-tsunami situation, against which the impact of this disaster can be measured in greater detail in the future.

2. Objectives of the assessment:

The main objective of this rapid assessment was:

      To provide a description of the impact of the tsunami on food security, and to determine if there are people in need of food assistance, the response and targeting options, and any other longer-term assistance needs.

3. Methodology:

The assessment structure can be broken down into three main activities:

     Determining which type of people live where, or broad livelihood grouping based on primary sources of income, and how the tsunami has affected them

     Determining which islands have been most affected,

     Determining which population groups and estimating how many may be in need of assistance

3.1: Determining which type of people live where and how they have been affected

Given the large spread of islands and the length of time required to cover all these islands, it was decided to group islands according to the most important income generating activity used by the majority of the islanders, from available secondary data. The capital of Male’ has been excluded from the assessment.

Using the 2000 Population Census data set, five island groups were created based on the percentage of the workforce on individual islands involved in certain income-generating activities (agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, construction, retail and trade, tourism, transport and communication, community and social services, and business). All islands were then placed into one of five categories, namely those where the workforce was predominantly involved in fishing, agriculture, manufacturing, community and social services, and a combination of these.

Once on the islands, in-depth interviews were held with atoll and island chiefs, focus group discussions from people with similar livelihood patterns, and individuals to verify the grouping of these islands. These groupings and the impact of the tsunami on the people living in these islands were verified through in-depth assessments in the first islands visited together with Oxfam. Further rapid checks were also conducted on other islands in Laamu, Thaa and Meemu atolls, together with a representative of the Ministry of Atolls, Oxfam, and two local NGO’s - CARE Society and Social, Health and Education (SHE).

Overall, it was found that islands were consistently grouped into their most predominant income generating activities as per the 2000 Population Census, and patterns on the impact on livelihoods and income generation from the tsunami were emerging. However, further work was required to refine the definitions on manufacturing, and community and social services as these categories were somewhat blurred – it was noted that this was the case on the islands that were either the atoll capitals, or were located right next to them, resulting in more urbanized activities being combined with fishing/agricultural ones.

Shortly after the return of the first missions, the raw VPA 2004 data[1] was made available to the team which provided a far more updated information set. Furthermore, islands were already grouped by island chiefs according to the most predominant income generating activity in the island. These were broken down into 7 broad categories – fishing, agriculture, manufacturing, construction, trade, Government and public works, and tourism. A review of the initial grouping together with the data collected from the island visits against the VPA 2004 found that the former closely matched those of the latter, yet the VPA 2004 had clearer definitions. It was then decided to use the more updated VPA 2004 categories (see Annex 1 – Table 1).

3.2: Determining which islands have been most affected

Within days after the tsunami, field reports began arriving from the islands indicating the estimated extent of damages. These reports provided information on a wide range of indicators, such as jetties, harbours, the number of boats lost, and so on. For this analysis, two key areas - namely structural damage (i.e. destroyed buildings) and flooding - are being used as proxies to define which areas and populations will have been affected in the short to medium term.

This data used in this part of the analysis was last updated on the 2^nd January 2004, after which further updates where not made available to the public.

3.3: Determining who has been affected and estimating population numbers

The consultancy team working on the VPA analysis provided a breakdown of the estimated number of households involved in one of 14 livelihood types based on income (or lack of) sources, for each island. Although these figures were weighted to be representative of the islands, the sampling size on many of the islands was 10 households. It was felt that this would be too specific when trying to estimate the number of people affected at an island level.

Thus, the mean was taken of all households involved in these 14 livelihood activities, from all the islands grouped by their primary livelihood activities (see Annex I – Table 2). These means were then applied to the total population of each island according to their livelihood status, and aggregated up to the atoll level.