Write a brief first-person paragraph that portrays your imagined experience of a
ID: 230791 • Letter: W
Question
Write a brief first-person paragraph that portrays your imagined experience of a tsunami on a beach. Describe the long-term effects and consequences of a tsunami. Consider changes in physical geography and cultures on both the local and global scale. List and describe how tsunamis affect people who do not live on a coastline. Do you think it is possible to make architectural changes to a shoreline to protect beachfront property from a tsunami? Explain your answer with examples and provide references.
Explanation / Answer
Extreme powers of nature always leave a negative effect on almost all phase of life. It was a winter day. I, my brother and cousins, were so bored and so we decided to go to the beach for just a relaxation. At around 3:00 pm we went to the beach.
On our way there, the weather seemed to change a little. In half an hour we reached our destination. We walked across the sandy beach to find a good place to sit. We couldn’t beat the sand beneath our feet because it seemed like burnt coal, so we rushed towards the cool water. We swam, splashed and then we sat on the light mat. We sat with our backs facing the ocean, except for my brother who sat across us. While we were eating, a sudden cool breeze came and that time the sun hide behind the dark clouds. I noticed a strange look on my brother's face. He was speechless, his eyes and mouth popped out. Suddeny he shouted lodly, “Wave!!!!!!!” “Wave!!!!!!!” “Wave!!!!!!!”. We observed a very huge wave coming toward the shore; it needed about a couple of minutes to reach us. Quickly we ran as all people were running up to the highway. We all split and everyone went into a direction. The huge wave arrived on the shore and smashed everything on there. My heart beat increased. After the situation calmed down, we looked around us and found the water rushed across the land and it swept away along with trees garden, buildings, cars, and other man made equipment.The water has left a trail of destruction that looks like an enormous bomb has exploded in the area.
It was the most shocking experiences in my life. Mother Nature always reminds us how powerful it is, and we can’t predict when it might give a visit.
The effects of a tsunami on a coastline can range from unnoticeable to devastating.
Tsunamis can overcome obstacles such as gulfs, bays and islands. Generally tsunamis arrive as a forceful rapid increase in water levels that results in violent flooding.
When Tsunami waves attack coastlines, it causes devastating property damage and loss of life. A small wave only a 20 centimetres high in the deep ocean may grow into a huge wave of 30m height as it sweeps over the shore. The effects can be further increased where a bay, harbour, or lagoon funnels the waves as they move inland. Large tsunamis have been known to rise to over 150 feet!
The amount of energy and water contained in a tsunami can cause extreme destruction when it strikes land.
The initial wave of a huge tsunami is extremely tall; but, most damage is not sustained by this wave. Most of the damage is caused by the huge mass of water behind the initial wave front, as the height of the sea keeps rising fast and floods forcefully into the coastal area. When the giant breaking waves of a tsunami enter the shoreline, they can destroy everything in their path.
Destruction is caused by two mechanisms: the smashing force of a wall of water traveling at high speed, and the destructive power of a large volume of water draining off the land and carrying all with it, even if the wave is not large.
Objects and buildings are destroyed. Large objects such as ships and boulders can be carried to several miles inland.
Tsunami waves destroy boats, buildings, bridges, cars, trees, telephone lines, power lines ie,every thing in their way. Once the tsunami waves enter on the shore they may continue to travel for several miles inland, sweeping away more trees, buildings, cars and other man made equipment. Small islands hit by a tsunami are left almost fully damaged. The buildings infrastructure in these poorer nations are not well and cannot withstand the impact of the tsunami. One of the biggest and worst effects of a tsunami is the cost to human life because unfortunately escaping a tsunami is nearly impossible. Hundreds and thousands of people are killed by tsunamis.People living in coastal regions, towns and villages have no time to escape. The violent force of the tsunami results in instant death, most commonly by drowning. Buildings collapsing, electrocution, and explosions from gas, damaged tanks and floating debris are another cause of death.
Tsunami waves and the receding water are very destructive to structures in the run-up zone. The areas close to the coast are flooded with sea water, damaging the infrastructure such as sewage and fresh water supplies for drinking.
Flooding and contamination of drinking water can cause disease to spread in the tsunami hit areas like coast and also to the other areas. Diseases such as malaria, cholera etc. arises and spread to all location. Under these conditions it is difficult for people to stay healthy and for diseases to be treated, so infections and illnesses can spread very quickly, causing more death.
Tsunamis also have a devastating effect on insects, animals, plants, and natural resources. A tsunami changes the landscape of the area. It uproots trees and plants and destroys animal habitats such as nesting sites for birds. Land animals are killed by drowning and sea animals are killed by pollution if dangerous chemicals are washed away into the sea, thus poisoning the marine life.
The impact of a tsunami on the environment may cause destruction to the man-made aspects of the environment. Solid waste and disaster debris are the most critical environmental problem faced by a tsunami.
Artificial structures can be constructed to protect coastal areas from tsunamis. One of the most effective methods of protection from a tsunami is trees.Some villages in India, for example, experienced a minimal destruction in the 2004 tsunami because they had planted trees along the coastline. For example,the village of Naluvedapathy was protected by about a kilometer of trees and so there is no direct damage from the tsunami. Even though this would be too many trees for many areas of the coastline, a moderate thickness of trees, especially those with deep roots and dense coverage, can protect effectively against tsunamis. Mangroves, are especially good at protecting areas from tsunamis, so a beach with mangroves on the shore and rows of trees behind it would be well-suited to withstand a tsunami.
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