NICEE Remembers the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake
on its 20th Anniversary

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the M9.2 earthquake, which had its epicentre near Aceh, Sumatra (Indonesia). This event is commonly referred to as the Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake, as it caused significant damage to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to both the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami waves, which reached heights of up to 10 meters. The earthquake resulted in substantial changes to the landscape of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, characterized by lateral shifts and subsidence. It killed about 10,000 people in India, mostly children and women in Tamil Nadu.

The impact included extensive damage to modern reinforced concrete buildings, port and harbour infrastructures, and bridges. Areas in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala also experienced damaging effects from tsunami waves that reached their coastal regions. This event brought to light issues concerning the implementation of national seismic codes for earthquake-resistant design, especially in public infrastructure projects, and the oversight of tsunami hazard preparedness. Lessons from this event continue to be relevant for improving safety measures in vulnerable communities.

A few reconnaissance reports and published articles about the earthquake effects and reconstruction program are listed below for further information.

• Slide show recalling the aftermath of the Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake
  

  - https://nicee.org/Sumatra-Andaman_EQ/slide_show/




• Reports on the Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake available at NICEE
  

  - Brief Report of the IIT Kanpur Reconnaissance Team on Study of the Earthquake and Tsunami Effect
  - Preliminary Report: "Recent Tsunami and Earthquake Devastation", Indian Concrete Journal, January 2005
  - Tsunami Special Report: " An introduction to Tsunami in the Indian Context", Indian Concrete Journal, January 2005
  - Effect of M9.0 Sumatra Earthquake and Tsunami of 26 December 2004
  - Learning from Earthquakes: The Great Sumatra Earthquake and Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 26, 2004

Pls visit the following pages on NICEE for some more aspects of Earthquake Engineering

• E-book version of Earthquake Tips:
  https://www.nicee.org/ebook/EQTips_Eng/

• Model building codes:
  https://www.nicee.org/IITK-GSDMA_Codes.php

• IITGN-World Bank Project on Seismic Codes:
  https://nicee.org/IITGN-WB_Codes.php

• Earthquake Engineering Education:
  https://www.nicee.org/npeee

• Confined Masonry Construction:
  https://www.nicee.org/confinedmasonry.php

Durgesh C Rai
Coordinator,
National Information Center of Earthquake Engineering (NICEE)
IIT Kanpur