|
|
| View Thumbnails | View Slides |
Papua New Guinea Tsunami, July 17, 1998 |
| On the evening of Friday July 17, 1998, a magnitude Ms 7.1 earthquake occurred near the northwest coast of Papua New Guinea 850 km (510 miles) northwest of Port Moresby, the capitol of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The earthquake, which occurred at 6:49 pm local time (08:49 GMT), was followed by a series of three catastrophic tsunami waves that devastated the villages of Sissano, Warupu, Arop (1 and 2) and Malol on the north coast of PNG killing at least 2,182, injuring 1,000, and displacing more than 10,000 people. |
|
The sand spit where the two Arop villages once stood. In the foreground are remains of a septic tank. The wave removed almost all other traces of the several hundred houses that stood on the sand spit. Photo credit: Hugh Davies, University of PNG |
|
Air photo of the Sissano Lagoon spit near the lagoon mouth. The Arop village of Otto was located near here. The spit averages about 100 m in width and is no higher than a few meters in elevation above sea level. The tsunami overtopped the spit and washed the villages on it into the lagoon. Note debris in the lagoon. Here damage extended further from the coast because lagoon waters helped to transmit tsunami energy as far as 1.3 km from the coast, snapping off mature mangroves one to two meters above the water level. Photo credit: National Mapping Bureau of Papua New Guinea. |
|
Air photo taken east of the lagoon and Arop villages #1 and #2. Before the tsunami, transportation from the Arop villages to Malol and Aitape was mainly by boat through the marsh areas seen here. The tsunami penetrated about 0.5 km inland in this area. The yellow areas near the edge of the inundation zones are tree trunks. Photo credit: National Mapping Bureau of Papua New Guinea. |
|
In the lagoon, looking toward the ocean at the Arop #2 village site. Prior to the tsunami, the spit was densely vegetated and it would have been difficult to see through to the other side. Several grave sites can be seen on the spit. Photo credit: L. Dengler, Humboldt State University |
|
On the spit looking toward the coast, at Arop #2 village site. A grave site is in the center right on top of the berm. The tsunami caused extensive erosion on the back side of the spit. More than a meter of sand was removed from the area where the small pond is now located. One to two meters of material were removed from the lagoon side of the spit. This was caused by the combined effect of the tsunami crossing and high current velocities set up within the lagoon when the tsunami entered. Photo credit: L. Dengler, Humboldt State University |
|
The sand spit where the Arop village stood. Waves flattened house foundation posts and younger coconut palms. A pool of water near the lagoon marks a depression where cavitation effects of the waves have removed houses and soil. Photo credit: Hugh Davies, University of PNG |
|
Looking back toward the coast from about one-fifth km inland near the Arop school site. Tsunami sand was deposited more than 650 m inland at this location. Tsunami deposits were gray colored sand typically overlying brown, rooted soil. The sand particles were larger near the shore. In places, plants were bent over and buried by the sand or removed entirely by the tsunami. Photo credit: L. Dengler, Humboldt State University |
|
Palm trees snapped by the tsunami near Arop village #1. This view is looking inland from the coast. The tree in the foreground is about five meters from the high tide mark. Coconut palms that remained in the ground after the tsunami will survive. Photo credit: L. Dengler, Humboldt State University |
|
Damage to mangroves on the back side of the lagoon, opposite Arop village #2. This location is about one km from the coast. The tsunami had sufficient energy to snap the mangrove branches, clear out undergrowth, and deposit debris ten meters inland from the lagoon edge. Many survivors were swept into these areas and waited for twelve hours or longer before rescue efforts began. Photo credit: L. Dengler, Humboldt State University |
|
The top frame is the 76-year-old church at Sissano Mission, photographed in 1990. The bottom frame shows all that remained after the event -- a concrete slab. The wave swept inland from right to left. After the initial influx of water, the flow turned towards the west (from left to right in the photograph) as the water escaped into back-beach ridges and channels west of Sissano. A collapsed two-story classroom building can be seen on the far right of the photo. A classroom building that was only slightly damaged is on the left of the photograph (in the background). It was almost 400 m from the shoreline. Photo credits: Father Eugene McKinnon, OFM; Hugh Davies, University of PNG |
|
Broken house poles are all that remain of Arop. Photo credit: L. Dengler, Humboldt State University |
|
The remains of the District Office (government office) at Sissano Government Station, between Nimas and Warapu. The in-ground septic system and the basal layers of a concrete-brick water tank remain. Photo credit: Hugh Davies, University of PNG |
|
All that remains of Warapu School were three concrete slabs. The steel pins that tied the walls to the slab were bent horizontally when the wave flattened the walls. Photo credit: Hugh Davies, University of PNG |
|
Arop Community School was located 550 m from the shoreline. The wave drove inland across forested swamp and plantation land towards the school, cutting a swath through the trees. It stopped at the school buildings, flowing through the school at a height of about 70 cm. Photo credit: Hugh Davies, University of PNG |
|
Arop Community School viewed from the sea. Although most trees between the canoe canal and the school were uprooted by the wave, the coconut palms near the shore remained standing. Photo credit: Hugh Davies, University of PNG |
|
Looking back towards the sea from near Arop Community School. Water-filled craters remain where 30 m trees were uprooted. The tsunami stripped the ground of all vegetation and deposited sand. Photo credit: Hugh Davies, University of PNG |
|
The village of Teles, between Malol and Aitape, was on the outer edge of the wave. Photo credit: Hugh Davies, University of PNG |
|
Aluminum dinghy at Nimas, the easternmost of the Sissano group of villages. The dinghy moved westward when the water that had accumulated in Sissano Lagoon returned to the sea. Photo credit: Hugh Davies, University of PNG |
|
A two-story wooden school building that stood near the church at Sissano Mission was carried 65 m by the wave until caught by a grove of coconut palms. The lower floor of the building collapsed, but the upper floor class rooms were preserved. Schoolwork was still hanging on the wall. Photo credit: Hugh Davies, University of PNG |
|
Drawing by a child survivor of the tsunami. Dr. Gillian Hills of the University of Papua New Guinea took a group of psychology students to the area to assist in counseling after the tsunami. This is one of a series of drawings by her students. The straight lines represent the house stakes that were tossed about in the water. The circles show the sense of "wheel-wheelum," a PNG pigeon term for being caught in a large wave and spun around. Photo credit: L. Dengler, Humboldt State University |