Searching on Natural Disasters
by Mike KrumboltzSep 30, 2009
The recent natural disasters in Samoa, Indonesia, and the Philippines have killed hundreds of people and left many homeless or missing. As emergency crews respond and the damage continues to be assessed, we've noticed huge Web searches from the curious and concerned. Below, a rundown of the most popular questions and answers.
What happened in Samoa?
At 6:47 a.m. on Tuesday, a tremendous earthquake struck about 120 miles south of the Pacific islands of Samoa and American Samoa. The quake, an 8.0 on the Richter scale, caused a tsunami. Giant waves quickly crashed down on the islands. According to federal disaster officials, "tens of thousands of people" are in desperate need of help. President Obama has declared it a "major disaster" for American Samoa, and says the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is "working with emergency responders in the region." There have been a slew of searches for "samoa earthquake" and "samoa map."
What happened in Indonesia?
On Wednesday morning, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck western Indonesia. According to the AP, at least 75 people have died and thousands have been trapped by falling buildings and landslides. Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters that it is hard to tell just how many people have perished because of the "heavy rain and blackout," but he expects the death toll to rise sharply. In the aftermath of the quake, searches soared on "indonesian earthquake," "jakarta" (the country's capital), and "Sumatra Island," where many Indonesians have perished.
What happened in the Philippines?
This past weekend, Typhoon Ketsana hit Southeast Asia, causing massive flooding and hundreds of deaths. The death toll has passed 300, according to a recently updated article from AFP. In the aftermath, we noticed a surge of lookups on "typhoons vs. hurricanes." According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization, a hurricane applies to storms that form over the Atlantic Ocean. A typhoon refers to storms in the Pacific. Additional searches included "philippines floods" and "typhoon ketsana." Related queries on "who names typhoons" spiked, as well. The answer to that, according to USA Today, is surprisingly complex.
How does a tsunami work?
When an earthquake strikes in the middle of the ocean, a tsunami often follows. The ocean's floor rumbles, water surges, and deadly waves can travel for hundreds of miles until they find land to crash into. LiveScience explains the specifics in layman's terms: An earthquake causes the earth's crust to lift suddenly and "act as a giant paddle." The Daily Telegraph writes that predicting a tsunami is "near impossible." That energy is transferred to the water, and a tsunami is born. One of the deadliest tsunamis in history struck on December 26, 2004 off the coast of Indonesia. Over 130,000 people died and thousands more went missing.
What's the difference between Samoa and American Samoa?
American Samoa and Samoa are geographic neighbors with different governments. As you can guess by its name, American Samoa is governed by the United States. It has about 65,000 citizens. Samoa, on the other hand, is an independent nation with a population of around 178,000. According to official site of the United Nations, it became independent of New Zealand in 1962. Samoa was admitted into the UN in 1976.
