(AFP Photo)
'Solomons quake raises island from sea', reports Michael McKenna for The Australian:
A mountainous island has been lifted several metres out of the sea by the tumultuous seismic jolt that triggered the devastating Solomons tsunami. Ranongga Island is now surrounded by a moonscape of dying white and brown coral that has been exposed by the remarkable phenomenon that has extended the shoreline out to sea by up to 100m.
...
Villagers have been shocked by the aftermath of the seismic impact, which has uncovered the once-submerged reefs that their boats easily cleared until Monday's quake. One of the many sunken Japanese military vessels that litter the seabed around the island has also been uncovered - a relic of the area's fierce fighting between Allied and Japanese forces during World War II.
...
Solomons' geologists late yesterday also inspected the island, which has a lush, mountainous spine and appears to have been lifted between two and three metres out of the surrounding pristine waters.
...
"People are very scared on the island. They don't know if this is temporary or permanent and if they should leave," he said.
... In some parts, the shoreline has extended out to sea by up to 100m, with the waves now lapping the uncovered reef which rings the island.
Ranongga Island is a long, narrow, rugged island in the Western Province. The earthquake and tsunami has caused dramatic physical changes which are likely to have a psychological/emotional impact on the people of Ranongga - imagine waking up to find that the environment you've always known like the back of your hand has changed beyond recognition! Further, these changes are affecting livelihood security, as locals were heavily reliant on the reefs for fishing and shells for tools (here), . Livelihood security may also be negatively affected by a drop in tourism.
3 comments:
I'm not sure I agree with your focus on the negative effects here. It seems to me that since there is no chance of the island returning to "normal", the focus should be on how the islanders can survive, adapt, and eventually even make the most of the extra land area they've been given.
The city where I live, Wellington, was hit by a massive earthquake in 1855. It was terribly destructive at the time, but the extra flat land is vital today. It's hard to imagine the old coastline, which is now flanked by blocks of office buildings, and it would have been impossible to build an airport in Wellington if not for the raising of the land by several metres. Was the earthquake a disaster, or an opportunity?
Phil - I don't mean to be focusing on the negative effects, however they are (unfortunately!) more easily discerned from this distance than are the capacities, coping mechanisms etc of local people.
I have no doubt that the local people are incredibly resilient, but given that I've never been outside Guadalcanal, let alone to Ranongga, it's a bit hard for me to know what their specific coping mechanisms might be, or the opportunities that might be opened up by this.
BTW - thanks for the link!!
Post a Comment