TSUNAMI

Photo from  www.heritage.nf.ca/ environment/plate9.html

Erica, Connor ,Caroline & Michael

A Tsunami is even worse then a TORNADO!  A Tsunami is a giant tidal wave that comes in from the ocean.  Newfoundland is an island completely surrounded by the Atlantic ocean.  Many people have oceanfront properties or live very near the ocean.   So islands such as ours are in danger IF a tsunami ever hits.  So much damage can occur and even lives can be lost.

We had two Tsunamis in Newfoundland a long time ago. Tsunamis  can drown thousands of people in one minute!!! A Tsunami can wash away a Province in a mila-second!!!!!!!!Tsunami's  are like under-water earthquake's.  Tsunami's killed  MORE then 28 people in  total and 50 cases of sick and injured in Newfoundland.  When  it hit in 1929,  it was only a very small community on the Burin Peninsula.  The second community  was even smaller called LeMaunch. So we have been very lucky not to have suffered a bigger catastrophe. .                                                                                                               

Tsunami's are kind of like a tornado in that tornado's cause floods,and so do tsunami's ,but tsunami's don't come with the special effect of a thunder-storm!!A tsunami comes with the special effect of  murdering waves.Tsunami is a Japanese word with the English translation for "harbour wave".Represented by two characters ,the top character"tsu" means"harbour", while the bottom character,"nami" means" wave".Now a THAT's a super shock effect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The Indian Ocean Tsunami generated by most powerful  earthquake in decades on December 26 is believed to have killed 150,000,imagine if THAT hit      Newfoundland,it would be a total wipe-out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    In 1999 ,10 meter high white-caps smashed the breakwater to pieces in Lord Cove.In the place where the tsunami's hit, houses were being towed away from the wreckage of houses, streets and unfortunate   people.In the picture below,a house is washed up on shore.

Photo from www.mun.ca/.../2004-2005/ jan27/research.html