The power of the sea is awesome. Its large waves have three tons of pressure per square foot. A wave ten feet high and one mile wide has more than three hundred million pounds of power, a force equal to an atom bomb. In Search of s4e1 … Tidal Waves, 1979
They are born miles below the surface underneath the seemingly tranquil ocean floor. Strong underwater disturbances such as a volcanic eruption may generate a tsunami. Underwater earthquakes are the most common cause of a tidal wave. Unsolved Mysteries: Tsunami Spirits, Netflix 2020
On March 11 2011 a massive tsunami devastated the coast of the Tohoku region of Northeastern Japan. Nearly 20,000 lives were lost. In the months that followed, hundreds of strange encounters were reported. ibid.
Maximum height of the tsunami: 131 feet; Confirmed dead: 15,854; Still missing 2,533. ibid.
‘In June 2011 and I started hearing rumours of ghosts. By October there were dozens of them. So I started documenting people who had supernatural experiences.’ ibid. journalist
‘When he [taxi driver] looked back the passenger was gone. There were several taxi drivers who had similar experiences. In all these cases, the meters would continue to log their travels giving us evidence of these ghostly phenomena.’ ibid. lecturer
An earthquake in the Indian ocean has triggered a massive tsunami. The 2000s: The Decade We Saw It All III, National Geographic 2017
2004: It’s Sunday morning on a paradise island in Asia. Home to 40 mission people. Just offshore lies one of the largest geological faults on the planet. Scientists have been studying it for decades hoping to understand its seismic behaviour. Then the biggest quake for 40 years rocks the region. Seconds from Disaster s3e7: Asian Tsunami, National Geographic 2006
Freak waves destroy entire communities. ibid.
Northern Japan, March 11th 2011: The earthquake continues for 5 minutes. It’s felt 230 km away in Tokyo … The most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan. Seconds from Disaster s5e1: Fukushima, National Geographic 2012
The first news pictures show widespread devastation throughout the north of the county. ibid.
Fukushima Power Station bears the full force of the Tsunami … A massive aftershock rocks the plant; almost immediately the building which houses Reactor No. 1 explodes … An even larger explosion blows the building that houses Reactor No. 3 … And the very next day another explosion causes a huge fire in Reactor building 4. ibid.
1963, Italy: An alpine landslide … For thousands who live in the shadow of Europe’s tallest dam, unaware of the unfolding spectacle, it’s already too late. Investigators uncover an astonishing plan to control an unstable mountainside. Seconds from Disaster s5e3: Mountain Tsunami
Chunks of Monte Toc slip towards the reservoir … A 70-metre high wall of water swamps Longarone and sweeps on down the valley flattening buildings, killing hundreds … It managed to kill more than 2000 people. ibid.
In 2004 the deadliest tsunami in modern times hit Southeast Asia. It would change the lives of those who survived forever. Tsunami 2004: The Day the Wave Hit, Channel 4 2024