The risk of intense tsunamis in the Pacific

Australian and international experts are warning that last year's earthquake in Padang, Indonesia, killed more than 1,000 people, has created favorable conditions for the formation of another potential tsunami. The risk of more devastating damage is directed at this country.

Professor John McCloskey from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, said that the September 2009 earthquake at Padang was not a big earthquake that scientists had predicted. Instead of relieving pressure between strata, this earthquake even made the situation worse and could cause another tsunami in this area within the next 10 years.

Shocking tsunami in 2004.

According to Professor McCloskey, the number of people affected by the massive tsunami may occur in the coming time than the number of victims in the Indian earthquake and tsunami in late 2004, in Indonesia has the largest number of victims.

"We are really concerned about another earthquake of magnitude 8.5 or even greater in West Sumatra, and such an earthquake will create a tsunami," McCloskey said . Although the tsunami may be significantly smaller than the tsunami in 2004, it may have a similar or even greater impact, in terms of the number of victims killed. "

Australia's tsunami expert, Professor James Goff of the University of New South Wales, said most scientists agree with the statement. He said: "The tsunami comes with the risk of killing many people. Obviously if you experience a major earthquake and then a tsunami with a relatively large devastation, then houses that have been damaged in structure or partially destroyed will be further destroyed ".

Australian and foreign experts are urging governments to ensure that delays in remittance relief to Haiti after the recent earthquake have not recurred in the event of a natural disaster. with other large scale.

Professor McCloskey said that it is possible to predict the location and extent of the next earthquake and the world should be better prepared. Countries should set up groups of doctors and stockpiles of relief supplies, ready to deploy anywhere in the world within 12 hours of the disaster. He said: "There are many doctors and nurses who are willing to volunteer for such jobs and we need to organize them. Haiti is a terrible example."

Even so, Professor Goff thinks it's just an idea and there's always a lot of difficulty in accessing the area that needs to be supported, such as congested roads, airports being destroyed and not having. helicopter to bring relief supplies to the place of disaster. The world needs to set up volunteer relief teams, always on duty and ready to respond when required.

The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience./.