Using landscape analysis to assess and model tsunami damage in Aceh province, Sumatra

The nearly unprecedented loss of life resulting from the earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004, was greatest in the province of Aceh, Sumatra (Indonesia). We evaluated tsunami damage and built empirical vulnerability models of damage/no damage based on elevation, distance from shore, vegetation, and exposure. We found that highly predictive models are possible and that developed areas were far more likely to be damaged than forested zones. Modeling exercises such as this one, conducted in other vulnerable zones across the planet, would enable managers to create better warning and protection defenses, e. g., tree belts, against these destructive forces.