Numerical investigation of future tsunami hazard on Sri Lanka From the earthquakes of Sumatra-Andaman region

Abstract

The mega event of Indian Ocean Tsunami 26th December 2004, stressed the need for assessing tsunami hazards in vulnerable coastal areas in Sri Lanka. Two major areas of the management of disaster prevention are to evacuate people in the coastal area to safer areas as soon as possible and pre-modification of coastal structures to resist the tsunami waves effectively. Often the only way to determine the potential run-ups and inundation from a local or distant tsunami is to use numerical modeling, since data from past tsunamis is usually insufficient. It then might be possible to use such simulations to predict tsunami behavior immediately after an earthquake is detected. This paper consists of results of the numerical models of 26th December 2004 Tsunami and three other possible Tsunamis in this region which eventually can be used to create inundation and evacuation maps to minimize future damages.