2004 INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI IN THE MALDIVES

flooded Maldives airport,

On December 26, 2004, Maldives suffered severe damage as a result of a massive tsunami triggered by a powerful underwater earthquake off the coast of Indonesia. The tsunami killed at least 82 people in the Maldives and caused $470 million of damage. It occurred at the peak of the tourist season. The tsunami struck the Maldives at around 9:30am local time. Residents had felt the earthquake but thought little of it. The Death toll included two British tourists. The Maldives' tourist and fishing industries were severely damaged. About 10 percent of the population lost their homes. The government said the disaster set back development work by 20 years. The estimated price tag for reconstruction was around $1 billion — double the country’s annual gross domestic product. [Source: “Gale Encyclopedia of World History: Governments”, Thomson Gale, 2008; Ismail Humaam Hamid, Maldives Independent, April 8, 2015]

The Maldives rises only a few feet above sea level, but it is largely protected by outlying coral reefs. Even so, the tsunami swept across the reefs and was reported to have washed over some islands entirely. The capital and many tourist resorts in the Maldives were flooded. Astonishingly, relatively few people were killed. The country was likely protected from the full force of the tsunami by its reefs. [Source: National Geographic News, January 7, 2005]

Impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami on the Maldives
Dead: 82; Missing: 26; Total: 108
Displaced: — 11,231
Damaged or Destroyed Buildings: 6,000
Estimated Cost: US$0.5 billion
Estimated Recovery Cost: US$0.4 billion [Source: Reuters, December 16, 2009]

The government said the entire population was affected and development was set back two decades. While there was not the huge loss of life like that suffered in other areas, buildings and infrastructure were badly damaged. One in three people and half the homes were affected. Infrastructure in some places was completely destroyed. Ten percent of the islands were made uninhabitable.

Geology, Topography and Environmental Impact of the 2004 Tsunami on the Maldives

tsunami wave hieghts on different islands of the Maldives Researchgate

The Maldives are located about 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) west of the epicenter of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake that caused the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami .The massive undersea earthquake (magnitude 9.2) occurred about 9:00am local time in Indonesia. Tsunamis generated by the tectonic shift traveled across the Indian Ocean, reaching the Maldives in about 3.5 hours later.

The tsunami-generating underwater earthquake was 324 kilometers (180 miles) south of Indonesia's Sumatra island. Waves reaching 6 meters (20 feet) were absorbed by Maldives' coral reefs before they could severely damage the atolls. The northernmost and southernmost islands suffered the brunt of the damage. More than 20,000 residents were left without homes [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations”, Thomson Gale, 2007]

The waves flooded two-thirds of Male, the capital. Some low lying islands were completely submerged, including some where major resorts were located. Thirteen islands were abandoned because all buildings were destroyed and the fresh water supply was contaminated by seawater. [Source: Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis, 2007]

The Maldives is so low that tsunami water swept over nearly every inch of the entire nation. There was no high ground — or even dry ground — to run to. The Maldives were not hit by destructive waves like the ones that struck Indonesia and Thailand. Rather the tsunami waves were like rising surges of water that swamped the islands. Islanders said the were no waves. Rather it felt like the islands were sinking. It took about five minutes for the water to surge and retreat.

In the Maldives coral reefs seemed to have suffered only minor damage. Pollution was the main environmental threat. According to Reuters: The waves destroyed disposal sites and swept away rubbish, toxic chemicals and debris from wrecked buildings, scattering them across many islands. The government says 36 islands may have been hit by sewage contamination and clean-up will take years. The giant waves also caused widespread damage to the coast and initial reports estimated more than 10 million square meters of beach on 130 islands have been eroded. [Source: Dean Yates, Reuters, June 19 2005]

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Damage in the Maldives from the 2004 Tsunami

Thirteen islands were completely evacuated after the tsunami and 70 others experienced disruptions of water supplies and electricity. Seventy-nine islands lacked safe drinking water, 26 had no electricity and 24 had no telephones and four islands lost all communications. The infrastructure on 20 of the islands was “completely destroyed.” Harbors, jetties and sewage systems were destroyed. More than 12,000 people were left homeless. The southern and central atolls suffered the worst damage. Almost all of Huura, an island located north of the main island of Male, was submerged. Beaches, palm trees, houses and boats — and perhaps most importantly thousand of tons of sand — were all swept away.

Hinnavaru Island Lhaviyani: measured tsunami flow depths and surveyed locations on a pre-tsunami satellite image provided by the Maldives Disaster Management Center. Researchgate

The international airport was made unusable. Two thirds of Male was flooded. A government spokesmen told Reuters, “The damage is considerable. The island is only about three feet above sea level and a wave of water four feet high swept over us.” The government declared a national disaster.

The tsunami in 2004 wiped out of 62 percent of the GDP of the Maldives By contrast Hurricane Katrina reduced the GDP of the United States by 0.5 to 1 percent. Despite the disaster, the Government of the Maldives held parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for December 31, on January 22, 2005. Reform candidates performed strongly. Following the poll, President Gayoom announced plans to establish multiparty democracy within a year. [Source: “Countries of the World and Their Leaders” Yearbook 2009, Gale]

Damage could have been much worse were it not for reefs protecting the islands. The Maldives were father from the earthquake than Indonesia or Thailand but not that much further than Sri Lanka, The reefs were credited with absorbing much of the shock of the waves. The government was given credit for making such a strong effort to protect its coral reefs. The reefs themselves emerged from the disaster largely unscathed.

The long term effects in the environment of the Maldives were minimal. A report on the Maldives by the Australian government concluded: “There has been surprisingly little change to the reef flats, beaches and islands. There is also good news for the Maldivian fishing industry, with the tsunami causing little change in fishing conditions.” The study said that while the rising waters were destructive to building they had little impact on the islands themselves.

Flooding in Malé from the 2004 Tsunami

Two-thirds of Malé, the Maldives capital, was flooded by a series of tsunami waves. "The damage is considerable," Ahmed Shaheed, the chief government spokesman said. "The island is only about three feet (one meter) above sea level and a wave of water four feet (1.3 meters) high swept over us. It is a very bad situation. It is terrible," Shaheed said after a tour of the capital. [Source: Reuters, December 27, 2004]

Reuters reported that initially the international airport was unusable. President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom declared a national disaster and appeal for international assistance. The Maldives is already threatened by rising sea levels associated with global warming. "We still face the threat of sea level rise," he said. "There is encroachment of the sea on many islands, there is erosion of our beaches. We are trying to get reports from those areas. The whole of the Maldives is a tourist area so we are just hoping and praying."

Damage on the Worst Hit Maldives Islands After the December 2004 Tsunami

Male flooded by the tsunami

On 1.6-kilometer-long, 300-meter-wide Kolhufushi water surged over the eastern side of the island, crashing through banana and mangrove groves, destroying homes and a 100-year-old mosque. One resident told the New York Times, “I thought the whole island was going to go....If it had lasted any loner, everything would have been swept away. Everyone would have perished.” The resident said he watched people swept out to sea as the water surged and saw some pulled back to land as the water retreated. He clung to a coconut tree in water that reached his chin. Sixteen of the island’s 1,230 residents died or went missing. Most were under 11 or over 60. All but five of the islands 174 houses were made inhabitable. The banana and mango groves were badly damaged by salt water poisoning.

Kandolhudhoo was turned into a “ghost island.” It was completely deserted. Homes were wrecked; communications were cut off; wells were contaminated with sea water. A U.S. Marine that was part of the relief team that visited the island told AP, “I was in Fallujah last summer and saw the devastation and damage there. But it was surgical and aimed at specific targets. Here it’s total, Everything is gone.”

Kandolhudhoo is less than a kilometer square. Some said that surge of water was three meters high. Three people were killed and 50 were injured. The entire population of 3,500 was evacuated. A week after the tsunami, debris from ruined houses, pieces of televisions and toys, and rotting fish stranded by the retreating water covered the streets.

Damage to the Resorts in the Great Tsunami of 2004

Twenty-one of the 87 resorts on the Maldives were closed. The Soneva Fushi in Baa Atoll and Banyan Tree Maldives Vabbinfaru in western North Male Atoll remained open. Soneva Gili on North Male’s Lanknfushi Island was closed because of widespread damage. The sea inundated most of the Four Season Resort Maldives at nearby Kuda Huras. Most of these reopened within a couple of months.

The White Sands resort & Spa was one of the worst hit islands. A tw0-meter-high tsunami wave appeared suddenly and was strong enough to send a surge of water through the resort and push guests against the walls of their rooms. Six people were injured but no one was killed. All the furniture and appliances were washed away. Guests had to sleep on the beach until they were airlifted out.

Over 17,000 foreign tourists were in the Maldives when the tsunami struck. It was the height of the Christmas-New Year season. Beachfront bungalow were flooded; their windows and balconies were shattered; power and communications was knocked out. Thousands were evacuated by hastily arranged charter flights.

The worst hit resorts were those on the eastern side of the Maldives, the side facing the tsunami. Several Italian soccer players, including A.C. Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi, Milan captain Paolo Maldini and Juventes defender Gianluca Zambrotta were in the Maldives when the tsunami struck. They were unhurt.

Jet Li, His Children and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in the Maldives

The action star Jet Li was vacationing in the Maldives when the Indian Ocean Tsunami struck. For a while it was reported that he might be dead but it turned out he only injured his foot as he protected his four-year-old daughter and nanny from tsunami waves that flooded his hotel. Associated Press reported: Li was with his daughter in the hotel’s lobby when huge waves gushed into the hotel, the Apple Daily newspaper reported, quoting a friend vacationing with Li: He slightly injured his foot while picking up his daughter. Ming Pao Daily News reported Li struck his foot against a floating piece of furniture. Afterwards li said is world view changed, and he started a foundation dedicated to disaster relief. [Source: Associated Press, December 29, 2004]

In 2008,Li wrote in Newsweek: On Dec. 25, 2004, I arrived very late at night at the Four Seasons hotel in the Maldives with my wife and two youngest daughters, who were then 1 and 4. It was dark out, but you could still sense how beautiful and peaceful the island was...The next morning, at 7:50, I felt the earth move. I knew it was an earthquake, because I'd already been in several in China and San Francisco, and I didn't really think much about it. My daughters were very excited to go to the beach, so we set off earlier than planned, at around 10:10. We were just outside the hotel, by the pool and slightly above the beach, when I saw the water come. [Source: Newsweek, October 6, 2008]

It wasn't like in the movies, with a giant wave rolling toward you; the water just rose very fast, covering sunbathers on the sand. People started running toward the hotel, but they were still laughing. I picked up my 4-year-old, Jane, while the nanny took Jada, and we turned toward the hotel. In that instant, the water rose to my knees.

I took two steps and the water was at my hips. Two more, and it was at my chest. Then it was just under my nose. I put Jane on my shoulder and was trying to hold on to the nanny's hand; she was struggling because her head was already underwater. I turned back, and everything—the beach, the swimming pool—was gone. I was just standing in the ocean, in nothing.

I tried to hold on to the nanny, but the water was strong and pushed her and Jada away from me. Luckily, I'm famous and people knew I was there. They'd been looking at me. I shouted at the top of my lungs for help, and four guys swam toward us and saved Jada and the nanny. And I was OK; the water didn't go any higher than my mouth.

In those few seconds after a disaster strikes, you don't have time to think—you just move forward and instinct kicks in. When the wave was gone, there was nothing left. The electricity was down, all communications were down but for the hotel's satellite phone, and we were told we had water for five days and food for three.

That night, everybody camped in the hotel lobby. I held Jada as she slept in my arms, but I couldn't sleep myself, and I had a lot of time to think. I thought that if God had saved me, it must mean something. That day in the Maldives was a real turning point for me. I had spent the first 41 years of my life thinking about Jet Li first, wanting to prove I was special, wanting to prove I was a star. Everything I'd done was self-centered. In that lobby, however, I saw people of different colors, speaking different languages, helping each other. It was very much like in the movies, with people putting women, children and the elderly first, and I thought that if everybody helps, if everybody does a little bit, it will make a big difference.

Jet Li Decides to Set Up His Charity After His 2004 Tsunami Experience in the Maldives

Li wrote in Newsweek: I also realized that all the money and power in the world would not have saved me from the water. That night I decided that I couldn't wait until I was retired; I had to do something right away. A few days later I announced my plans to start the One Foundation. Still, I didn't quite know where to begin. I wanted to do something in China first, because that's my home country, but I also had to do it right. So it took me a couple of years to do some research and talk to people to understand what could be done there.[Source: Newsweek, October 6, 2008]

I finally set up the One Foundation in 2007. My formula is very simple: one person + one yuan per month = one big family. That is, if everyone contributes a little it will unite us. Sure, governments and companies have responsibilities for ordinary people, but I want to spread the belief that every human being has a responsibility too. It's not just when you've made your millions, when you're a captain of industry or a star. It starts with everybody, with just a little help.

At this stage, the One Foundation is primarily about helping with disaster relief. Since we started, we've already been involved with seven disasters, including the Sichuan earthquake. I chose disaster relief because of what happened to me in the Maldives. Usually when a disaster strikes, you hear about it, you see the pictures and then you donate. This means it can take days or weeks before help reaches those who need it desperately. I want to be prepared. I want to have some money already set aside, to buy food and water, so we can act immediately.

And it's not only about material things. People need to know that someone will come and help them. I know this from experience. You need to hang on and hope you're going to be rescued; we want to show people that help is on the way. I've taken a year off from filmmaking to dedicate all my time to the foundation. But I plan to go back to work next year, since being an international actor is a good platform for promoting the foundation. For me it's not just about raising money but also about changing people's beliefs, spreading a love virus. I want to use my name to do good, to give back to the world. Nothing is more important than this now.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons, United Nations

Text Sources: National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Encyclopedia.com, Library of Congress, Live Science, The Conversation, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Google AI, Wikipedia, The Guardian and various websites, books and other publications.

Last updated June 2026