Classes AER Important!
On December 26, 2004, a huge tsunami struck in the Indian Ocean. The tsunami started with an earthquake. Under the ground, energy that got bigger and bigger over hundreds of year suddenly and violently shook the ground. The earthquake was the largest on Earth in 40 years. The energy from the earthquake made ocean waves that traveled across the ocean and hit 11 different countries. When they hit the land, the waves were up to 15 meters (50 feet) high. It was one of the worst tsunami in history. Tilly Smith, a ten-year-old girl from Britain, was on the island of Phuket, in Thailand, with her family. The day the tsunami hit, Tilly and her family were swimming in the ocean and hanging out on the beach. Before the tsunami hit, the ocean was getting more violent. Tilly saw this and become very frightened. She remembered something she learned in school. Two weeks before, Tilly had an important class. Tilly’s teacher, Mr. Kearney, was teaching the class about earthquakes and volcanoes. They watched a video of a tsunami that hit Hawaii in 1946. Tilly remembered it, and was anxiously talking to her family about how dangerous tsunamis are many people heard her. So, when the tsunami hit, her family and many other people were not on the beach anymore. What she remembered saved her life---and the live of other people, too! The 2004 tsunami was terrible. It destroyed many cities and killed over 200,000 people. But thank to Tilly’s actions and Mr. Kearney’s class, Tilly’s family and others were saved.