THE EARTHQUAKE
The Western Province earthquake which occurred at 7.39am on the morning of 2nd April 2007 was triggered by a release of pressure which had built up between the Bismarck plate and the Solomon Sea Plate. This release of force produced an undersea earthquake which sent a devastating Tsunami sweeping through much of the Western Province including the provincial capital island of Ghizo. As well as this, it also hit nearby Choiseul Province and some remote areas to the north. The earthquake which occurred early in the morning was measured at 8.1 on the Richter scale.

Due to the earthquake, especially in the built up town of Gizo, structural damage was high given the fact that the epicentre was only 45 kilometres to the south. Many of the main buildings which provided valuable infrastructure to the area were badly damaged. Both the Hospital and many of the surrounding shops suffered not only large cosmetic damage, but more importantly the stilt foundations which many structures rely on, were severely weakened if not destroyed by the quake and this left little for the tsunami to do in order to cripple what would have become vital life lines to aid and medication once the tsunami had fallen away.

As well as human cost suffered from the double disaster the combined force of these two natural events have left their imprint on the environmental side as well. Famed for its outstanding Coral reefs and bio-diversity, the Western Province has some of the most undisturbed and unique coral gardens displaying not only hundreds of species of reef fish, but also turtles, sharks and sea snakes.

Due to the combined force of the earthquake and tidal wave, many of the marine conservation grade areas have been severely crippled. This is not only due to the destructive force of the tsunami, but also due to the significant earthquake which happened moments before, and this seems to have risen many coral beds several metres above the water.

This results in a considerable habitat loss for a large number of species, many of which the Solomon people rely on for food and to provide an income. It is difficult to say how long it will take for these marine ecosystems to bounce back due to the slow growing nature of coral, but it will be many years until they have returned to their former glory, and it is clear that during the most difficult times, the Solomon islander's precious sea will be unable to provide as readily as it once did.

THE TSUNAMI
Moments after the massive earthquake which had levelled many houses in the coastal villages and as people were assessing the damage already inflicted on their homes and belongings, the tsunami which had been triggered by the shock struck the low lying villages of the western province. It clattered into the shoreline only seconds after the main bulk of the quake had settled down. Due to the position of several villages with regards to the safety of the hills, the distance was too great and this caused substantial loss of life as people ran desperately for the safety of the hills. However thanks to the advanced warning which the outer reefs gave, and the heightened sense of alert thanks to the quake, coupled with the knowledge of the 2005 Asian Tsunami, many people were lucky enough to have the time to franticly scrabble up the hillsides which lay behind the villages.

In Gizo town itself, once again thanks to its position, the wave did not hit with catastrophic force however several metres of water still washed into the low lying market and Main Street. One particular area in the north end of the town, containing mainly residential homes was completely destroyed due to its topography and once again many people who were unable to find higher ground lost their lives.

The tsunami itself came in what seemed like two distinctive waves with the first being the most destructive. They came only moments after each other and when they receded, they left all but the shattered stumps of the foundation stilts of the palm houses. As well as this the clear brutality of the water was evident as people remarked on how concrete blocks the size of armchairs had been moved several hundred yards up the beach. The wave left little behind and the water which remained drained away after a few hours leaving only the wrecks of houses and the unfortunate reef fish that had been pushed up the beach only to die in what fast became unbearably hot puddles of seawater.