When nature changes history: a nation and its people can be changed forever by the social and political aftershocks of a natural disaster.

On Dec. 26, the world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years erupted deep below the Indian Ocean, just off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, displacing trillions of tons of water within a few seconds. The resulting tsunami--a series of massive waves--traveled across the ocean at the speed of a jet plane, killing tens of thousands of people across southern Asia and eastern Africa. Countries where the devastation was worst include Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, and the Maldives.

The magnitude of this catastrophe is difficult to fathom, even for those who saw its aftermath firsthand. "I've been in war, and I've been through a number of hurricanes, tornadoes, and other relief operations, but I have never seen anything like this," said former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, after flying over miles of flattened coastline. "The power of the wave to destroy bridges, to destroy factories, to destroy homes, to destroy crops, to destroy everything in its path is amazing."

But what follows in the wake of a natural disaster like this tsunami? The death of a nation, or nations? Civil war or, conversely, the unexpected drift of enemies toward a peace table? A surge in religious fundamentalism?

FRAGILE NATIONS

If the past is any guide, the response to the shock of Dec. 26 will loom larger in history than the tsunami itself. The wave that rose out of the Andaman Sea broke over some remarkably fragile societies. Sri Lanka had been cut in two by nearly 20 years of civil war in which 64,000 died, and new killings had raised fears that a two-year cease-fire was collapsing. In Thailand, fighting between the government and Muslim rebels, not far from its beach resorts, claimed at least 500 lives last year. And the Maldives, a nation of 1,190 coral islands averaging three feet above sea level, already feared the slow rise in the surrounding waters caused by global warming.

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To help students understand how natural disasters--everything from earthquakes and volcanoes to storms and plagues--can change the course of history by undermining the foundations of societies.

WRITING EXERCISE: Tell students that by the last week of January, the U.S. government had given more than $36 million in emergency aid to Indonesia alone. Have students write brief fliers to be attached to aid packages.

Fliers should explain why the government and people of the United States are helping the people of Aceh province. How would students answer Muslim extremists who might charge that the aid was a political ploy to help Indonesia's government weaken the influence of the separatists in that area?

Paul Saffo of the Institute For the Future suggests one way the U.S. could fight terror is by outspending Islamic charities on aid to tsunami victims in Indonesia. Do students agree?

COMPARING SOCIETIES: The magnitude of the tsunami's destruction may be difficult for many students to comprehend. Help them better grasp the impact by comparing the populations of their state or region to a few statistics from Indonesia, a country almost three times the size of Texas: Indonesia suffered more than 115,000 dead, more than 12,000 missing, and more than 560,000 people displaced from their homes.

Ask students how people in their state or region might react if government's response to a disaster of such magnitude was slow in coming or inept in execution. What political repercussions might flow from such a failure?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

* Why might a government--Mexico's, for example--react slowly or even callously in the wake of a natural disaster like an earthquake?

* Does the U.S. have an obligation to give more to disaster relief than other countries? Why or why not?

FAST FACT: Tsunami is Japanese. Tsu means harbor and nami means wave.

WEB WATCH: www.usaid.gov/our_work /humanitarian_assistance/disaster _assistance offers data on the tsunami victims. Click on "More Information," then click on the latest PDF link.

QUIZ 1

Nature Changes History

1. News about the December tsunami focused on southern Asia, which suffered the greatest devastation, but the the tsunami also killed people in

a southern Europe.

b Australia.

c East Africa.

d east Asia.

2. Around 1600 B.C., a tsunami destroyed the Minoan empire, leading to the rise of mainland Greece, which subsequently

a helped discover the West.

b halted invasions from Asia.

c established the mode[ for Western culture.

d conquered most of Western Europe.

3. In 1985, an earthquake in Mexico City helped spur a change in Mexico's government because

a there was no warning of the quake.

b Mexico's President rejected foreign-aid offers.

c most of those who perished were poor.

d aid efforts were corrupt and badly coordinated.

4. Complicating relief efforts in Indonesia and Sri Lanka is the fact that tsunami-ravaged areas in both nations

a are remote from population centers.

b are home to separatist movements.

c were devastated earlier by outbreaks of disease.

d are divided between those who are militant Muslims and Muslims who are more tolerant.

5. Which nation was saved from invasion by typhoons?

a Japan

b Russia

c Mongolia

d Germany

6. Many Western tourists are debating whether it is proper to vacation in areas hit by the tsunami. Make one pro or con argument.

Answer Key

1. (c) east Africa. 2. (c) established the model for Western culture. 3. (d) aid efforts were corrupt and badly coordinated. 4. (d) are divided between those who are militant Muslims and Muslims who are more tolerant. 5.(a) Japan. 6. Pro: Tourists' spending aids the local economy. Con: Tourists are intruding into a disaster area.

QUIZ 2

Too Young to Die?

1. The death penalty is currently not in effect in

a almost half the states.

b cases where toss of life in the commission of a crime resulted from an accident.

c cases where the defendant was under age 16 at the time of the crime.

d cases where the defendant's mental age was below that of his or her physical age at the time of the crime.

2. Which fact do supporters of the death penalty for young offenders often cite to back their position?

a Only guilty people have been sentenced to death.

b There has been a drop in death sentences for juvenile offenders.

c No Lawsuits have been filed opposing the death penalty for young offenders.

d Most other countries use the death penalty.

3. Which of the following may jurors see either as a mitigating factor in a young offender's favor or as evidence of the need to impose harsh punishment?

a the offender's current age

b the defense attorney's temperament

c youthful recklessness

d testimony by members of the offender's family

4. Some studies support the view that

a most adolescents commit some type of crime.

b more juveniles are under arrest now than in years past.

c the elderly are more often victimized by adolescent violence than people in other age groups.

d adolescents tend not to calculate the risks and consequences of their actions.

5. Why do you suppose age 18 is used as the point at which childhood ends and adulthood begins?

Answer Key

1. (c) cases where the defendant was under age 16 at the time of the crime. 2. (b) There has been a drop in death sentences for young offenders. 3. (c) youthful recklessness, 4. (d) adolescents tend not to calculate the risks and consequences of their actions. 5. Answers will vary but might include the argument that most 18-year-olds are nearing the age where they will be exercising adult responsibilities.

QUIZ 3

1965: Freedom to Vote

1. Which of the following statements is most accurate?

a Blacks were legally prohibited from voting until. passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

b Most blacks were granted the vote before the Civil War but not afterward.

c Between 1870 and the turn of the 20th century, black mates in the South were legally entitled to vote, but in practice most were denied that right.

d In some places in the South, black women were allowed to vote but not black men.

2. "Grandfather clauses"

a required voters to prove that at Least one of their grandparents had lived in the state in which they wished to vote.

b raised the voting age to 21.

c required potential voters to prove that they owned property in the state in which they wished to vote.

d required proof that one's father and grandfather had been eligible to vote.

3. Which of the following is one of the main consequences of the 1965 Voting Rights Act?

a Black registration has surpassed than white registration.

b Some voting districts are designed to incorporate as many minority voters as possible.

c There are nearly as many black members of Congress as white members.

d Hispanic voting rates equal, black voting rates.

4. Why do you think Congress failed to address voting rights until after the violence in Selma?

5. What did President Johnson mean when he said all Americans--not just blacks--had to overcome the "crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice"?

Answer Key

1. (c) After 1870, black males in the South were legally entitled to vote but in practice most were denied that right. 2. (d) required proof that one's father and grandfather had been eligible to vote. 3. (b) Some voting districts are designed to incorporate as many minorities as possible. 6. Answers will vary but might include the argument that only the violence demonstrated the depth of anti-black oppression. 5. Answers will vary but might include the argument that bigotry and injustice destroy values and hurt society as a whole--the perpetrators as well as the victims.

Donald G. McNeil Jr. is a science reporter for The New York Times; additional reporting by Amy Waldman and Scott Shane of The Times.