lists the worst recorded disasters in recent history, and shows that this tsunami disaster

Enormous Death toll and Devastation

It is believed that 230,000 people died.

The BBC also lists the worst recorded disasters in recent history, and shows that this tsunami disaster is one of the worst. Their information is tabulated as follows:

Natural DisastersSource: Tsunami among world's worst disasters, BBC, December 30, 2004
Year	Where	How many killed	Type of disaster
2003	Bam, Iran	26,271	Earthquake
1976	Tangshan, China	242,000	Earthquake
1970	Bangladesh	500,000	Cyclone
1923	Tokyo, Japan	140,000	Earthquake
1896	Japan	27,000	Tsunami
1887	Huayan Kou, China	900,000	Yellow River breaks its banks
1815	Sumbawa Island, Indonesia	90,000	Volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora
1556	Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan provinces, China	830,000 estimated	Earthquake

(The BBC article cited also lists other disasters and has more information.)

For those who have survived, the future looks bleak as whole communities have been wiped out, and many of the survivors have been left homeless. The United Nations estimates that some 5 million lives have also been affected.

There is now great concern that disease will result from poor sanitation and lack of clean water. In addition, it is feared that there will be a proliferation of endemic disesases as a result of the stagnant pools of water that have been created. It is feared that these will claim just as many lives as the waves did.

This disaster also has to be taken in the context of on-going problems. Some regions, such as north eastern Sri Lanka, or Aceh in Indonesia, have seen violent conflicts for many years, as separatist rebels struggle with the government. For example, the United Nations reports that many landmines have been dislodged by the tsunamis in Sri Lanka. These were planted during the long-running civil war. The tsunami waves have spread them to other areas, and no-one would know where, exactly. As people slowly return to their homes and villages, they could face yet more problems.

The same United Nations report above, also notes that some World Heritage sites may have been affected, and the damage is currently being assessed.