What is the aftermath of a tsunami?

Here is my final version for What is the aftermath of a tsunami?

Once a tsunami hits the shore the tsunami wave loses its energy quite quickly and the water drains back into the sea. However it leaves a devastated area which will take months, or even years to return to normal. The waves leave a vast amount of destruction and debris behind. As well as ruined buildings and roads, rescue workers have the difficult task of dealing with the bodies of people and animals killed by the tsunami.

An earthquake can make coastal levels drop. High tides can then flood the land turning it to salt marshes where crops cannot grow. Power and water supplies will be cut off and without fresh drinking water, people are at great risk of disease.

Those lucky enough to have survived the initial impact of a tsunami are still in danger due to disease. Rotting corpses, smashed sewer lines, overcrowded refugee camps and contaminated freshwater are all factors in getting a disease.

Body disposal, and the disinfecting of affected areas, was a primary concern in the days following a tsunami. A significant amount of time and effort is spent on this problem. Massive pits and trenches are dug to quickly bury the dead bodies in hopes that the spread of diseases will be minimized. Grave sites and corpses are also sprayed with disinfectant to further combat the spread of disease. However, the total avoidance of disease spread was impossible. Infectious diseases such as yellow fever, diarrhoea, cholera, and typhoid fever are just some of the many that threaten survivors of the tsunami.

Sometimes the most devastating effect of a tsunami can be fire, caused when gas pipes are severed and fuel tanks smashed.

Earthquakes can cause major changes to the seabed and can affect ocean currents. The coast can be altered too. An earthquake can make a coastline drop, leaving it permanently underwater.