World Tsunami Day is observed every year on November 5 to promote a global culture of tsunami awareness around the world. It was started by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2015.
Tsunamis are rare events but one of the deadliest natural disasters known to humankind. A report on the United Nations official website reveals that in the past 100 years, 58 Tsunamis have claimed more than 260,000 lives, which is an average of 4,600 per disaster, surpassing any other natural hazard. The highest number of deaths during a Tsunami occurred in the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. The deadly disaster claimed millions of life, across 14 countries that it affected. It caused an estimated 227,000 fatalities in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India alone and the hardest-hit country was Thailand.
In the year 2015, the General Assembly of the United Nations nominated 5th November as the World Tsunami Awareness Day. The day has been started to spread general awareness on tsunami amongst the people worldwide. The First World Tsunami Awareness Day was celebrated on 5th November 2016 in order to commemorate the occasion by organizing events with Disaster Risk Reduction Champions at AMCDRR. A Conference was also organized in 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi by the Indian Government in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The word “tsunami” comprises the Japanese words “tsu” (meaning harbour) and “nami” (meaning wave). A tsunami is a series of enormous waves created by an underwater disturbance usually associated with earthquakes occurring below or near the ocean. Volcanic eruptions, submarine landslides, and coastal rock falls can also generate a tsunami, as can a large asteroid impacting the ocean. They originate from a vertical movement of the sea floor with the consequent displacement of water mass.
Tsunami waves often look like walls of water and can attack the shoreline and be dangerous for hours, with waves coming every 5 to 60 minutes. The first wave may not be the largest, and often it is the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or even later waves that are the biggest.
Tsunamis are the large waves that approach crashing on the coasts due to the seafloor movement, majorly associated with landslides or earthquakes. Like many other natural disasters, it is difficult to predict tsunamis but it can be suggested that seismically active areas are more at risk.
Tsunami creates a thunderous roaring sound similar to that of an aircraft or train. If you sense any of these symptoms, don’t delay formal evacuation orders; instead, leave the low-lying coastal areas instantly. You must immediately run when the tsunami approaches.
It is important to recognize the natural warning signs of Tsunami in order to take preventive measures. Since huge earthquakes may cause tsunamis, you must be able to feel the earth-shaking severely, or constantly. A tsunami may also cause a swift fall in the level of the sea when the ocean recedes. If you see an abnormal disappearance of water or if you notice a wall of water approaching, realize it is the tsunami.
The destructive tsunamis of the years 2004 and 2011 have proved to the world how fatal these natural calamities can be. This has also brought to the notice that most of the people are unaware of the early signals of the tsunami and the preventive actions to be taken when the tsunami occurs or waves strike.
Even though huge buildings and mechanical and scientific innovations can delay tsunamis but such innovations do not protect people completely from tsunamis. During the 2011 tsunami, many evacuation centers were constructed 20 meters above the sea level, at Japanese city Minamisanriku, Japan to prevent disasters. These centers were poorly swamped and the huge population was washed away. Thus, international bodies have to be more cautious and find out better preventive ways.
World Tsunami Awareness Day was the brainchild of Japan, which due to its repeated, bitter experience has over the years built up major expertise in areas such as tsunami early warning, public action and building back better after a disaster to reduce future impacts. UN Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) facilitates the observance of World Tsunami Awareness Day in collaboration with the rest of the United Nations system.
According to the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR), the most acceptable method to prevent people from the risk of tsunamis is to promptly distribute and share the essential information, through “early warnings.” Prevention is vital at the individual level too. People should be cautious while traveling through the danger zones and they should recognize how to react. At the community or social level, we should warn people who are traveling to the risky coastal zones or engaging in activities like taking photographs or selfies, etc. The Sendai Framework has incorporated new fundamentals including investing in “Build Back Better” and DRR.
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO works to coordinate national and regional tsunami early warning services, raising global awareness about effective actions, policies and practices to reduce exposure to disaster risk through its four Tsunami Warning and Mitigation Systems for the Pacific, Indian Ocean, Caribbean, and North-Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Connected Sea regions. The IOC also assists Member States through education programmes and regular tsunami communication and evacuation exercises, increasing the coordination, readiness for and understanding of tsunamis among citizens and communities around the world.
In 2020, World Tsunami Awareness Day encourages the development of national and community-level, local disaster risk reduction strategies to save more lives against disasters. This year’s observance promotes “Sendai Seven Campaign,” target. By the year 2030, an estimated 50 per cent of the world’s population will live in coastal areas exposed to flooding, storms and tsunamis. Having plans and policies in place to reduce tsunami impacts will help to build more resilience and protect populations at risk.
