World Tsunami Awareness Day
Wed, 14 Dec 2016 10:26:00 GMT
Professors Richard Haigh and Dilanthi Amaratunga attended the commemoration of the First ever World Tsunami Awareness day on the 5th November in New Delhi, India. The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, initiated a moment’s silence in remembrance of all those who have lost their lives in tsunamis as the first World Tsunami Awareness Day was commemorated on the final day of the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Mr. Glasser began a panel discussion by recalling that the day was chosen to honour the efforts of a Japanese local leader, Goryo Hamaguchi, who set fire to his rice sheaves to warn people that a tsunami was coming following an earthquake on 5 November 1854. “In total, 16 major tsunamis killed 250,900 people in 21 countries between 1996 and 2015. Tsunamis know no borders, making international cooperation key for deeper political and public understanding of risk reduction measures,” he said.
The debut World Tsunami Awareness Day focuses on education and evacuation drills.
In December 2015, the UN General Assembly designated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The Assembly called on all countries, international bodies and civil society to observe the day, in order to raise tsunami awareness and share innovative approaches to risk reduction.
The UN General Assembly called on all countries, international bodies and civil society to observe the day, in order to raise tsunami awareness and share innovative approaches to risk reduction.
