4th November, 2016 23 December, 2015 – The head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction welcomed the resolution adopted by the General Assembly recognizing 5th November as World Tsunami Awareness Day.
The debut World Tsunami Awareness Day focuses on education and evacuation drills.
Tsunamis are rare. But they can be extremely deadly. In the past 100 years, more than 260,000 people have perished in 58 separate tsunamis. At an average of 4,600 deaths per disaster, the toll has surpassed any other natural hazard. Such a stark impact isn’t inevitable, however. Early warning systems can save lives. Equally important is community and individual understanding about how and where to evacuate before a wave strikes.
The date of 5 November was chosen in honour of a true story from Japan: “Inamura-no-hi”, which means the “burning of the rice sheaves”. During an 1854 earthquake, a local leader saw the tide receding, a sign of a looming tsunami. He set fire to the sheaves left over from his harvested rice to warn villagers, who fled to high ground. In the aftermath, he helped his community build back better to withstand future shocks, constructing an embankment and planting trees as a tsunami buffer.
In commemoration of this day, the National Emergency Management Office is conducting Tsunami Evacuation Drills for the Government Primary School of Kolovai and Kanokupolu on the 4th November 2016. An estimate number of 300 students and teachers will take part in this evacuation drill program. “Knowing what to do and where to go save lives”.
ENDS
Issued by the: National Emergency Management Office. For further information please contact (676) 26-340