World Tsunami Awareness Day 2024 – Theme

 World Tsunami Awareness Day:- In the year 2015, the General Assembly of the United Nations nominated 5th November as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The day has started to spread general awareness of tsunamis amongst 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 (DRR) Champions at AMCDRR (Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction).

A Conference was also organized (3-5 Nov), 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi by the Indian Government in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.



November 5 – World Tsunami Awareness Day – About

Tsunamis are rare but they can affect a lot of people, especially communities living in coastal areas. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake tsunami affected up to five million people in 15 countries. Tsunamis know no borders, making international cooperation key for a deeper political and public understanding of risk reduction measures.

In December 2015, the United Nations General Assembly designated (UNISDR) November 5 – World Tsunami Awareness Day to promote a global culture of tsunami awareness.

For the second year in a row, the World Tsunami Awareness Day will align with the International Day for Disaster Reduction and the “Sendai Seven Campaign” and will focus in 2017 on Target B of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which aims at reducing the number of affected people globally by disasters.

Join us and spread the word about World Tsunami Awareness Day!

In 2019World Tsunami Awareness Day promotes Target (d) of the “Sendai Seven Campaign” which focuses on reducing disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.

HISTORY OF WORLD TSUNAMI DAY



The word “tsunami” gets its name from the Japanese “tsu” which means harbor and “nami” which means wave. A tsunami is a chain of huge waves created by the disturbance created underwater. These waves are normally associated with earthquakes taking place under or around the ocean.

Though tsunami is comparatively an exceptional type of natural disaster, it causes destruction in several nations around the world. Tsunamis pose a severe threat to the world and it could even obstruct the accomplishment of sustainable growth.

The Sendai Framework for the Reduction of Disaster Risk was adopted at the 3rd WCDRR (World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction) held at the United Nations in March 2015. At the conference held in Sendai, the Agenda for 2030 for Sustainable Development was also proposed. This influenced Japan along with many other countries to dedicate a specific day as “World Tsunami Awareness Day” and the same was designated by the UN.

Fifth November was chosen as the World Tsunami Awareness Day in the honor of the famous Japanese tale of “Inamura-no-Hi”, which means “burning of the rice sheaves”. During an earthquake in the year 1854, a farmer noticed the tide diminishing which is a sign of an approaching tsunami. In order to warn the villagers.

He set his entire harvest on fire; the villagers, as a result, evacuated the village immediately and fled to higher ground. Later, he constructed an embankment to plant trees as a barrier against future tides. November 5 – World Tsunami Awareness Day

What is Tsunami

Tsunamis are 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.

Causes of Tsunamis

Tsunami waves are highly dangerous and generally look like strong walls of water. The strong waves can attack the seashore for hours, thereby destructing thousands of lives. There are several causes of tsunamis such as submarine landslides, earthquakes, Coastal rock falls, volcanic eruptions or Extraterrestrial Collisions.

Actions should be taken

It is important to recognize the natural warning signs of tsunamis 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.

A 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.


WHY CELEBRATE WORLD TSUNAMI AWARENESS DAY?

World Tsunami Awareness Day is celebrated to create awareness amongst people about the risks associated with the tsunami and the preventive measures to be taken when a tsunami approaches. Since natural disasters don’t recognize borders, so the United Nations suggested 5th November as World Tsunami Awareness Day and appealed for global cooperation in increasing prevention efforts and public awareness. Though tsunamis are rare, their devastating impact can cost many lives.

World Tsunami Awareness Day helps in improving our knowledge and awareness of tsunamis, and how should we react if stuck in any such situation. Several conferences, debates, seminars, quizzes, etc are organized at national and international levels to make people aware of the tsunami risk. November 5 – World Tsunami Awareness Day

The national government should take every step to guide the people timely and appropriate in the event of tsunamis. Early warning signals can save several lives.

Even though huge buildings and mechanical and scientific innovations can delay tsunamis but such innovations do not protect people completely from tsunamis.  Thus, international bodies have to be more cautious and find out better preventive ways.

HOW IS WORLD TSUNAMI AWARENESS DAY CELEBRATED?

In December 2015, the General Assembly of the United Nations nominated November 5 – as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The Assembly appealed to all nations, civil society, and international bodies to celebrate the day every year.

World Tsunami Awareness Day concentrates on educating and evacuation drills. The day is celebrated on 5th November every year with the purpose of defending the valuable lives of everyone around the world. World Tsunami Awareness Day raises awareness regarding precautionary measures to be taken against the tsunami. Good practices and common sense as shown in the story of “Inamura-no-Hi” must be applied by everyone to prevent the valuable lives of the people.

World Tsunami Awareness Day is important to map the seabed of the oceans to recognize the cause of the tsunami. International efforts are important to map oceans for discovering riskier seismic areas and areas with the probability of landslide. It is important that the government of the member countries of the UN come together and share cooperation to map the oceans.

World Tsunami Awareness Day creates awareness amongst everyone especially the population living in coastal areas that the moment they sense a tsunami, they shouldn’t wait for official warnings, instead, run.

Prevention and education also involve educating people to react as fast as they can. People should also know the best locations to run to; they should be far from the seaside and at higher altitudes.

World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR)

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 essential information, through “early warnings.” Prevention is vital at the individual level too.

People should be cautious while traveling through danger zones and they should recognize how to react. The Sendai Framework has incorporated new fundamentals including investing in “Build Back Better” and DRR.

The Sendai Framework also suggests that the use of indigenous, traditional, and local awareness and practices are equally important. Japan and the UN believe that there will be a considerable reduction in the number of tsunami-affected victims by increasing such awareness through World Tsunami Awareness Day.

WORLD TSUNAMI AWARENESS DAY THEME

The theme for November 5 – World Tsunami Awareness Day 2024 is “Early Warning and Early Action Before Every Tsunami.”


Conclusion

The Indian Ocean tsunami that occurred in 2004 caused the United Nation to implement tsunami warning signals and systems globally. The real-time data from the bottom of the ocean pressure sensors and GPS installed at offshore are assisting tsunami warning centers to cancel or issue alerts and warnings more rapidly and accurately.

For a remote tsunami, real-time monitoring of the sea level and earthquake for confirming the occurrence of a destructive tsunami is critical. In such situations, people must act wisely and respond immediately.

Though Tsunamis are unusual events, they can be awfully deadly. In the last 100 years, around 58 tsunamis have destructed approximately 260,000 lives which is an average of 4,600/disaster. This has surpassed all other natural calamities.


Read More

 
November Social Events Date of Celebration
All Saints Day 1st November
World Tsunami Awareness Day 5th November
International Week of Science and Peace 9th to 14th November
Legal Services Day 9th November
Children’s Day 14th November
National Cooperative Week 14th to 20th November
International Day for Tolerance and Peace 16th November
National Epilepsy Day 17th November
National Integration Day 19th November
Quami Ekta Week 19th to 25th of November
World Heritage Week 19th to 25th of November
Child Rights Day 20th November
International Film Festival of India 20th to 30th November
Constitution Day 26th November
Tags