Concept Note: World Tsunami Awareness Day 2024

That is why this year, commemorations for World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD) aim to honour the memory of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami on its 20th anniversary, to highlight its lessons for children and youth around the world and to celebrate the success of progress made in advancing early warning system coverage. Empowering them with this knowledge, which is captured in the #GetToHighGround campaign, can be the difference between life and death when tsunamis emerge.

Call to action:

• We are calling on all countries at risk from tsunami to take action today: to develop new/revised strategies on tsunami risk, update evacuation routes, install new tsunami warning sensors and warning systems.
• We are calling on all actors in all coastal communities to raise the awareness of their children and youth of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and to conduct, if possible, evacuation drills to higher ground any time during the year.
• We are calling in youth, children and learning institutes to play and learn to Stop Disasters! The Stop Disasters online game teaches children how disasters strike, including tsunamis, and how early warning systems, evacuation plans and education save lives.