WTAD news and publications

Tsunamis can in an instant destroy entire towns and erase decades of development.

Early warning systems alert communities that a tsunami is on its way – but the public needs to be prepared to act and reduce the risk. A new UNDRR initiative inspires tsunami preparedness.

On this World Tsunami Awareness Day, let us commit to closing these gaps by achieving Target G of the Sendai Framework to expand early warning and early action for everyone.

On 5 November, World Tsunami Awareness Day, the international community comes together to remember the lives lost to tsunamis, and to inform and protect over 700 million individuals living in areas vulnerable to ocean hazards around the world.

November 5 is World Tsunami Awareness Day. The aftermath of the 2004 event showed that tsunamis, like all disasters, are not gender-neutral; a disproportionate percentage of the fatalities were female.

The Great East Japan Earthquake, which took place on 11 March 2011, was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, reaching a magnitude of 9.0 and bringing unprecedented disaster to the Tohoku region and other areas.

At the High School Students Summit on World Tsunami Awareness Day 2022 in Niigata, Japan, students from around the world gathered – both virtually and in person – to discuss, learn, and reaffirm their commitment to disaster risk reduction.

Over 500 people joined an online high-level event to mark the 6th World Tsunami Awareness Day today. The accent was very much on science and youth, and the inclusion of tsunami risk in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction's message on World Tsunami Awareness Day

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges to disaster risk reduction, disaster response and planning for safe evacuation from disaster events - including tsunamis. World Tsunami Day promotes a global culture for tsunami preparedness and response.