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Tsunamis can be deadly, but they needn’t be. Early warning and early action are effective tools to protect people, saving lives, and preventing the hazard from becoming a disaster. To be effective, tsunami early-warning systems must cover every at-risk person, they must be multi-hazard, and communities must be prepared so they can act quickly.

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Updates

“Once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve tsunami detection”

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.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
World Tsunami Awareness Day
Statements and messages

UNDRR chief marks World Tsunami Awareness Day

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

United Nations, the Japan government, and PNG government collaborate to improve tsunami and multi-hazard preparedness plans for COVID-19

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.
United Nations Development Programme
The impact of the tsunami that occurred along the Palu bay, Indonesia (2018)
Statements and messages

Message of the Secretary-General for the World Tsunami Awareness Day 2021

On World Tsunami Awareness Day, we call on countries, international bodies, and civil society to increase understanding about the threat and share innovative approaches to reduce risks.
United Nations - Headquarters
Three girls walking on the site of the 2004 Indonesia tsunami
Statements and messages

Message of Mami Mizutori for World Tsunami Awareness Day 2021

However rare they might be, tsunamis are the single most deadly of all sudden onset natural hazards. Millions of people live and work in tsunami-exposed communities across the world’s oceans.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
mangrove trees that were hit by the Tsunami several years ago on a beach in the Aceh Indonesia
Features

In the aftermath of a tsunami, mangrove forests in Indonesia protect lives and livelihoods

In the wake of the 2004 tsunami, coastal forests helped dampen damage from the tsunami. Building on this, an Indonesian NGO called 'Yagasu' are using mangroves to bolster ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, improve local livelihood, and aid in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Asia and Pacific