Published 17:47 IST, November 4th 2020
World Tsunami Awareness day 2020: Here is the theme & significance of this day
Every year November 5 is celebrated as the World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD). Read on to find out what is the history, significance and theme behind WTAD 2020.
Tsunamis are rare events but one of the deadliest natural disasters known to humankind. A report on the United Nations official website reveals that in the past 100 years, 58 Tsunamis have claimed more than 260,000 lives, which is an average of 4,600 per disaster, surpassing any other natural hazard. Many readers might not be aware of this, but the highest number of deaths during a Tsunami occurred in the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. The deadly disaster claimed millions of life, across 14 countries that it affected. It caused an estimated 227,000 fatalities in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India alone and the hardest-hit country was Thailand. Read on to know more about the World Tsunami Awareness day 2020.
What is a Tsunami?
According to the UN, the word "tsunami" has Japanese origins, it comprises the Japanese words "tsu" (meaning harbour) and "nami" (meaning wave). Hence, a tsunami is a series of enormous waves created by an underwater disturbance which is usually associated with earthquakes occurring below or near the ocean. The Tsunami waves often look like walls of water and can attack the shoreline and be dangerous for hours. The waves can be recurring every 5 to 60 minutes.
While the first wave may not be the largest, it is the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or waves that come even later are the bigger. After one wave inundates, or floods inland, it recedes seaward and goes back often as far as a person can see, hence the seafloor becomes exposed. The next wave then rushes ashore within minutes and carries with it much floating debris. destroyed by previous waves.
World Tsunami Awareness Day 2020
World Tsunami Awareness Day History and significance
According to the UN website, after the 2004 deadliest Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the United Nations General Assembly decided to designate November 5, as World Tsunami Awareness Day. It has been observed regularly ever since December 2015. The basic motive of this day is to increase the awareness about the Tsunami especially among the over 700 million people live in low-lying coastal areas and Small Islands.
World Tsunami Awareness Day Theme in 2020
Another report in the UNESCO website reveals that the World Tsunami Awareness Day will be structured as a 30-day campaign. The key events will be focused on Global Target E of the Sendai Framework: Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020. During this campaign, a specific focus has been provided on two key components essential to the setup and effective maintenance of risk reduction strategies and their adoption by vulnerable communities: scientific expertise and indigenous knowledge and memory.
Updated 17:47 IST, November 4th 2020