UN: Tsunamis can wipe out development in an instant

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly designated November 5 as "World Tsunami Awareness Day" in December 2015.

World Tsunami Awareness Day emerged under the leadership of Japan, which has gained expertise in reducing the impacts of tsunamis as a result of painful experiences over the years.

The UNDRR has set the theme for this year's awareness day as "fighting inequality for a resilient future."

Various educational events to be organized by the UNDRR within the scope of this day will focus on the mutual relationship between tsunamis and inequality.

The focus will be on how inequality makes tsunamis more dangerous for certain societies and how vulnerable people can become even more impoverished after a disaster.

Careful and coordinated planning

According to data published by the WHO, more than 700 million people living in low-lying coastal areas and Small Island Developing States face dangers such as tsunamis.

The UNDRR report stated that 58 of the tsunamis that have occurred in the last 100 years have caused the deaths of more than 260 thousand people, noting that this statistic points to an average of 4 thousand 600 deaths in every disaster.

Underlining that the impact of tsunamis on human life varies depending on factors such as wealth level, gender, disability, and age, the report emphasized that in order to prevent inequality, people must have access to information and services that will enable them to survive before, during, and after a disaster.

The report drew attention to the need to accelerate the "Early Warnings for All" initiative announced by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in November 2022, stating that an early warning system can only be effective if tsunami awareness is ensured.

Emphasizing that the devastating impact of a tsunami can be mitigated through careful and coordinated planning, the report called on countries to strengthen risk reduction measures.

"Tsunamis can destroy entire cities in an instant"

UNDRR Secretary-General Mizutori said in an informational video prepared for World Tsunami Awareness Day, "Tsunamis can destroy entire cities in an instant and wipe out decades of development."

Mizutori emphasized that the goal of fighting inequality in disasters is "not to ensure that everyone is affected equally, but to ensure that no one is affected at all."

Major tsunamis in the last 10 years

An AA reporter compiled the 5 major tsunamis that have occurred in the last 10 years, based on data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

A tsunami occurred after the volcano on Hunga Ha'apai Island in Tonga, located north of New Zealand, erupted on January 15, 2022. 6 people died and 20 people were injured due to waves reaching up to 22 meters.

In the tsunami generated by the 8.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred south of the US state of Alaska on July 29, 2021, the wave height reached approximately half a meter.

Following the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that occurred on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia on September 28, 2018, a tsunami with a wave height of approximately 10 meters occurred. 4 thousand 340 people lost their lives due to the disasters.

In the tsunami generated by the 8.3 magnitude earthquake that occurred near Santiago, the capital of Chile, on September 16, 2015, the wave height was measured at approximately 13 meters. 15 people lost their lives and 14 people were injured due to the disasters.

Following the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that occurred in the Solomon Islands, located in the northeast of Australia, on February 6, 2013, waves approximately 3 meters high were formed. The tsunami caused the death of 10 people, the injury of 14 people, and the destruction of more than 700 houses on the islands in the region.

Tsunamis that caused the most deaths

According to NOAA data, the tsunami considered to have caused the most loss of life in world history occurred in Indonesia on December 26, 2004.

It is estimated that 227 thousand 899 people lost their lives due to the 9.1 magnitude earthquake that occurred off the coast of North Sumatra and the tsunami it generated. It is stated that the waves reached approximately 50 meters in the tsunami.

Following the 8.5 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, on November 1, 1755, a tsunami occurred with a wave height thought to have reached 18 meters. An estimated 50 thousand people lost their lives due to the disasters.

In the tsunami caused by the eruption of the Krakatoa Volcano in Indonesia on August 27, 1883, the wave height reached approximately 41 meters. The tsunami led to the deaths of around 34 thousand people in the towns of Anjer and Merak.

In the tsunami that occurred after the 8.3 magnitude earthquake in the Sanriku region of Japan on June 15, 1896, waves rose approximately 38 meters. As a result of the disasters, around 27 thousand people lost their lives.

The 8.5 magnitude earthquake that occurred on August 13, 1868, in the city of Arica, which was part of Peru at the time of the earthquake and is part of Chile today, led to a tsunami with a wave height of approximately 18 meters. It is estimated that 25 thousand people died in the disasters.

As a result of the 9.1 magnitude earthquake that occurred on the North Pacific coast of Japan on March 11, 2011, and the tsunami it generated that reached up to 39 meters, over 18 thousand people lost their lives and around 6 thousand people were injured.

The eruption of the Unzen Volcano in Japan, located east of Nagasaki, on May 21, 1792, caused a tsunami approximately 55 meters high. It is stated that approximately 15 thousand people lost their lives as a result of the disasters.

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that occurred near the Ryukyu Islands in southern Japan on April 24, 1771, led to a tsunami reaching up to 85 meters. It is thought that over 13 thousand people died due to the disasters.

The 9 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Kamchatka in the northeast of Russia on November 4, 1952, caused a tsunami approximately 23 meters high. As a result of the disasters, approximately 10 thousand people lost their lives.

In the tsunami that occurred after the 8 magnitude earthquake in the Moro Gulf in the Philippines on August 16, 1976, waves reached up to 9 meters. It is estimated that 8 thousand people died and 10 thousand people were injured in the region.

News Source: AA