Empowering Future Generations on World Tsunami Awareness Day - Learning from the Past
It was a holiday, everyone at home was relaxing. My sister-in-law and I decided to prepare a light breakfast and planned a special biryani for lunch. With this decision, we set about cleaning the house and getting other chores done. Suddenly, I felt as if I were going to faint. I mentioned it to my sister-in-law, who was in the kitchen at the time, telling her, “I feel like I’m going to fall.” She responded, “It's not dizziness, it’s an earthquake! Run!”
We both dashed to our respective rooms to pick our children and joined the rest of the family outside on the road.
It was December 26, 2004, at precisely 7:58:53 in the morning, a massive earthquake, measuring between 9.2 and 9.3 in magnitude, struck off the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Known to the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, this underwater mega thrust earthquake was caused by the rupture between the Burma and Indian tectonic plates. Though theoretically, the Richter scale has no upper limit, in practice, earthquakes of magnitude greater than 8.6 are rarely recorded.
This was a new and terrifying experience for me; it felt as though the world was ending. The earthquake was marked by the longest fault rupture ever recorded, spanning between 1,200 to 1,300 kilometers (around 720 to 780 miles), and the faulting itself lasted for an unprecedented ten minutes. The planet’s surface trembled by as much as 10 millimeters (0.4 inches), and the quake was powerful enough to trigger tremors in remote regions like Alaska.
Once the ground ceased its violent shaking, we all, shaken and sharing our fear and disbelief, made our way back inside. Unaware that this was only the beginning, we noticed that both electricity and phone lines were down. Those who had ventured out early to gather essentials returned with alarming news: “The water is rising!” At that moment, none of us in these islands knew what that meant. Soon, our world would change forever as we encountered, for the first time, the word "tsunami"- a phenomenon that was about to become the world's first global disaster.
This massive tsunami resulted from an underwater earthquake in the Indian Ocean. It devastated fourteen countries with approximately 230,000 deaths globally. At Andaman and Nicobar alone, official statistics confirm 3,077 persons missing declared dead. Over 50,000 persons from the local population residing on both islands were ravaged by these waves with, perhaps, many other silent lives engulfed by those mighty waves. Entire livelihoods were destroyed as sea water ruined the agricultural land in Nicobar Islands while submerging large areas of farmland in South Andaman. Since then, December 26th comes to be known as 'Boxing Day' in these islands.
As we approach the 20th anniversary of the disaster, today, the 5th November commemorates the event known as Inamura-no-hi of 1854, when Japanese farmer Hamaguchi Goryō foresaw the approach of a tsunami following an earthquake.He noticed the warning sign and set fire to his paddy sheaves to warn his village so that they could save themselves before the disaster struck. This is one of the earliest examples of He noticed the warning sign and set fire to his paddy sheaves to warn his village so that they could save themselves before the disaster struck. This is one of the earliest examples of community preparedness in the face of natural disasters.
The observance underscores the need for community awareness about the risks of tsunamis since more than 700 million people live along vulnerable coastlines. It also focuses on the strengthening of global cooperation to increase tsunami readiness, especially as the population density in coastal regions continues to rise.
The lead agency of the UN for coordinating disaster risk reduction is the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, known as UNDRR, in the UK. Using its area of expertise, it helps strengthen partnerships with national and local governments, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, and the private sector.
The observance reminds global leaders the need for community awareness about the risks of tsunamis since more than 700 million people live along vulnerable coastlines. It also focuses on the strengthening of global cooperation to increase tsunami readiness, especially as the population density in coastal regions continues to rise.
The lead agency of the UN for coordinating disaster risk reduction is the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, known as UNDRR, in the UK. Using its area of expertise, it helps strengthen partnerships with national and local governments, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, and the private sector. This year’s theme for World Tsunami Awareness Day resonates with the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Summit of the Future, emphasizing the role of “youth and future generations.” With the campaign #AreYouReady24, observance activities aim to honor the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami by passing on valuable lessons to today’s youth. UNDRR is encouraging tsunami-prone nations to enhance evacuation routes, install updated warning systems, and promote awareness among children and young people. Additionally, they invite youth and educational institutions to engage with the *Stop Disasters* online game, fostering practical knowledge on saving lives during disasters.
The memories of this tsunami unleashed by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which, 20 years on, released energy equivalent to 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs taking only 15 minutes to 7 hours to devastate fourteen countries and killing over 230,000 people are a potent reminder of the catastrophic consequences in the event of inadequate preparation. We have to learn from this tragedy so that the same mistake does not happen in the future. The administration should give emphasis to efficient disaster risk management and resilient early warning systems so that vulnerable communities are protected from such serious disasters.
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Those helping BJP are Maharashtra's 'enemies', polls all about love vs betrayal of state: Uddhav
Kolhapur, Nov 5: Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday hit the campaign trail and pitched the November 20 assembly polls as a battle between those who love Maharashtra and the ones who betray it as he reflected on the 2022 split in the party.
Thackeray hit out at his former ally BJP and its partners, saying those helping the national party are "enemies" of Maharashtra as he made a slew of promises to voters, including building a temple of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in every district if the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi comes to power.
Addressing his first rally of the 2024 assembly polls in Radhanagri in Kolhapur district -- the constituency of Prakash Abitkar, one of the 40 Shiv Sena MLAs who rebelled against his leadership -- he said those who love the state are aligned with the opposition MVA which comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP).
Those helping the BJP, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti bloc, are "enemies" of Maharashtra, Thackeray remarked.
Further attacking his one-time ally, the former CM accused the BJP of "selling" Maharashtra to Gujarat, where it is in power.
Thackeray claimed his government was toppled in June 2022 because he did not allow the BJP to harm Maharashtra and said not a single industrial project moved out of the state when the MVA was in office under his leadership.
"(Maharashtra assembly poll) is a fight between those who love the state and the ones who betray it," Thackeray told the gathering.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) president started his speech with the sentence 'Jamlelya Majhya Tamam Maharashtra Premi Bandhavanu, Matanu ani Baghinino' (My Maharashtra loving brothers, mothers and sisters), seeking to position the electoral battle as a fight between "the ones who love the state and those who work against it".
In his campaign speeches during the Lok Sabha polls in April-May, he would start his address with the sentence 'My Maharashtra loving brothers, mothers and sisters'. It was contrary to his regular Hindutva-rooted 'My Hindu brothers, mothers and sisters' opening remarks at rallies, perhaps reflecting his alignment with the Congress and the NCP (SP) which project themselves as "secular".
Referring to petitions filed by his party in the Supreme Court seeking disqualifications of rebel Sena MLAs, Thackeray emphasised he has still not got justice from the top judiciary and hence has come to people's court for justice.
"I am not fighting for myself, but for you and Maharashtra," the former CM insisted.
He accused the BJP of trying to divide people on the basis of religion and castes for the sake of power.
Attacking the state's Eknath Shinde-led dispensation, which assumed office after the fall of the MVA administration, Thackeray alleged the government works on "commission".
Talking about the Mahayuti government's flagship scheme for poor women, Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, Thackeray said police were not even ready to register the complaint of the mother of the girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted at a school in Badlapur in Thane district in August.
He said while the government is implementing the Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which underprivileged women are provided a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500, the inflation is spiralling, making essential commodities costly for common citizens.
Thackeray promised that if the MVA comes to power, every district in Maharashtra will have a temple of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The former CM said if possible, he will also build a temple dedicated to the 17th century Maratha warrior king in Surat in present-day Gujarat, a city linked to Shivaji Maharaj's military campaign.
He assured that after the MVA comes to power, rates of essential food items like rice, pulses, oil and sugar will be stabilized.
Thackeray said currently education for female students is free in the state, but a MVA government will extend this benefit to male pupils, too.
The former chief minister said all-female police stations will be established in the state with an aim to provide a safe and accessible environment for women to file complaints and seek redressal of their grievances.
He reiterated that the multi-crore Dharavi Redevelopment Project in Mumbai, being executed by the Adani Group, will be scrapped if the MVA comes to power.
Thackeray also assured payment of minimum support price (MSP) to farmers for their crops under a MVA dispensation.
Polling for the 288-member assembly will take place on November 20 and votes will be counted three days later. In all, 4,140 candidates are in the fray across the state.
