TSUNAMI PREPARATIONSBoxing Day Tsunami: Here’s What We Have Learned in the 20 Years Since the Deadliest Natural Disaster in Modern History
On Boxing Day 2004, an earthquake in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia set off a tsunami which killed almost 250,000 people. It was the deadliest natural disaster this century, and was probably the deadliest tsunami in human history. It has reshaped our global disaster management systems, highlighting the importance of early warning systems, local preparations, and coastal defenses.
On Boxing Day 2004, an earthquake in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia set off a tsunami which killed almost 250,000 people. It was the deadliest natural disaster this century, and was probably the deadliest tsunami in human history.
As coastal engineers who specialize in tsunamis and how to prepare for them, we have seen how the events of 2004 reshaped our global disaster management systems. Among the lessons learned since that day, three themes stand out.
First, the importance of early warning systems, providing time to escape impact zones. Second, the importance of local preparations and educating people about the risks. Finally, the ongoing need for – but not overreliance on – coastal defenses.
The Evolution of Early Warning Systems
The absence of a comprehensive early warning system contributed to the devastating loss of life in 2004. About 35,000 people died in Sri Lanka, for instance, which wasn’t hit until two hours after the earthquake.
Significant investment has been made in the years since, including the Indian Ocean tsunami warning system which operates across 27 member states. This system was able to issue warnings within eight minutes when another earthquake struck the same part of Indonesia in 2012. Similarly, when an earthquake hit Noto, Japan, in January 2024, swiftly issued tsunami warnings and evacuation orders undoubtedly saved lives.
However, these systems are not in use globally and weren’t able to detect the tsunamis that swept the Tongan islands in 2022 following the eruption of an undersea volcano in the South Pacific. In this instance, better monitoring of the volcano would have helped detect the early signs of a tsunami.
Championing Community Resilience
But early warning systems alone are not enough. We still need education and awareness campaigns, evacuation drills, and disaster response plans.
This sort of planning proved effective in the village of Jike, Japan, which was hit by the Noto tsunami in January 2024. Having learned from a major tsunami in 2011 (the one that hit Fukushima nuclear power plant), engineers constructed new evacuation routes to tsunami shelters. Though the village was destroyed, residents evacuated up a steep stairway and no casualties were reported in Jike.
The Role of Engineering Defenses
In the years since the Boxing Day tsunami, countries at risk have invested in “hard” engineering defenses including seawalls, offshore breakwaters and flood levees. While these structures offer a measure of protection, their effectiveness is limited.
