Tsunami, also known as Alibiperalai in Tamil, is a Japanese word. Su (tsu) means port. Nami (nami) means wave, meaning “harbor wave” and tsunami is called.
Marina Raj – Vatican
A disaster called a tsunami or tsunami is a series of waves caused by the displacement of water in the ocean. It is usually caused by volcanic eruptions, landslides, and the explosion of large underwater rocks. Since 2015, World Tsunami Awareness Day has been urged to be celebrated on 5th November every year by the UN General Assembly to protect people from this high risk disaster. The UN General Assembly has called on countries and international organizations to raise awareness about tsunamis, reduce the risks of disasters, and share the necessary new approaches. The day is celebrated to create awareness about tsunami especially among the 70 crore people living in low-lying islands and coastal areas.
Tsunami, also known as Alibiperalai in Tamil, is a Japanese word. Su (tsu) means port. Nami means “harbor wave” after wave. A tsunami is a series of waves that sweep across the ocean floor and move toward the shore at speeds of up to 1,000 km/h. Can be caused by rapid flow. The speed of these waves varies with each tsunami, said to be equal to, and sometimes even greater than, the speed of a jet plane. 17 years ago on December 26, 2004, the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean killed millions of people from 14 countries including India and Sri Lanka. Although the worst affected country is Thailand, statistics show that more than 250,000 people have died in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India alone. World Tsunami Awareness Day is celebrated on November 5th every year to raise awareness about tsunamis as the deadly disaster of the Indian Ocean Tsunami caused more damage than any other natural disaster in the last 100 years.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres emphasized that the main purpose of this day is for developed countries to cooperate with developing countries to build the necessary skills to deal with the tsunami disaster. He emphasized that everyone should always be prepared as the complex global crisis is increasing and building resilience to all disasters is important to reduce the risk of tsunami. The day is celebrated with the aim of promoting cooperation between developed countries and developing countries through providing adequate and sustainable support to implement existing frameworks and complete appropriate actions to protect the world from disasters by 2030. After the tsunami in Japan, UN said that global cooperation is necessary to create awareness among the public and to take preventive measures. The council insisted. For this purpose, the UN General Assembly held a conference in December 2015 which brought together all the countries of the world. Those who spoke in it emphasized that awareness and education should be given to the people about natural calamities and it is very necessary to create awareness to save people from natural calamities.
Due to the fact that by creating awareness among people about the effects of tsunami, it can be greatly reduced, on World Tsunami Awareness Day, various programs are held around the world to make people aware of the effects of tsunami and the precautionary measures to be taken during emergencies. Giant waves are created by the sudden shift of the ocean floor when the plates move or collide with each other. Due to this, the sea water intrudes in all the nearby coastal areas and causes great damage to the coastal people living there. To prevent this, when tsunami precautions are properly given to people living in coastal areas and fishermen who go fishing in the sea, they can escape from this danger. Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions and meteorites falling from space, apart from the movement of tectonic plates under the sea. Although a tsunami is a rare occurrence, it causes the highest loss of life and property damage among natural disasters.
A disaster the world has never seen
Statistics show that 58 tsunami disasters have occurred in the last 100 years and more than 260,000 people have died. That means approximately 4,600 people have died during a disaster. The highest death toll was recorded in the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. In this, 2 lakh 27 thousand people from 14 countries including India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand died, resulting in the worst natural disaster the world has ever seen. It was only after that that the various countries of the world began to take measures to protect themselves from the tsunami with awareness. Early warning centers were also set up. Coastal Biosphere Reserve reports that 700 million people live in coastal, low-lying and high-risk areas around the world that are vulnerable to hurricanes, storms, floods and tsunamis. As these people, who depend heavily on the sea for their livelihood, have no chance of migrating to other areas, it is emphasized that the concerned governments should take appropriate security measures into account and provide precautionary facilities to prevent casualties.
Awareness and education
On this day, people are urged to take advantage of the awareness of natural disasters like Tsunami and the basic knowledge related to it, they can escape from the danger and make use of UNESCO’s precautionary tools and growing technological facilities. Tsunami awareness organizations are of the view that since there are already tools for early warning of disasters such as cyclones and storms, tsunami warning centers have also been set up, so this should be changed to benefit the entire coastal areas, and the government should take appropriate measures so that the warning notices reach the concerned people quickly. Cooperation between countries at the state level can benefit various countries in dealing with natural disasters like tsunamis. If it is predicted that a tsunami is going to occur in a particular coastal zone, the nearby zones should be informed immediately and they should be sent to safe places. At the same time, these organizations also insist that the rescue forces should be kept ready to provide the necessary assistance to the affected areas.
Tilly Smith, who was playing with her sister on the beach, told her parents, “We are in danger right now. A tsunami wave is approaching the coast. She advised that they should leave the beach and go to Namdooram. She caused more than a hundred tourists who were on the beach to leave to a safe place. So for saving more than a hundred tourists from the tsunami, France’s children’s magazine honored Tilly Smith with the 2004 Child of the Year award. He also received praise from former US President Bill Clinton. Buildings are heavily damaged during natural calamities such as cyclones and tsunamis, so constructions should be made to withstand natural calamities. And it is the duty of each one of us to protect people by building safe places to take refuge in dangerous situations. As we celebrate World Tsunami Awareness Day, let us remember in our prayers the people who lost their lives in this disaster and everyone who is suffering from their separation. Let’s get proper awareness and pass it on to others. Protect nature and avoid natural calamities. Happy World Tsunami Awareness Day everyone