World Tsunami Awareness Day 2022 – History, Theme, Quotes, List of Tsunamis in India

World Tsunami Awareness Day is celebrated on the 5th of November every year to promote national and local risk reduction plans. According to the UN, by 2030, an estimated 50 per cent of the world’s population will have to live in coastal areas exposed to flooding, storms, and tsunamis. Tsunamis are rare natural events but can be extremely deadly. Therefore proper plans and policies will help to reduce the tsunami impact and help to build more resilience and protect populations at risk.

Meaning of the word ‘Tsunami’

The term ‘Tsunami’ is a Japanese term that means “harbour wave”. A tsunami is a series of giant waves which is caused by earthquakes or undersea volcanic eruptions and underwater landslides. Tsunamis are the single most deadly of all sudden-onset natural hazards. Millions of people live and work in tsunami-exposed communities across the whole global ocean.

More about Tsunamis and How Deadly They can be

Tsunami waves can travel at the speed of 800 km/hour and their height can be 20 feet to 300 feet. The speed of tsunami waves hugely depends on the depth of the ocean. The speed of tsunami is fast in deep water while slow down when reaching shallow waters. Worth mentioning that around 80% of tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean.

Tsunamis can travel 20-30 miles per hour with waves 10-100 feet high. It causes flooding and disrupts transportation, power, communications, and the water supply. They can take place anywhere along U.S. coasts, mostly coasts that border the Pacific Ocean or Caribbean have the greatest risk.

History of World Tsunami Awareness Day 2022 – 5th November

After the 2004 deadliest Tsunami in the Indian Ocean; The United Nations General Assembly designated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day from December 2015. The basic motive of this day is to increase the awareness about Tsunami among over 700 million people living in low-lying coastal areas and Small Islands.

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO raise global awareness about effective actions for mitigating damage, coordinate with national and regional tsunami early warning services, make policies and practices to reduce destruction through its Tsunami Warning System for the Pacific, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and Connected Sea regions, Caribbean, and North-Eastern Atlantic ocean.

In addition to the above efforts, the IOC also educated Member countries about the regular tsunami communication and evacuation exercises, increase readiness for and understanding of tsunamis among citizens and communities around the world.

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World Tsunami Awareness Day Theme 2022

According to, UNDRR In 2022, World Tsunami Awareness Day will promote the target of the “Sendai Seven Campaign” which aims to “Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of the present Framework by 2030.” And thus this is the world tsunami awareness day 2022 theme.

By the year 2030, an estimated 50 % of the world’s population will live in coastal areas exposed to flooding, storms and tsunamis. Scaling up international cooperation to developing countries will help ensure that 100% of communities at risk of the tsunami are prepared for and resilient to tsunamis by 2030. Mark the date 5th of November for the world tsunami awareness day 2022 date!

The first-ever World Tsunami Awareness Day (in short WTAD) has been observed on November 5, 2016, to spread awareness among people across the world in matters related to the dangers of tsunami and shall stress the importance of early warning systems in order to mitigate damage from the often devastating natural hazard.

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How will World Tsunami Awareness Day be Celebrated?

The Tsunami Programme will contribute to the Safe Ocean outcome of the Ocean Decade by making 100% of at-risk communities Tsunami Ready by 2030. Scaling up the Tsunami Ready programme is a testament to what focused, effective international cooperation can deliver, and will make a significant contribution to reducing risk and saving lives. Only together can science, governments and communities achieve this ambition.

You can join events around the world to celebrate World Tsunami Awareness Day on the 5th of November.

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How to Stay Safe when Tsunami Threatens?

• If you live near, or regularly visit a coastal area, learn about the risk of tsunami in the area. Some at-risk communities have maps with evacuation zones and routes.
• Learn the signs of a potential tsunami, such as an earthquake, a loud roar from the ocean, or unusual ocean behaviour, such as a sudden rise or wall of water or sudden draining of water showing the ocean floor.
• Know and practice community evacuation plans and map out your routes from home, work, and play. Pick shelters 100 feet or more above sea level, or at least one mile inland.
• Create a family emergency communication plan that has an out-of-state contact. Plan where to meet if you get separated.

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World Tsunami Awareness Day Quotes 2022

Following are some lines on world tsunami awareness day:

Tsunamis are always big news around Hilo, grew up always getting ready to escape a tsunami. – B. J. Penn

Everybody has an idea of the tsunami of being a big wave. It is not a big wave. It is a huge amount of water that comes to land. – Juan Antonio Bayona

Whenever an earthquake or tsunami takes thousands of innocent lives, a shocked world talks of little else. I’ll never forget the wrenching days I spent in Haiti last year for Save the Children just weeks after the earthquake. – Anne M. Mulcahy

In some countries, we have had the right to vote for less than 100 years, so the entry of women into political leadership has caused a tsunami. – Iveta Radicova

We imagine ‘the end’ as a world-devastating event, but every time there’s a terrible earthquake, a tsunami, an outbreak of disease – that’s apocalyptic, on a micro-scale. – Marjorie Liu

List of Largest Tsunamis in India Since 1762