Sri Lanka Disaster Management Center has organized appropriate awareness programs to educate the community for tsunami risk reduction on November 05 and 06, 2023. Sri Lanka was severely affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, leaving thousands of people dead and displaced.
In 2006, Government of Sri Lanka has accepted a Cabinet Memorandum to remember the people who died in the Tsunami disaster in 2004 and every year December 26th was named as “National Safe Day “. In December 2015, the UN General Assembly designated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day. Disaster Management Center is continuously operationalizing towards tsunami risk reduction activities as it is mandatory work.
Disaster Management Centre has organized the Indian Ocean Wave Exercise in 2023 (IOWave23) on 04th October 2023. Tsunami ready awareness programs were conducted in 14 coastal districts and final evacuation exercise was conducted on three coastal tsunami risk districts of the country focusing rural, school and fishing communities. Disaster Management Center has conducted an online tsunami awareness program on Saturday (Nov 04) for 38 groups of scouts scattered throughout Sri Lanka simultaneously this International Tsunami Awareness Day. Likewise, an initial program utilizing scout groups as volunteers in the process of reducing the disaster risk of the rural community is currently being organized.
Since November 05 is a Sunday and most of religious places such as Buddhist temples, Hindu temples, churches and mosque are conducting religious education. Therefore tsunami awareness programs are directed to use those places.