Weather / Natural Disasters

Tsunami awareness

09:40 am on 2 November 2024

Police helicopter landing on a new tsunami vertical evacuation building during Banda Aceh’s first tsunami drill, 2008. Photo: Graham Leonard

In late October, New Zealand's annual Shakeout and Tsunami Hikoi Drill took place around the motu, a national exercise designed to remind us all of what to do if an earthquake or tsunami occurs.

Photo: AFP

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami, in which approximately 230,000 people died.

So what are the lessons we've learnt since then that will help if there were another significant event like that, and what are the challenges we still need to overcome?

Graham Leonard is a GNS principal scientist and volcanologist - he spoke to Susie and Mihi about everything you need to know about tsunami ahead of the UN's World Tsunami Awareness Day (5 November).

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