Tsunami Awareness

From Saturday Morning, 9:40 am on 2 November 2024
Police helicopter landing on a new tsunami vertical evacuation building during Banda Aceh’s first tsunami drill, 2008.

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

Last week 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.

This US Navy handout photo taken 02 January 2005 shows a village along the coast of Sumatra in ruins after an earthquake and tsunami stuck off the coast 26 December.

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 tsunamis ahead of the upcoming UN World Tsunami Awareness Day.

Get the RNZ app

for easy access to all your favourite programmes

Subscribe to Saturday Morning

Podcast (MP3) Oggcast (Vorbis)