On December 26, 2004, a massive tsunami struck fourteen nations across the Indian Ocean, leaving a trail of devastation and forever altering the lives of millions. Triggered by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake, this disaster claimed more than a quarter of a million lives. Countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India bore the brunt, with … Tsunami Wake-up Call: Building a Path to Sustainable Resilience
The 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami was one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history, impacting several countries in South and Southeast Asia, including Malaysia. For Malaysia, a country seemingly blessed and spared from having to experience severe natural disasters, the likelihood of a tsunami hitting our shores is considered to be as … A Disaster Unforeseen: Reflections on Malaysia’s Tsunami Response
In the first week of September 2024, the ASEAN region was hit by 20 significant disasters caused by natural hazards, including floods, storms, and landslides. These events caused massive devastation, affecting 2.83 million people and claiming 46 lives. Unfortunately, this week was not an outlier. Each week, thousands—sometimes millions—across Southeast Asia face the impacts of … Improving Disaster Risk Communication to Save Lives
On 26 December 2004, the Earthquake Observation Division under the Thailand Meteorological Department detected and issued an announcement to inform the public that an earthquake occurred in the sea off the west coast of Sumatra.
Fifty-five-year-old Agus Nur Amal PM Toh is an Acehnese traditional storytelling artist. His love for the arts began in his hometown of Sabang on Weh Island, Aceh, the westernmost island in Indonesia. It is in a theatre’s spectator seats where he discovered and became mesmerised by the magical worlds created by actors and crews of … Agus Nur Amal PM Toh: Healing through Storytelling
The 9.1 magnitude earthquake triggered a mega-tsunami on 26 December 2004 that devastated almost the entire coastal area of Aceh province of Indonesia and killed over 200,000 people across various places in and around the Indian Ocean. The depth of this devastation is beyond our imagination, and the majority of deaths recorded were in Indonesia, … Remembering the First Tsunami of the Current Century
On 26 December 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the most powerful undersea earthquake since 1964. It triggered a series of immense waves that slammed into the Andaman coastlines. Six provinces in the south of Thailand—Phuket, Phang Nga, Ranong, Krabi, Trang, and Satun—were severely devastated. The … After the Tsunami: Lessons from Thailand’s Recovery and Reconstruction Efforts
The 2004 tsunami devastated coastal communities across Southeast and South Asia—including ASEAN Member States Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand—with unprecedented force. The disaster sent shockwaves across the region and left a profound mark on ASEAN, highlighting the urgent need for improved disaster monitoring, preparedness, and response.