Building on Lessons Learned

Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman reflects on the region’s collective shock and grief over the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and how the response chartered the course of ASEAN cooperation in disaster management. Two decades hence,

At the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami commemoration event in Jakarta, Nelly Florida Riama, PhD, presented the remarks from the Head of Indonesia Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG), Prof. Dwikorita Karnawati. BMKG h

The silent story of global solidarity A Japanese proverb says, “A disaster happens when the last one is forgotten.” No other disaster event in the region has offered as much experience and knowledge as the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004.

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 i

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.

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 exp

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

Shortly before 8 a.m. of 26 December 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake, one of the most powerful in recorded history, shook the ground in Aceh, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Residents rushed out of homes and buildings; some fled for safety and to higher gro

The devastation wrought by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami spurred the world into action, with the ASEAN Member States playing a significant role in the response. In the immediate aftermath, the ASEAN Leaders issued the Declaration on Action to Strengthe

The Indian Ocean Tsunami flattened the coastal communities of Aceh, North Sumatra, killing more than 170,000 people. At least 116,000 are listed as missing. In this section, five survivors share their experiences from the harrowing day of 26 December 2