26 December 2019 marks the 15th Anniversary of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

26 December 2019 marks the 15th anniversary of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami that killed about 230,000 people in 14 countries in the Indian Ocean region. Commemorating this occasion, UNDRR produced a video highlighting the important elements and contributions of UNESCO-IOC, WMO, UNDP, UNESCAP and UNDRR in strengthening end to end people centred early warning systems. The video can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/J-Q4IZPJLxw 

It may be recalled that the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami triggered the establishment of IOC-coordinated regional tsunami early warning systems in the Indian Ocean, Caribbean and Northeast Atlantic & Mediterranean, to join a system that was already operational in the Pacific. They operate as a globally integrated "system of systems" built on three pillars - tsunami risk assessment and mitigation; tsunami detection, warning and dissemination; and tsunami awareness and response. 

The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warningn and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) is operational since 2013 with Tsunami Service Providers (TSPs) established by Australia, India and Indonesia providing tsunami forecast information to the National Tsunami Warning Centres (NTWCs) of 25 Member States in the Indian Ocean region.