The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has announced the initiation of a new program aimed at raising awareness about tsunami dangers, beginning tomorrow in observance of National Safety Day.
Major General (Retd) Sudantha Ranasinghe, the Director General of the Disaster Management Centre, revealed that the awareness campaign would utilize mobile phones’ caller tune ringtones.
Tomorrow, December 26, marks the 19th anniversary of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, one of the world’s deadliest and most destructive natural disasters, impacting over 10 countries in the Indian Ocean.
To honor the memory of those who lost their lives in the 2004 tsunami and other natural disasters in Sri Lanka, a two-minute silence will be observed islandwide from 9:25 a.m. to 9:27 a.m., according to the DMC.
The catastrophic event originated from a powerful undersea megathrust earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1, striking off the coast of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, on December 26, 2004, a Sunday morning.
Within 20 minutes of the earthquake, Indonesia’s capital, Banda Aceh, closest to the epicenter, was devastated by massive 100-foot waves, claiming over 100,000 lives.
Subsequent turbulent waves ravaged the coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, Myanmar, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, resulting in over 230,000 deaths in a matter of hours.
Sri Lanka, one of the hardest-hit countries, suffered over 40,000 fatalities and extensive property damage. Thousands were left homeless as waves pushed debris several kilometers inland, reducing buildings to rubble.
Since 2005, December 26 has been declared “National Safety Day,” commemorated annually with events involving political leadership in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the country due to various natural disasters, including the tsunami.
