Roundtable Workshops

The Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster: Implications for U.S. and Global Disaster Reduction and Preparedness

A Disasters Roundtable Workshop

500 Fifth Street, NW - Keck Center
Washington, DC

June 21, 2005

Overview: The Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami resulted in one of the greatest "natural" disasters that the world has seen in modern times. It was unique in that it was a truly regional disaster, leaving devastation in its wake in eleven countries, with the greatest losses in terms of deaths and property damage felt in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India. However, the impact of the catastrophe was felt world wide, with scores of nationals from other countries, many drawn to the impacted areas by tourist attractions, among the dead and injured, and unprecedented government and non-government disaster relief and recovery efforts mounted from every corner of the globe.

This unprecedented catastrophe points again to the fact that while there are indeed natural hazards, disasters themselves are not "natural" or inevitable, but result from decisions that various decision makers, groups and individuals make and the behavior they undertake in the face of environmental risks. As the hazard scholar Dennis Mileti has noted, we "design our own disasters," often unknowingly. Among other things, disasters are a function of decisions humans continue to make regarding how and where they will live, now increasingly in vulnerable coastal areas. They also reflect the financial investments society is willing or can make, including those related to science and technology, in order to detect, mitigate, and prepare for potential disasters. There are significant disparities between developed and poor countries in this regard. Additionally, society's willingness to give special attention to social equity issues is important, so that already highly vulnerable groups do not have to experience a far greater exposure to environmental risks than others, as is too often the case, especially in developing countries.

Countries throughout the world, including the U.S., and international bodies are determined to learn from the Indian Ocean tragedy and are currently re-examining their own needs as well as those of other at-risk-societies. This Disasters Roundtable workshop will consider: (1) knowledge gained at this early stage by researchers investigating various aspects of the disaster and its implications for implementing effective tsunami mitigation, detection, warning, and emergency response systems, (2) emerging U.S. initiatives and how they are expected to tie into regional and global efforts to reduce the impacts of such disasters, and (3) implications of the disaster for multi-hazard mitigation and preparedness at the national and international scale. Since these and other initiatives are just emerging or are primarily in the planning stage, the workshop will offer an opportunity for those attending to seek clarification on important issues from stakeholders and to discuss ideas related to future research activities and program implementation.

The one-day workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m.