Presentation done to a public and school audience on 1 year commemoration of the Tsunami.

1. Waves of Construction: Education
Waves of Destruction: Tsunami
Waves of Compassionate Memories
Waves of Heretic Thoughts ~ ~ ~
Education for Natural Disaster Management
Hemesiri Kotagama

2. Memories 1997
Presidential Task Force on
Environment and Natural Disaster Management
Prof. Vijitha Kuruvita
Prof. Kapila Dahanayake
Prof. Jayasekera
Dr. Hemesiri Kotagama
Hemesiri Kotagama

3. Hemesiri Kotagama

4. Major Natural Disasters in Sri Lanka
• Flooding
• Droughts
• Land Slides
Hemesiri Kotagama

5. Recommendations: PTF NDM
(1997)
• Proactive
– Short-term: Public awareness, evacuation plans
and facilities
– Long-term: Educational, University and School
curriculam
• Reactive
– Disaster Management Unit (Social Services
Ministry)
Hemesiri Kotagama

6. Why was Tsunami ignored?
Ignorance of Science or History
Hemesiri Kotagama

7. Natural Disasters and Management Implications
1. Cause is natural:
•Tsunami: movement of earth plates
•Preparedness than Prevention
2. Low probability of occurrence:
•Tsunami: Lisbon (1755), Pacific (1782), Krakatoa
(1883), Asian (2004)
• Memory fades,
• Low returns to prevention (private and
political)
Hemesiri Kotagama

8. 3. Damages
•Tsunami (2004) Waves up to 100 ft spread 1 mile
inland
•Energy equivalent to 2 times of second world war
with two atomic bombs, energy use of 11 days of
USA
•human beings (SL 31229 lives),
•Livelihood (SL 2,50,000)
•Property (SL $ 900 M)
•Ecology (corals, mangroves, inland salinity
3:30, shorter day length 2.6 microseconds)
• Ecology should not be ignored
Natural Disasters and Management Implications
Hemesiri Kotagama

9. •4. Degree of disaster depends on
• Vulnerability
•Man created (historic coastal
settlement, 100m)
• Resilience
•Man can create
(Drought:Hambantota/ Africa)
Natural Disasters and Management
Implications
Hemesiri Kotagama

10. NDM is Preparedness
Preparedness fn Predictability
Hemesiri Kotagama

11. Predictability
1. Technological:
Human creations to substitute sense
Limitless … may be so far …
Depends on advancement of science
Often expensive
Indian ocean did not have Tsunami warning
Hemesiri Kotagama

12. Predictability
2. Sensual
• Animals use senses
• Human beings too have 5 senses
• Additionally human beings have
INTELLECT
•Ability to receive, store, retrieve,
synthesize information, decide
•Ability to LEARN and REASON
•Developing intellect is:
EDUCATION
Hemesiri Kotagama

13. NDM: EDUCTION FOR PREPAREDNESS
Use senses, learning and reasoning
Nature addresses all 5 human senses
Hemesiri Kotagama

14. USING EDUCATED SENSES: TSUNAMI PREPAREDNESS
Technological:
Warning will be in heights:
Have sense of heights of your surrounding
Sensual:
Touch: Earthquakes 2004 T it was felt
Sight: Unusual receding of water 2004 T 1.5 miles
Sound: Unusual roar
Hemesiri Kotagama

15. DECIDE AND ACT FAST
It took 90-120 mts from e-quake
for the waves to hit SL
Hemesiri Kotagama

16. • It is not that simple … more to be known
• Yet knowing simple facts may help to save lives
• Let us educate ourselves and others
• Could be part of school culture and curriculum
Hemesiri Kotagama

17. 2004 Tsunami:
Tribute to a child and Education
“On maikhao beach in northern Phuket, Thailand,
A 10 year British girl named Tilly Smith had
studied tsunamis in geography class at school
And recognized the warning signs of the
receding ocean and frothing bubbles.
She and her parents warned others
and the beach was evacuated”.
Hemesiri Kotagama

18. Japanese Fable
Between farther (F) and son (S) seing the stormy sea.
S: Why is the sea such color?
F: Sea, earth and sky, could work together against man.
S: Where are gods at such time?
F: Sometimes God leaves man to care of themselves.
They test us how able we are to save ourselves.
S: If we are not able?
F: We must be able.
Hemesiri Kotagama

19. Thank you
Waves of knowledge is hope for human survival ~ ~ ~
Hemesiri Kotagama