DRMD sends message on the occasion of World Tsunami Awareness Day |05 November 2022

“Seychelles is a country that is admired worldwide for the beauty that its marine expanse provides. Besides tourism, our ocean is the major source of livelihoods for our people.

“In spite of all the benefits that it brings, the sea can also present us with threats that we need to try to mitigate.

“November 5 is observed as World Tsunami Awareness Day and this day reminds us all to make everyone aware of this natural calamity.

“On this day, we call on concerned governmental organisations, international bodies, and organisations from the civil sector to help increase understanding about the threat and share innovative approaches to reduce risks.

“We can create more awareness by having outreach to tsunami-exposed communities, which in Seychelles would apply to the country as a whole, but more importantly to the inhabitants of districts with coastlines.

“Despite making efforts towards education and awareness we should recognise that some risks remain.

“Rising sea levels caused by the climate change will further intensify the destructive power of tsunamis. This highlights the need for us to invest in the resilience of coastal communities.

“Science and international cooperation, as well as preparedness and early action must be at the heart of our efforts to save lives from tsunamis and other hazards.

“Small island developing states like Seychelles continually need support to improve detection and early warning mechanism.

“In the face of increasing complex global emergencies, we need to be better prepared.

“Let us work together to reduce the devastating impact of tsunamis through early warning systems and taking early action, and together build resilience against all disasters, and recover from, the impacts of likely, imminent or current hazard events or conditions.”

Message from the Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD)