{"id":208791,"date":"2025-01-08T10:22:44","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T20:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=208791"},"modified":"2025-01-08T16:29:47","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T02:29:47","slug":"2004-tsunami-pdc-disaster-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/08\/2004-tsunami-pdc-disaster-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from the 2004 tsunami: <abbr>UH<\/abbr>\u2019s Pacific Disaster Center helps make the world safer"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_45431\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Z-aNb9BPeBU?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"PDC on the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (Video 1 of 7): The day it happened\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>Twenty years after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated 14 countries and claimed 228,000 lives, the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>-managed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pdc.org\/\">Pacific Disaster Center<\/a> (<abbr>PDC<\/abbr>) has emerged as a global leader in disaster management and early warning technologies. The tragic event underscored critical gaps in global preparedness and catalyzed transformative changes\u2014many of which were pioneered by <abbr>PDC<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_208935\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-208935\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-3-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Soldiers working in damaged areas\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-208935\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-3-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-3.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-208935\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rescue workers in Sri Lanka pull bodies from a train crash caused by the 2004 tsunami<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The tsunami, triggered by a colossal 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, sent towering waves racing across oceans, leaving destruction in their wake. As the world grappled with the staggering loss, questions arose: How could such a catastrophe occur, and why weren\u2019t more lives saved?<\/p>\n<p><abbr>PDC<\/abbr> Executive Director Ray Shirkhodai Shirkhodai led the organization\u2019s frontline response. Working around the clock, the applied science and technology center on Maui responded to requests from the humanitarian community and its regional contacts.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We were processing tsunami warnings, modeling wave propagation times, and fielding requests for support from humanitarian agencies,&rdquo; Shirkhodai said. <abbr>PDC<\/abbr>\u2019s groundbreaking geospatial technologies and analytical tools became indispensable for coordinating relief efforts across multiple countries.<\/p>\n<h2>Spurring global action<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_208936\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-208936\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"person with a map\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-208936\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-1-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-1.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-208936\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><abbr>PDC<\/abbr> supported coordination of humanitarian aid and damage assessment from its <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> offices immediately following the 2004 tsunami<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><abbr>PDC<\/abbr>, a pioneer in multi-hazard early warning systems, leveraged its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pdc.org\/disasteraware\/\">DisasterAWARE<\/a> web-based platform (which includes a free publicly available app) to provide real-time hazard alerts and decision-making tools. Following the tsunami, <abbr>PDC<\/abbr> partnered with governments and organizations in Southeast Asia to integrate these technologies into national and regional disaster management frameworks. By 2006 <abbr>PDC<\/abbr> had integrated DisasterAWARE alerts into Thailand\u02bbs custom system ThaiAWARE, complete with tsunami warning sirens.<\/p>\n<p>The tsunami\u2019s aftermath also spurred global action, including the establishment of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System and the 2005 Hyogo Framework for Action. <abbr>PDC<\/abbr> played a pivotal role in these initiatives, supporting early warning infrastructure and training disaster managers across the Southeast Asia region.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_208934\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-208934\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Flooded and destroyed landscape\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-208934\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-2-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/system-pdc-2004-tsunami-2.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-208934\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">2004 tsunami aerial footage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Despite advancements, significant challenges remain. A 2024 <abbr>UN<\/abbr> report revealed that only 38% of countries have comprehensive multi-hazard monitoring systems. <abbr>PDC<\/abbr> continues to innovate, incorporating artificial intelligence, satellite technology, and real-time risk analytics to bridge these gaps.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The 2004 tsunami was a wake-up call for the world,&rdquo; said Shirkhodai. &ldquo;Our mission is to ensure no community is left unprepared.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Today, <abbr>PDC<\/abbr>\u2019s DisasterAWARE platform serves millions globally, empowering decision-makers and global citizens with the tools to save lives and build resilience.<\/p>\n<p>For more on this story, go to the <abbr>PDC<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8212;By Chani Goering, with contributions by Dheera Dusanapudi<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_81659\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8Z4oRBEdpXw?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"PDC on the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (Video 7 of 7): Committed partnerships create a safer world\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><abbr>UH<\/abbr>\u02bbs Pacific Disaster Center opens up about its role in disaster response and recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1409,955,947,56],"class_list":["post-208791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-disaster-emergency","tag-pacific-disaster-center","tag-uh-system","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208791"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208946,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208791\/revisions\/208946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}