Born on November 5
World Tsunami Awareness Day
Know the signs. Head for high ground.
Next: November 5, 2026
Where it comes from
The UN General Assembly designated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day in December 2015, on a resolution drafted by Japan and co-sponsored by 142 countries. The date honours Inamura-no-hi, 'the fire of the rice sheaves'.
How it's celebrated
Schools and coastal towns hold evacuation drills and lessons, and UN agencies promote UNESCO's Tsunami Ready programme for coastal communities. In 2025, the Day's tenth anniversary, a summit in Sendai gathered high school students from around the world.
Did you know
After the tsunami, Hamaguchi paid for a sea wall about 600 metres long and 5 metres high, giving work to villagers who had lost everything; it kept the 1946 tsunami out of the village.
Read the full story of World Tsunami Awareness Day
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