Response to the 2004 Tsunami: An International Perspective

It is virtually axiomatic to begin a conversation regarding lessons learned and best practices by discussing the usually expected failure in applying the former, and making an assumption that the latter concept has substantial validity; in other words, that best practices can be determined and applied across the board. In taking a backwards look at the tsunami of December 2004, and the nature of the response on an international and local scale, it must be acknowledged that lessons “learned” more often translate into lessons “observed” and that best practices may only be understood and promulgated on a disaggregated basis. Arguably, this is not a conclusion applicable only to the tsunami because of the scale of the regional impact with the complications inherent in a disaster of that magnitude. A regional perspective can begin and end at the water’s edge or at a national boundary. In the case of early warning systems, however, there was a regional consensus that establishing such systems was an urgent priority.