A Decade after the 2004 Tsunami: What Are the Lessons Learned?
Today, exactly ten years ago, Indonesia and 13 other countries were struck by a devastating tsunami resulting in the deaths of 230,000 people and displacement of 1.7 million people. In Aceh (the northern tip on the island of Sumatra), the main point of impact in Indonesia, more than 167,000 people died as a result of the tsunami (caused by a submarine earthquake in the Indian Ocean). According to the World Bank, Aceh is now better prepared to face such a natural disaster after a long reconstruction period.
Most lives were lost in Asia (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand) but the impact of the tsunami was felt as far as Somalia and South Africa. One decade further, it is still impossible to pinpoint the exact number of casualties due to the enormous size of the disaster. It is estimated that over 230,000 people have died as a direct result of the tsunami. However, only 184,167 deaths have been confirmed so far.
The World Bank and a number of global partners joined hands to assist in the recovery and reconstruction of the affected area in Aceh. For example, the Multi Donor Fund for Aceh and Nias (MDF) was established and through this fund about USD $655 million was used to rebuild 20,000 earthquake-resistant homes, 3,850 kilometers of roads, 1,600 kilometers of irrigation canals, 677 schools, 500 town halls, 72 clinics, 8,000 wells and clean water sources, as well as more than 1,200 sanitation units.
A new blog on the website of the World Bank states that three lessons have been learned in Aceh (click on the link above to read more about these lessons):
1. Putting resources into hazard mitigation and emergency preparedness may be the best investment a country can make
2. The importance of building strong institutional coordination and adequate financing mechanisms
3. Need to put communities at the center of the reconstruction process
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