10 years on, lessons of Asian tsunami hit by 'disaster amnesia'

By Preeti Jha and Thanaporn Promyamy

Ten years after the deadliest tsunami on record wrought destruction across the Indian Ocean, creeping complacency is undermining a hi-tech warning system designed to prevent another disaster of such shocking magnitude.

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As the 10th anniversary of the tsunami approaches, experts warn that the memory of that fateful day is fading, taking with it the appetite for disaster preparedness.

"When you forget, you don't prepare," said Margareta Wahlstroem, head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, who played a leading role in organising the UN response and recovery efforts a decade ago.

"Disaster amnesia" threatens to lower defences, Wahlstroem told AFP.

"You relax, and that's dangerous... One of the big challenges in reducing disaster-risk is to keep alive this understanding."

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