What is a Tsunami?
A tsunami is a series of waves caused by a rapid displacement of a body of water, like an ocean or lake. The waves are characterised by a very long wavelength and their amplitude is much smaller offshore.
While the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami remains the deadliest in recorded history, tsunami risk continues to threaten millions of children living in coastal communities worldwide. Recent events—including the 2018 Sulawesi tsunami that killed over 4,000 people and the 2022 Tonga eruption that displaced thousands—remind us that preparation saves lives.
Today, Save the Children works in tsunami-prone regions to strengthen early warning systems, train communities in evacuation procedures, and ensure schools know how to protect children when disaster strikes.
What Causes Tsunamis?
Tsunamis tend to be triggered by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mass movements, meteorite impacts or underwater explosions.
Approximately 80% of tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire"—home to millions of children in countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, and Chile. Underwater earthquakes measuring 7.0 or higher on the Richter scale pose the greatest tsunami risk, though volcanic eruptions and landslides can also trigger devastating waves.
Why Children Are Especially Vulnerable
Children face unique dangers during tsunamis:
Physical vulnerability: Smaller bodies struggle against powerful currents. Research shows children under 10 have significantly higher drowning rates during flood disasters.
Separation from caregivers: In the chaos of evacuation, young children and babies become separated from families. After the 2004 tsunami, thousands of children were temporarily orphaned or displaced.
Long-term trauma: Witnessing tsunami destruction causes lasting psychological harm. Studies following the 2011 Japan tsunami found increased anxiety and behavioral difficulties in children years after the event.
Interrupted education: Destroyed schools and displaced families mean children miss months or years of learning—impacting their development and future opportunities.
Martunis, 27, stares at the sea from a beach in Aceh, Indonesia. Martunis was seven years old when one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history struck Aceh, Indonesia, and other parts of Asia on the 26 December 2004, ripping apart life as he knew it.
How we've helped Martunis
Martunis was just seven years old when the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami devastated Indonesia, claiming over 167,000 lives.
Miraculously, he survived 21 days alone in a mangrove swamp, drinking rainwater and scavenging for food.
Found by reporters on a beach, Martunis received lifesaving medical care from Save the Children. We also helped reunite him with his father, who had thought he was lost forever.
This is a remarkable tale of survival, resilience, and hope that continues to move and inspire people worldwide.
How do Save the Children help children affected by tsunamis?
In general, when responding to a tsunami we will;
Shelter
We will provide emergency shelters for those who have been displaced by the tsunami.
Water, Sanitation
and Hygiene
Distribute hygiene packs that contain sanitation items such as: soap, toothbrush, laundry detergent to help protect families against waterborne diseases like cholera.
Livelihood
Help repair families’ livelihoods. This could be by providing new, higher-quality equipment such as fishing boats, as well as cash grants to fishermen affected by the tsunami.
Child Protection
Set up protection measures to help keep children safe (especially those separated from their parents). For example, we often set up Child Friendly Spaces, so children have a safe place to come and just be children.
Indonesia Tsunami 2018
Fifth grader Azahra is now back in a Save the Children supported school after the Palu earthquake.
On 28 September 2018, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia and triggered a tsunami. The effect was horrifying. Buildings collapsed, lives were lost, and huge waves swept away homes and vital infrastructure. Over 1.5 million people were affected, including at least 600,000 children. Families were exposed to the elements, without shelter or clean water.
Save the Children was one of the first agencies to gain access to Sulawesi, and we were one of the only agencies working in the remote region of North Donggala, which was almost entirely cut off by the disaster.
We initially focused on rescuing people trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings, reuniting separated children, and providing emergency water, shelter, and sanitation to families. We then moved to longer-term sustainable solutions, like building learning centres and delivering mental health and psychosocial support.
We reached over 140,000 people, including over 70,000 children. We distributed shelter kits, hygiene kits and water kits to over 25,000 households, making sure children and their families had a roof over their heads. We set up 50 child-friendly spaces, giving children the opportunity to recover, play, and be children again.
We reached over 9,000 children and adults with mental health and psychosocial support, and we established 26 temporary learning spaces, where children could access learning opportunities while their classrooms were rebuilt.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tsunamis
How long do you have to evacuate before a tsunami hits?
It depends on the tsunami's origin. If an earthquake occurs offshore nearby, waves can arrive within 10-30 minutes—making immediate evacuation critical. For tsunamis generated thousands of kilometers away (like the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami affecting East Africa), warning systems can provide hours of notice. This is why coastal communities conduct regular tsunami drills and establish clear evacuation routes.
Can children survive tsunamis?
Yes, with proper preparation and quick action. Children who know evacuation routes, stay with adults, and move to high ground immediately have significantly better survival rates. After the 2004 tsunami, education about warning signs (like rapidly receding water) helped save lives in subsequent events.
What's the difference between a tsunami and a tidal wave?
Tsunamis and tidal waves are completely different. Tsunamis are caused by underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides. Tidal waves (more accurately called tidal bores) are caused by gravitational pull from the moon and sun—they're predictable and generally harmless. True tsunamis are unpredictable and potentially catastrophic.
