Sri Lanka: Tsunami evacuation drill on Sept. 5

Event

On September 5, Sri Lanka - a South Asian island country where 30,000 people lost their life during the December 2004 dramatic tsunami - held evacuation drills in three coastal districts, with the objective to complete the evacuation of the coastal areas within 10 minutes of sounding the alarm. People moved to designated higher ground, guided by disaster management officials. Today's exercise coincided with an anti-government rally held in capital city Colombo.

Context

In December 2004 a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.3 earthquake off the Indonesian coast of Sumatra killed 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean. In 2016, over 60,000 people across the region participated to the community evacuation drills.

Advice

Individuals in affected areas are advised not to be unduly alarmed by the drill and to follow any instructions issued by local authorities.