November 5
Recently, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a resolution to designate ‘November 5’ as World Tsunami Awareness Day every year. The purpose of tsunami day is to raise awareness among people in the world of the dangers of tsunami and stressing the importance of early warning systems in order to mitigate damage. The November 5 has been selected by UNGA to coincide with the annual anniversary of the 1854 Inamura-no-hi or “Fire of Inamura” event. On November 5 of that year a Japanese villager through his quick action saved countless lives when he set fire to sheaves of rice, thus warning people of the imminent danger of a tsunami. Note: The International Day for Disaster Reduction has been observed annually on October 13 to highlight tsunami.