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The United Nations University (UNU) is the academic arm of the United Nations (UN). It bridges the academic world and the UN system. Its goal is to develop sustainable solutions for current and future problems of humankind in all aspects of life. Through a problem-oriented and interdisciplinary approach it aims at applied research and education on a global scale. UNU was founded in 1973 and is an autonomous organ of the UN General Assembly. The University comprises headquarters Tokyo, Japan, and more than a dozen Institutes and Programmes worldwide.

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New SOURCE Issue on 'Rapid Assessment of Potential Impacts of a Tsunami'

The 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami demonstrated the devastating after effects of sudden natural hazards and the increasing need for further study into tsunamis and the creation of an early warning system in susceptible areas. Since that day, the UN has strived to build an effective tsunami system for the Indian Ocean that will serve as a model to extend that protection all over the world.

In this new SOURCE publication, written by Dr. Juan Carlos Villagrán de León, the Head of Section Risk Management at UNU-EHS, the author follows the motto of the United Nations University, ‘Advancing Knowledge for Human Security and Development’, and presents a framework for minimising tsunami damage, establishing an early warning system, and ensuring human safety through examining the case study of the port city of Galle in Sri Lanka.

Download SOURCE No. 9/2008

"The assessment of risk is the first stage of the development of an appropriate emergency response. Although numerical modeling can produce a precise map of the inundation caused by a tsunami, in many cases this information is not readily available and it will take some time to have it for all coastal regions. This is why this paper by Juan Carlos Villagrán is so important and useful now, when the memory of the tsunami is still alive in communities. Juan Carlos…has been involved in the field work since the first day of the tsunami response organised by the United Nations. His work in Galle prompted him to develop a practical tool to guide the actions of local authorities and local communities in their efforts to assess the risk of tsunamis and to design appropriate actions. It is a hands-on approach, simple but effective, since it allows the identification of priorities and the assignment of the scarce resources available to maximize an effective response."

Excerpts from the Foreword by Patricio A. Bernal, the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission