Watch: 7000 students in Visakhapatnam given training to be ‘tsunami ready’

On 26 December 2004, the world witnessed one of its deadliest natural disasters as tsunami wreaked havoc. The tsunami had originated from an earthquake in Indonesia, 9.1 in magnitude. Several cities were brought to its knees by the tsunami and there was significant loss of life and property. 15 years down the line, in a bid to prepare Vizag for tsunamis, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC

) conducted a tsunami training campaign with 7,000 students at six schools around the city, preparing students as well as staff for tsunamis. The campaign was organised in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Japan. The objective of the campaign was to educate the students on the basic steps to be performed during a tsunami using mock-drills.

Following schools were selected in Visakhapatnam for the campaign of tsunami training:

• Mandal Parishad Upper Primary School, Edduvanipalem, Srikakulam
• St. Anns Aided High School, Bheemunipatnam
• KDPM High School
• Shanti Gurukula Aided Upper Primary School
• GVMC Primary School, Pedda Jallaripetta
• St. Aloysius Anglo-Indian High School

Joseph Veronica Sruthi, a teacher at St. Anns Aided High School, highlighted the need for tsunami mock-drills as the school is near the sea. Shoko Noda, who is a resident representative of UNDP, was hopeful that the children who participated in the mock-drills would go home and pass on their learnings to their families.