The Tsunami Singalong was awarded a Gold prize in the 2024 Indigo Design Award competition in the Education Category. The project also won Bronze in the 2023-2024 A’ Design Award competition for Music, Audio and Sound Design.

The Tsunami Singalong premiered at the 2024 UN Ocean Decade Conference co-organized with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO).

Inspired by a science and technology documentary Goat Knight produced this year, we created an animated music video to teach children what to do (and not do) during a Tsunami alert. 

Preparedness makes a huge difference. Japan is one of the most prepared countries in the world for tsunami risks. So much so that the word tsunami comes to us from the Japanese language. Science journals estimate that about 3% of the population perished in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. About 18,000 people. This includes Fukushima casualties. In comparison, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami resulted in an estimated 230,000 deaths. That’s 28% of the population in the risk zone. In other words, the difference between preparing and not doing so is comparable to losing 1 in 4 lives versus 1 in 30.

The 2011 5.1 Mw earthquake in Lorca (southeastern Spain), killed 9 people. People died because they didn’t know to hide under a hard surface (e.g. a table) during the quake. Those who ran outside in panic were killed by fallen debris. While “duck, cover, and hold on” is ingrained in the minds of Californians from a very young age, here in Spain, as in many other countries, it is not common knowledge, resulting in unnecessary fatalities.

There are those in Spain and Portugal who are pushing to create Tsunami awareness. Small towns are taking steps to put together Tsunami alert plans. Economists claim that for every 1 euro spent on prevention, 7 are gained in construction. Unfortunately,  it’s a challenge for elected leaders to think long-term beyond electoral cycles, or for industry to think beyond quarter reports.

We know there have been between 9 to 14 tsunamis in the past 9,000 years in the Iberian Peninsula. The great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 is the greatest tsunami event registered in Europe (the earthquake was between 8.5 Mw and 9.2 Mw). It’s estimated that between 50,000 and 100,000 perished (in the XVIII century, a time when population density was much smaller than now). In 1908 the Messina earthquake caused a tsunami that killed an estimated 80,000 people in Italy. In 563 AD a landslide caused a lake tsunami in Geneva, Switzerland, flooding the entire old city. Although the phenomenon is infrequent, it is reoccurring. Continents move, sometimes abruptly. It’s the educational system’s responsibility to remind us of our history for a safer future.

Spain is not the only country that does not put sufficient funds into education and prevention when it comes to extreme events like tsunamis.

Education saves lives. Here is an example: A British child by the name of Tilly Smith learned about tsunamis in school. Smith recognized the signs of a tsunami when she found herself in Thailand during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Her warning saved the lives of many people who otherwise wouldn’t have known to leave the beach or evacuate to higher ground. Tilly Smith was 10 years old at the time.

We tested the Tsunami Singalong at CEIP La Inmaculada, an elementary school in Cádiz, (southern Spain). This school is particularly vulnerable to Tsunamis as it’s positioned close to the coast and stands below sea level.

The kids memorized the words quickly and enjoyed a fun and memorable learning experience. The children even made drawings of the dos and don’ts. In under 3 minutes, this group of students gained a basic understanding of how to act should they ever face a Tsunami alert in their lifetime.

The Tsunami song was created in both English and Spanish (Castellano). We hope it helps create awareness beyond Southwest Europe. If a tsunami were to ever come your way, you’ll know what to do.