Remembering the 1945 Makran Tsunami

Interviews with Survivors Beside the Arabian Sea.

Nearly a lifetime has passed since the northwestern Indian Ocean last produced a devastating tsunami. The disaster took place in November 1945, when record-keeping was hindered by instability from the Second World War and, in British India, by the approach of independence and partition. What has been established about the 1945 tsunami falls short of what’s needed today for ground-truthing inundation models, estimating risk to enlarged populations, and anchoring awareness campaigns in local facts.

This booklet aims to increase scientific understanding and public awareness of the 1945 tsunami. It contains testimony from dozens of eyewitnesses to that tsunami, and from younger people who recounted what their elders told them. It is hoped that these collected memories will help save lives during future tsunamis.

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