The July 17, 1998 tsunami killed over 2,100 people, injured at least 800 severely enough to require hospitalization, permanently displaced over 10,000 and disrupted the social and economic framework of the coastal communities of eastern Saundaun Province, Papua New Guinea. Initial response to the disaster was delayed 16 hours because of the failure to communicate the magnitude of the impact outside the affected area. Once the scope of the disaster was known, international assistance was rapid and substantial. Medical teams, supplies, air transport and mobile field hospitals were provided to assist national medical personnel and facilities. Seven care centers were established for the displaced survivors. Nineteen countries and 17 NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) donated money, relief and rebuilding supplies valued at over 6 million US$ in addition to substantial contributions from national recovery funds and the Catholic Diocese. The three Malol villages, two Arop, four Sissano and the Warupu village were permanently abandoned and new villages established inland. Closure of the lagoon and restriction of coastal fishing impacted adjacent villages as well as tsunami survivors. By the second anniversary of the tsunami construction of schools, water and sanitation systems and some roads had been completed. Survivors were provided tools and building supplies to construct new homes, canoes and fishing equipment. Relief and recovery efforts were complicated by coordination difficulties among the many responding agencies and organizations, the disruption of daily routines for both survivors and villages hosting the care centers, and the intrusion of outside aid workers in a region that had been isolated before the disaster. Adaptation to the new village sites has been difficult due to their inland locations that are hotter, more insect-infested and have water and sanitation difficulties. The high number of casualties from the tsunami was the result of several factors:Population concentrated in the area of maximum tsunami impact. Date and time of occurrence. Siting of villages on vulnerable sand spits. Failure of residents to self-evacuate after feeling the earthquake. Substantial delay in mobilizing response.However, further losses were likely reduced because of the rapid deployment of air transport and medical teams, and massive international relief support. The tsunami has affected long-term tsunami mitigation in the Sissano region through the relocation of villages, heightened awareness and education programs. It has also had a significant effect on mitigation in other countries by illuminating the potential dangers of landslide-generated tsunamis and in media coverage of tsunami hazards.

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On 26 December 2004, a devastating tsunami struck the coasts of 12 nations on the Indian Ocean. Over 300,000 people in 12 countries died in the wake of the tsunami, millions of housing units were damaged or destroyed, economies were devastated, and ecosystems were disrupted. The lessons from this catastrophe have worldwide implications, but the tragedies were local. Sri Lanka and the Aceh province of Indonesia suffered most of the casualties. The Sri Lankan experience illustrates that the recovery can be hindered by a country's social and political conditions. Challenges to recovery include the need for centralized coordination and organization, planning and development control, gathering planning data, political leadership, equitable distribution of recovery assistance, and disaster education.

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