The 2009 tsunami that struck Samoa in September of 2009 resulted in the death of almost 200 people, as a combination of the speed and size of the wave and the incomplete broadcast of the warning prevented many from escaping. In the aftermath of the disaster, researchers converged on Samoa to investigate the causes of the disaster, and to determine suggestions for how to respond in the event of future incidents. These research teams, however, are typically small, quickly organized, and not integrated with the local communities or governments, resulting in disjointed coverage and a failure to communicate findings to those who could most benefit.
To prevent this from occurring, Dale Dominey-Howes, Professor of Hazards and Disaster Risk Sciences at the University of Sydney, made a proposal for a larger scale research response, involving a multidisciplinary team containing almost 200 members, both local and international, across a period of about a month from October to September 2009, with teams making efforts to coordinate between local and international scientists to ensure the research would be of benefit to Samoa. Dominey-Howes also discussed progress on research daily with Samoan government officials, including both the prime minister and King of Samoa.
In the wake of later disasters, such as the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan, and the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan disaster in the Philippines, similar efforts were made to coordinate larger responses between researchers and government officials.
While research is still ongoing, and will continue to occur with each new major disaster, Dominey-Howes offers some high-level key lessons learned from the research to date, including:
- The higher than previously realized frequency with which these disasters occur
- The natural vulnerability and resilience of ecosystems to these disasters, and the impact of human activity on these ecosystems, and
- The frequent resistance of those in the regions affected by disaster to instructions or advice from emergency management agencies
