Institute of Politics

IOP Pritzker Fellow Lisa Franchetti on "The Boxing Day Tsunami: Tragedy & Opportunity" THIS SEMINAR IS OPEN TO CURRENT UCHICAGO STUDENTS ONLY Tuesday, February 10 3:30-4:45pm On December 26th, 2004 at 7:58am, a 9.2 magnitude earthquake struck with an epicenter off the West Coast of Ache in northern Sumatra, Indonesia - the deadliest tsunami in history, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries. The U.S. military’s response began immediately, led by the Navy and Marine Corps, via Operation Unified Assistance, with 16,000 personnel, 26 ships, 58 helicopters and numerous fixed-wing aircraft to set up a logistics backbone. The effort required close coordination with the affected governments, international partner nations, civilian agencies and non-governmental relief organizations and set a precedent for large-scale, rapid-response military-led humanitarian assistance, improving future responses and interagency cooperation. But knowledge is perishable once familiar processes slip into the background as people move on and memories fade. How could that knowledge be preserved and processes captured and practiced? Enter the U.S. Pacific Fleet and what would become “Pacific Partnership.” Pritzker Fellows seminars are off the record and open to current UChicago students only. Seating in the IOP Living Room is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact Ella Kumano-Maloney (ikmaloney@uchicago.edu).