Understanding community resilience and program factors that strengthen them. A comprehensive study of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies tsunami operation

The IFRC’s response and recovery operation in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami reflected the scale of what is recorded as the deadliest tsunami in history – one that swept through coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Thailand, and ten other Indian Ocean countries. Over 4.8 million people benefited from a wide range of Red Cross Red Crescent support that included reconstruction of physical infrastructure such as homes, schools and health facilities as well as long-term recovery and disaster risk reduction programming.