The international community was generous in donations to Papua New Guinea after the tsunami. However, most of the funding was to support response and immediate medical needs. There has been very little money for recovery, especially the repair or construction of infrastructure. Recommendations Our reconnaissance study allowed us to assess factors which may have exacerbated or reduced the tsunami impacts. We share some observations here in order to identify mitigation issues which can be applied to other tsunami-prone areas.
Oral tradition is an important tool .
Reports indicate that some elderly people understood the relation between ground shaking and tsunami hazard, and told others to move inland after the earthquake. Previous tsunamis hit the Aitape region in 1907 and 1935, although they were not as damaging as the 1998 event. The matron at the Aitape hospital said that a large number of elderly people survived the tsunami because, immediately after the quake, they got into boats and headed toward the back of the lagoon or moved to higher ground. A survivor from Arop village told us that the younger people laughed at the elders' warnings. The 15-25 minutes between the earthquake and the first wave was sufficient time for many to have reached safety.