Since the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, the Disasters Journal has published a series of articles on the impact of the disaster, preparedness for it and the efforts of the affected people, civil society, governments and international agencies to provide immediate relief and gradually rebuild. These are brought together in this virtual issue which is available free online.

These articles present the findings of a large joint evaluation of the tsunami response, examine mortality and displacement in Aceh, local NGO responses in India and the impact on fisheries and tourism in Sri Lanka. Other articles examine the role of mangrove forests, issues of ethnicity, politics and inequality in relation to aid delivery in Sri Lanka, questions of vulnerability, adaptive capacity, satellite mapping of damage and support through cash for work. Two articles from 1978 and 1983 examine tsunamis in the Philippines and the Japan Sea which provide interesting points of comparison.

Together these articles represent a rich body of learning in relation to issues of disaster preparedness, mitigation and response covering the full risk management cycle.