#TsunamiDay2016: Interview with Tomas Alvarez Belon

Spanish-born Tomas Alvarez Belon's life changed forever on 26 December 2004, when he was caught up in the tragedy of the Indian Ocean Tsunami. He is now a passionate campaigner for disaster risk awareness and public safety.

Tomas, now 20, was on holiday in Thailand with his parents and his brothers Lucas and Simon when the wave hit. His family’s survival story inspired the 2012 film “The Impossible”, starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor.

He went on to work at Britain’s Royal National Lifeboat Institute and also served as a lifeguard for Proactiva Open Arms Lesbos, in Greece, during the peak of the refugee crisis. He continued his lifeguard training at UWC Atlantic College, in Wales. A fully-trained lifesaver, he is currently studying for a degree in in Science, Technology and International Affairs at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Many thanks to our colleagues at the UN News Centre in New York for interviewing Tomas when he was there for an event marking the first ever edition of World Tsunami Awareness Day, in November 2016.

Видео #TsunamiDay2016: Interview with Tomas Alvarez Belon канала United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction