A 7.5-magnitude earthquake and resultant tsunami which struck Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Sept. 28 led the United Nations to issue a reminder that the Pacific’s Ring of Fire is the planet's most active seismic zone. As such, it requires special attention when it comes to disaster risk management.

Earthquakes and tsunamis are responsible for more deaths than extreme weather events, having claimed an estimated 747,234 lives over the last 20 years, according to a new report which the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) plans to release to coincide with International Day for Disaster Reduction on Oct. 13. World Tsunami Awareness Day will be marked for the third year on Nov. 5.

(Click to enlarge.) Bridge damaged by the Sept. 28 earthquake tsunami. Credit: Antara Foto/Muhammad Adimaja via Reuters/Manila BulletinUNISDR estimates that up to 1.6 million people could be affected by the Sept. 28 earthquake and tsunami.

About 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire. The UN office says that the risk of an associated tsunami in the region is "extremely high," which is why early warnings are important along with public awareness and evacuation drills.

(Click to enlarge.) Map showing extent of the Ring of Fire.Indonesia has suffered more deaths from tsunamis than any other country, the UN agency says. The Sept. 28 tsunami was the sixth fatal tsunami to strike the country since 2004. That year the Indian Ocean tsunami in late December claimed some 226,000 lives in 12 countries. Most of the fatalities were in Indonesia.

A 2015 UN report, known as the Sendai Framework, called for more action to take on underlying disaster risk drivers, including the consequences of poverty and inequality, climate change and variability, unplanned and rapid urbanization and poor land management. It also cited compounding factors such as demographic change, weak institutional arrangements, non-risk-informed policies, lack of regulation and incentives for private disaster risk reduction investment, complex supply chains, limited availability of technology, unsustainable uses of natural resources, declining ecosystems, pandemics and epidemics.

It also called for good governance in disaster risk reduction strategies at the national, regional and global levels, and improved preparedness and national coordination for disaster response, rehabilitation and reconstruction, and to use post-disaster recovery and reconstruction to “build back better.”