Our knowledge of how coastal species react to, and recover from, tsunamis is deficient because of the infrequency of these events, despite the importance of such information for ecological risk assessment of coastal hazards. To elucidate the differences in resilience among species and the successional processes of coastal sand-dune flora after tsunamis, we monitored the ecological impacts of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on coastal sand-dune species on Phuket Island, Thailand. In conclusion, the recovery process – including its direction, trajectory, and duration – in coastal sand-dune species after tsunamis depends strongly on the individual beach structure and the degree of anthropogenic disturbance, including trampling pressure and beach development. Furthermore, evaluation of species in terms of functional traits is effective for assessing sand-dune status after tsunamis.