On 3rd November 2023, the village of Sila and Navuevu in the District of Cuvu in Nadroga Province received their certificate of recognition as a Tsunami Ready community through the UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme under the Ocean Decade Tsunami Programme (ODTP) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO/IOC).
During the Official Handover Ceremony of the official certificate of recognition, the Fiji Government Minister of Lands and Mineral Resources, Mr Filimoni Vosaroga highlighted that “the UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Ready Programme is timely for us as Fiji Government intend to increase the knowledge and understanding of tsunami risks and warning arrangements, especially for the vulnerable people of Fiji under the National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy 2018-2030.”
The UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Program is an integral component of Fiji’s Community Based Disaster Risk Management Handbook that will guide practitioners in government and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) when preparing communities for a tsunami threat.
The UNESCO-IOC Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Centre (IOTIC) conducted National Tsunami Ready Training in Seychelles during 21-24 November 2023. The training workshop reviewed the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme with a view for adoption and implementation in Seychelles. Forty representatives from both national and local governmental organisations participated in the training.
The Seychelles Disaster Risk and Management Division (DRMD) hosted the event at the Seychelles Trading Company (STC) in Victoria, Mahe Island. UNESCO-IOC and the Government of Indonesia funded the training, through the Partnership Agreement between UNESCO-IOC and the Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG; 2023-2027).
Participants at Seychelles Tsunami Ready Training, Victoria, Mahe,21-24 November 2023.
The workshop was officially opened by the Minister for Local Government and Community Affairs, Minister Rose Marie Hoareau, following the welcome remarks of Prof Dwikorita Karnawati, Chair of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWMS) and Head of BMKG, and Dr Alexandros K Makarigakis, the Director of UNESCO Office Nairobi.
The training was led by IOTIC in contribution to UNESCO-IOC’s effort to ensure a safe ocean for ever-more resilient coastal communities, with specific objectives: 1. To introduce and promote the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme (TRRP) and 2. To initiate the implementation of the TRRP in Seychelles.
UNESCO-IOC's Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Centre (IOTIC) jointly with UNDRR's Africa Office and the Disaster Risk and Management Division of Seychelles conducted eyewitness interviews for the “Preserving Past Tsunami Information for Future Preparedness” initiative in conjunction with the National Tsunami Ready Training in Seychelles held on 21-24 November 2023.
Interviews with eight eyewitness of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami were conducted in two districts affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. In Anse Royale, Mahe Island six survivors were interviewed including Leonne Florentine, Denis Meringo, Melvin Robert, Patrick Gilbert, Marie Yvonne Roucou, and Nazreen Alibhaye, and in Grand Anse, Praslin Island two survivors were interviewed including Dixson Lespreance and Marcel Andre.
“It was 26 of December, a holiday, that afternoon, I was planning to bring my children to the beach. Just before we left, I got a phone call from a relative telling me to turn on the television. There was an announcement for the people to stay away from the beach because of a phenomenon that happened in Indonesia, and a wave is traveling through the Indian Ocean. We cancelled going to the beach, as my house is on a hill, we can see the beach below, I saw the wave coming and out the beach, which was very not normal at that time,” Leonne Florentine of Anse Royale, Mahe Island.
A volcano eruption in the Svartsengi volcanic system in Iceland captured widespread attention from 18 to 21 December 2023. The eruption took place close to Sundhnúkagígar, about four kilometres northeast of Grindavík. The eruption occurred after the area has been monitored and evacuated since 10 November 2023, due to seismic activity and the formation of a dyke intrusion at a depth of 3-5 km. The latest report from the Icelandic Met Office (IMO, Iceland) on 22 December, states that the fissure eruption at Sundhnúksgígar ended on 21 December. This indicates a temporary cessation of eruptive activity. However, according to GPS and satellite-based measurements, ground uplift in the Svartsengi region was apparent immediately after the eruption began on the evening of 18 December. Initial measurements show that the rate of uplift is greater than before the eruption occurred. This signifies that magma accumulation continues unabated beneath Svartsengi. This development will likely lead to another dike intrusion and, ultimately, another volcanic eruption.
The volcanic activity has raised concerns about the potential for a volcano-generated tsunami. The Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the North Eastern Atlantic Mediterranean and connected seas Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/NEAMTWS) continues to monitor the situation through its Tsunami Service Providers (TSPs) and expert networks. Mr Halldór Björnsson, Coordinator of Atmospheric Research at the IMO, emphasized prior to the eruption, “an eruption in Grindavík is not likely to extend into the sea, the bottom topography poses no risk of submarine landslides, therefore, the risk of a tsunami in that area is extremely low”.
Since 21 December, nearly 90 earthquakes were recorded in the Grindavík, Sundhnúksgígar, and Svartsengi regions. The largest earthquake was M1.6 West of Hagafell. Presently, seismicity levels are low but variable on a daily basis. The main driving force behind these events is the spreading of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. These forces literally tear the ground apart as the plates move in opposite directions. The empty space between the plates is usually filled with magma rising from the Earth’s mantle, potentially triggering volcanic activity such as the one witnessed at Sundhnúksgígar.
Volcanic activity on 18 December 2023 at the southern end of the fissure at Sundhnúksgíga, Iceland. Source: Icelandic Met Office.
The UNESCO-IOC Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWMS) decided to conduct Exercise Indian Ocean Wave 2023 (IOWave23) during October 2023. Different scenarios for tsunami generation were exercised on 4, 11, 18 and 25 October. Recognising that the outcomes from IOWave23 will contribute to a better understanding of the gaps in tsunami warning chains, as well as enhance tsunami preparedness across the Indian Ocean Region, the ICG/IOTWMS Secretariat and Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Centre (IOTIC) jointly organised the “Lessons Learnt during Exercise Indian Ocean Wave 2023” webinar during 12-13 December 2023.
Opening remarks were provided by Professor Dwikorita Karnawati, Chair of the ICG/IOTWMS, and Mr Rick Bailey, Head of the ICG/IOTWMS Secretariat. Ms Weniza, Chair of the ICG/IOTWMS Task Team on Exercise IOWave23, provided an overview of the exercise. Ms Suci Anagrah, Chair of the ICG/IOTWMS Working Group 3 on Tsunami Ready Implementation, spoke about the importance of the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme. All stressed the importance of developing and maintaining community awareness and preparedness for the tsunami threat. While fortunately tsunamis are relatively rare, exercises are accordingly required to ensure warning systems are fully operational and effective should a tsunami occur.
Photo: Participants during Exercise IOWave23 held during 4-25 October 2023.
The webinar focused on Member States’ participation in the exercise, with country presentations from Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Madagascar, Mauritius, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. Panel discussions were also held on: a) New Tsunami Service Provider (TSP) products for non-seismic generated tsunami, b) Community involvement in IOWave exercises; c) Exercising UNECO-IOC Tsunami Ready indicators; and d) Recommendations for the next IOWave Exercise.
Побережье Индонезии между городами Банда-Ачех и Мелабох после землетрясения и цунами 26 декабря 2004 г. Фото: Evan Schneider © UN Photo