In the pursuit of enhancing the tsunami preparedness of coastal communities, the IOC/UNESCO together with the Seismology Team at the Geological Survey Department of Cyprus, organized between 26-27 September, 2023 a workshop focused on developing tsunami evacuation maps for Larnaka, a coastal town that aspires to attain UNESCO IOC Tsunami Ready status by mid-2024.
This essential workshop, a constituent of the IOC EU DG ECHO CoastWave project, facilitated constructive engagement with relevant stakeholders, including Cyprus Civil Defense. The event leveraged local expertise and experience, allowing stakeholders to validate the evacuation base map while also identifying potential challenges linked to the mapping of tsunami evacuation routes and assembly areas.
Participants of the workshop
Countries around the North-eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Connected Seas (known as the NEAM region) are gearing up for a tsunami communication test and response exercise scheduled for 6 and 7 November 2023. This exercise coincides with World Tsunami Awareness Day, celebrated annually on 5 November.
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The 30th session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/PTWS), an international expert group under the aegis of UNESCO, showcased significant strides in tsunami preparedness and disaster prevention for the Pacific region.
Key takeaways from the meeting include several initiatives and activities to enhance coastal communities' safety and resilience.
Expanding Protection and Vigilance
Participants initiated efforts to strengthen the capabilities of the Steering Committee, aligning them with the goals of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (the Ocean Decade). This move aims to fortify the protection of coastal communities, ensuring their readiness in the face of potential tsunamis.
Recognizing the growing and increasingly complex challenge of tsunami hazards, the group increased the number of Vice-Chair positions to three, signifying an understanding of the scale of the tasks ahead in improving monitoring and preparedness capabilities in the region.
The UNESCO-led Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWMS) is gearing up for its seventh ocean-wide tsunami readiness exercise, known as Indian Ocean Wave 2023 (IOWave23). Twenty-five countries are expected to take part in the three-week exercise, scheduled from 4-25 October 2023, with several countries involving their local communities.
Tsunamis, while infrequent, pose a significant threat in terms of both loss of life and destruction. To ensure readiness for these rare but high-impact events, regular tsunami simulation exercises are essential.
In a departure from previous exercises, conducted since 2009, the IOWave23 edition will simulate various scenarios, including a volcanic eruption in the Southern Ocean, resulting in a regional tsunami event. The simulation will also include seismic scenarios involving magnitude 9 earthquakes in the Andaman, Makran, and Java trenches. Governments can choose to participate in one or more of these scenarios.
The objectives of the IOWave23 Tsunami Exercise go beyond testing procedures and communication links; it aims to enhance tsunami preparedness at the community level. Governments will have the opportunity to assess their communities’ levels of preparedness using the IOC/UNESCO Tsunami Ready programme indicators, which cover tsunami assessment, preparedness, and response.
Malta hosted a crucial national workshop on 11 July 2023, aimed at enhancing the country's tsunami preparedness and providing a platform for stakeholders to co-design ongoing efforts to bolster Malta’s readiness to potential tsunamis. The event, held at the Salini Resort in St. Paul's Bay, brought together government agencies, local authorities, and experts to discuss essential measures for tsunami response and safety.
The University of Malta spearheaded the organization as part of the CoastWAVE Project, a joint initiative of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO) and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). The workshop kicked off with welcoming remarks from Prof Pauline Galea, the CoastWAVE Project coordinator, who highlighted the project's work towards making Malta "Tsunami Ready." Mr. Peter Paul Coleiro, Director General of the Civil Protection Department (CPD), spoke on behalf of the Minister for Home Affairs, Security, Reforms, and Equality.
Project Coordinator Prof. Pauline Galea is presenting the CoastWAVE project
The Indonesian coast, between Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, after the earthquake and the tsunami of 26 December 2004. Photo by Evan Schneider © UN Photo
UNESCO supports Member States in improving capabilities for tsunami risk assessment, implementing early warning systems and enhancing preparedness of communities at risk. UNESCO works closely with national institutions and promotes inter-institutional and regional cooperation. Specialized regional centers provide tsunami information that, together with national analysis, is the basis of the warnings issued for the public. In addition, UNESCO promotes community-based approaches in the development of response plans and awareness campaigns which strongly involve education institutions and end-users.