Over 40 participants from tsunami warning centres, disaster management offices, meteorological and geological services of 13 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) are attending the first Regional Training for PICT on the UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme from 30 January to 1 February 2023 in Nadi, Fiji.
Ms. Nisha, Director of the UNESCO Office for the Pacific States, formally welcomed the Group together with by Mr Sanaka Samarasinha, UN Resident Coordinator for the Republic of Fiji, who committed to call on the One UN Pacific family to support PICTs in making 100% of their at-risk communities Tsunami Ready by 2030.
The Assistant Director General of UNESCO and IOC Executive Secretary, Dr Vladimir Ryabinin, thanked the Fiji government for hosting the Regional Training, and called on the need to have professionals from relevant disciplines to engage in the Tsunami Ready Programme and call on them to become part of the Tsunami Programme of the UN Ocean Decade.
Based on data collected by the Geological Service of Tonga, with the assistance of technical experts from New Zealand and the United States, the new report sheds light on the 15 January 2022 tsunami that followed the eruption of the Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha’apai volcanoes in Tonga.
While tsunamis are mostly generated by earthquakes, over history 6% of tsunamis have been caused by volcanic eruptions. On 15 January 2022 Tonga’s Hunga Volcano erupted in a sudden and explosive way causing a large local tsunami that devastated villages and resorts along the western shore of Tongatapu and in the Ha’apai island group as well as a far-field tsunami that caused damage and deaths thousands of kilometers away.
To mark the first anniversary of the tsunami event, UNESCO and the The Pacific Community are releasing the much awaited Hunga Tonga – Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) Post-Tsunami Field Survey, compiling critical tsunami runup and inundation measurements, videos and photos, and field observations from the tsunami generated by the 15 January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha’apai Volcanoes.
Under normal circumstances, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO) facilitates International Tsunami Survey Teams (ITST) of international scientists to work with the impacted country to collect tsunami data within the first week or month following a significant tsunami such as 2009 Samoa, 2010 Chile, 2018 Indonesia.
In the case of Tonga in 2022, however, the immediate post-disaster needs of the community and COVID-19 travel restrictions to and within Tonga prevented International Tsunami Survey Teams to deploy and delayed the development of a comprehensive field survey.
The newly unveiled Survey sheds light on important aspects of the 2022 HUNGA TONGA – HUNGA HA’APAI Tsunami, such as:
IOC-UNESCO EU-DG ECHO CoastWAVE project partners held their first workshop on Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in the region of Northeast Atlantic, Mediterranean and the connected seas (NEAM) on 5 October 2022. At the end of this workshop, participants were better equipped to advance the development of national SOPs for tsunamis in their respective country and in the implementation of IOC-UNESCO Tsunami Ready Recognized communities. The workshop was organized in partnership with the European Commission, Joint Research Center (EC-JRC) at the JRC, Ispra, Italy.
The Technical Secretary of ICG/NEAMTWS, Dr. Denis Chang Seng in the opening said “Several workshops and trainings have been carried out over the years by IOC-UNESCO and partners in the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean to support the development of tsunami SOP and that this workshop will set a benchmark for tsunami SOP development in NEAM region in the context of the CoastWAVE project by sharing experiences and lessons learned from ICG of Pacific, Indian and Caribbean Oceans”.
Bernardo Aliaga, Technical Secretary of ICG Pacific and Caribbean Tsunami Warning Systems (PTWC and CARIBE), Rick Bailey, Technical Secretary of Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) and Denis Chang Seng, Technical Secretary of ICG/NEAMTWS shared information and practical exercises to the project participants on SOP development.
Dr. Derya Vennin, project coordinator and Assoc. Project Officer of IOC-UNESCO elaborated on the roles and responsibilities of actors across the end-to-end tsunami warning chain based on Manual and Guidelines of IOC. She underscored that “SOPs should be established at each stage and for each stakeholder along the end-to-end tsunami warning chain” and she also added:
“SOPs aim to achieve efficiency and high-quality performance during real events while reducing the risk of miscommunication, and non-compliance between stakeholders.”
The IOC-UNESCO Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWMS) held its thirteenth session in Bali, Indonesia during 28 November to 1 December 2022. The meeting was hosted by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia through the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG).
Photo: In-person participants at the Thirteenth Session of the ICG/IOTWMS, Bali, Indonesia, 28 November – 1 December 2022.
The meeting was held in hybrid format (in-person and online) and was attended by 54 delegates from 17 Member States in the Indian Ocean region (Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates), 4 staff from United Nations agencies (including 3 from UNESCO and 1 from UNESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific)),and 10 observers from 5 countries (Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Iran and Oman).
Five Member States of the IOC-UNESCO Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning & Mitigation System (IOTWMS) met in Abu Dhabi during 14-16 November 2022 to discuss the outcomes of the scientific activities supported by the UNESCAP funded project “Strengthening Tsunami Early Warning in the North-West Indian Ocean (NWIO) Through Regional Cooperation”.
Photo: Participants at the Workshop on Makran Subduction Zone Science Strengthening Tsunami Warning and Preparedness, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 14-16 November 2022.
The five countries included India, Iran, Pakistan, Oman, and United Arab Emirates (UAE). The workshop also included international experts from Germany, Italy and Norway. The meeting was hosted at the facilities of the National Centre of Meteorology, UAE, which made for an excellent environment for the participants to discuss and exchange ideas and thoughts on how an enhanced scientific understanding of the Makran Subduction Zone (MSZ) can strengthen tsunami warning and mitigation. Participants could observe how a state-of-the art, multi-hazard warning centre operates and services its stakeholders. Participants from around the world also joined online.
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.