UNESCO recent activities on Ensuring a Robust and Reliable Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System for the Pacific Region.

The Cowrie – SIDS Times Magazine Fall 2017 Online Edition – Back to Table of Contents

1.  5th regional meeting of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Systems (PTWS)(August 7-9, 2017) The UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Pacific Tsunami Warning Systems (PTWS) Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation for the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICT’s) has held its 5th regional meeting in Honiara, Solomon Islands from the 7th to the 9th of August to improve tsunami warning and mitigation services and information sharing within the concerned countries. The two-day meeting gathered 30 representatives from Pacific countries, experts and observers, and was supported by the Solomon Islands Government, UNESCO-IOC, Oceania Regional Seismic Network (ORSNET) project and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The meeting allowed the participants to review tsunami detection, warning and response capabilities of the PICT’s and tsunami mitigation activities in the region. This meeting was also very important for the Working Group to discuss their priorities and future actions.
   For more information:
   http://www.unesco.org/new/en/apia/about-this-office/single- view/news/ensuring_robust_and_reliable_tsunami_warning_and_mitigation/
2. Tsunami warning training for Fiji, 10-14, JulyIn order to support Fiji Government to improve warning and response to tsunami threat and streamline tsunami messages for dissemination to the public, UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO) in coordination with the NOAA International Tsunami Information Centre (ITIC) Training Programme International (ITP-International) organized a technical training for the authorities in Fiji from 10-14 July 2017 at Fiji Meteorological Service, Laucala Bay, Suva, Fiji. The IOC-UNESCO and ITIC ITP-International held the programme in partnership with the Government of Fiji, the Pacific Community (SPC), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with support from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the European Union and the ACP Group of States.For more information:
   http://www.unesco.org/new/en/apia/about-this-office/single- view/news/tsunami_warning_training_for_fiji/
   
3. Avaia Lefaga – Samoa’s first tsunami ready community.Savaia village, on the southern coast of Upolu, is recognized by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) as Samoa’s first Tsunami Ready community. Savaia has been selected as the pilot village for this program as it has already completed the community disaster and climate risk management program and had participated in the UNESCO-IOC’s Exercise Pacific Wave 2017 (PACWAVE17). To be selected, Savaia had to implement 10 guidelines covering hazard assessment, tsunami signage, evacuation mapping and planning, education and outreach, and 24hrs x 7days communications and response planning. The achievements were put into action through a community exercise that was part of IOC’s PACWAVE17. This program will be up-scaled to become a multi-hazard readiness recognition program for Samoa”. Samoa is the first Pacific Island Country to implement the program.For more information:
   http://www.unesco.org/new/en/apia/about-this-office/single-iew/news/savaia_lefaga_samoas_first_tsunami_ready_community/