“We often congratulate ourselves on saving lives which is deeply important, but saving infrastructure and reducing economic losses is much more complicated. Here is where coastal zone management can help, allowing us to effectively determine risk zones and come up with preventive development plans,” said Mr. Ryabinin.

Compared to 2004, when there was only one Early warning System in place in the Pacific (Hawaii), the planet is safer. The Global Early Warning System now comprises four major Early warning Systems in the Indian Ocean (2005), the Caribbean and the Northwest Atlantic (2006), and the Mediterranean (2012), covering all regions of the world.

These systems have been key to reducing loss of life from tsunamis in recent years.

“No matter if you have the best advanced technologies, people need to trust the system and understand locally what to do to save their lives ” said Laura Kong Director of the UNESCO/IOC International Tsunami Information Center, based in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Participants recognized the needs for even more timely and accurate tsunami warnings than currently available and for adequate procedures to enabling more effective and inclusive community and local responses to tsunami threats. Scientists also agreed that more funds and research should be invested in areas that are not yet so developed.

“At the moment we are well prepared to alert on tsunami triggered by earthquake magnitude 8 or more, but we do require more research and science for tsunamis triggered by earthquake magnitudes between 6 to 8, which are more frequent and can have great negative impacts on local communities, ” added François Schindelé.

The tsunami early warning community expressed hopes that the UN Decade of Ocean Science could act as a global hub for rallying national commitments and related investments to fill such technical gaps and improve decision-making.

“When it comes to tsunami warnings,” added Rick Bailey from the Australia Bureau of Meterology, “we’re talking about a lot of decisions to take with very little information.”

The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is a 10-year global initiative proclaimed by the UN General Assembly for the years 2021-2030. The global initiative seeks to ensure scientific knowledge and technology can assist countries in achieving international agreements such as the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Management and the broader Sustainable Development Goals.

This year World Tsunami Awareness Day, organized by UNISDR, will be celebrated for the third year on November 5.

Date:

14 Feb 2018

Sources:

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)

Themes:

Early Warning, Governance

Hazards:

Tsunami