These Five Countries Have Advanced Tsunami Warning Systems

November - December 2021

Building effective national tsunami early warning systems (TWS) is challenging due to the complexity of managing multiple factors involved in detection and effective response.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), effective early warning systems require seamless integration of five separate components institutional and legal capacity development; technology deployment; community outreach and community-based solutions; private sector engagement; and international cooperation and data sharing. In other words, developing advanced TWS is expensive. In fact, the cost is hindering the completion of the multi-nation Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS), involving 28 countries facing the Indian Ocean.

The IOTWS is one of four global tsunami warning systems mandated by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). The others are Pacific Tsunami Warning System (PTWS), Caribbean Early Warning System (Caribe EWS), and North-Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Tsunami Warning System (NEAMTWS). These warning systems are solving detection; however, the challenge remains for individual nations to effectively disseminate timely warnings to their citizens.

The good news is progress is being made in this area, and at least five countries are showing the way. These five countries are India, the USA, Japan, Australia, and Chile.

Source: United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

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