Living History: Survivors Speak Out about the 2000 Banggai Tsunami in Indonesia

A new initiative by UNESCO and the Indonesian agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG), documents the story of survivors and eyewitnesses of the 4th May 2000 Tsunami in Banggai, Indonesia.

The 7.6 Mw earthquake that generated the tsunami happened at 12:21 noon local time, with the epicenter around 38 km Northeast of the Salakan city of the Banggai Island District, Indonesia. A 3m tsunami hits several villages on the tip of Eastern part of Central Sulawesi and its surrounding islands. The earthquake and tsunami caused 54 deaths, more than 264 injuries, and destroyed at least 23.000 houses.

Under the partnership agreement of UNESCO and BMKG, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and its Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Center (IOTIC) documented 72 eyewitness and survivor accounts from 7 villages (Ponding-ponding, Palam, Bolonan, Kandek, Dodung, Kalumbatan, and Kayutanyo) in 3 districts (Banggai, Banggai islands, and Banggai Sea).

The initiative is framed around the project Preserving Past Tsunami Information for Future Preparedness, supported by the local Disaster Management Offices of the affected communities. The testimonial collection activities took place between 29 July - 6 August 2022.

These efforts complement a global push to ensure there is video documentation of eyewitnesses and/or survivors' stories of tsunamis that happened prior to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. 

UNESCO and BMKG have documented eyewitnesses and survivors story of the 1945 Makran tsunami, the 1950 Ambon tsunami, the 1938-1968-2018 Central Sulawesi tsunamis, the 1992 Flores tsunami, the 1994 Banyuwangi tsunami, and the 1996 Biak tsunami. 

These living heritage preservation efforts will continue in the next few years, complemented by  public awareness education booklets, and edited videos that will be made available for the public online and through social media.

Find out more: (https://iotic.ioc-unesco.org/).

2022 United Nations Ocean Conference Side Event: Coastal alert - tackling tsunami risks together: partnerships and solutions for a safe ocean resilient to tsunamis

Tsunamis are rare events but can be extremely deadly.  In the past 100 years, 58 of them have claimed more than 260,000 lives, or an average of 4,600 per disaster, surpassing any other natural hazard. This side event showcased leading efforts on reducing tsunami risk as a key contribution to UN Ocean Decade and scaling up action on ocean science and innovation. The event launched the 2022, the World Tsunami Awareness Day communications campaign, which cumulates on 5 November each year and is organised by UNDRR, will focus on the importance of investing in early warning systems. At the same time, the 31^st Session of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) held in June 2021 noted that the UN Ocean Decade provides “a once-in-a-generation opportunity” to improve tsunami detection and early warning systems “even from the near instant they form, and to enhance the preparedness of coastal communities for tsunamis through the UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Ready Programme.”

In this context, UNESCO-IOC in partnership with UNDRR organized the "Coastal alert - tackling tsunami risks together: partnerships and solutions for a safe ocean resilient to tsunamis" side event at the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference that took place on 27 June 2022 at Lisbon in Portugal.

Read more...

Third Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference: Scaling Up action: Every Person on Earth Protected by Early Warning Systems within Five Years

The Third Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference (MHEWCIII) was held in Bali, Indonesia from 23 to 24 May at the Bali International Convention Centre (BICC) as a preparatory event for the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. Its theme was “From Stock Take to Scaling Actions on Target G: Accelerating the Knowledge and Practice of Early Warning Systems for Risk-Informed Resilience". An Organizing Committee composed of committed partners drawn from the International Network, including IOC UNESCO for Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (IN-MHEWS) planned and organized the MHEWS-III Conference. Denis Chang Seng, IOC UNESCO Programme Specialist delivered a keynote presentation on Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System:  Progress, Gaps and Opportunities in the opening session on the State of Play on Early Warning Systems: Progress on target G – Early Warning Access: Regional and Thematic Expert Perspective. IOC UNESCO and WMO also co-organized a session. Are our early warning systems effective? The MHEWS-III conference welcomed the UN's new action and ambitious challenge to ensure every person on Earth is protected by Early Warning Systems within five years and WMO to lead this effort and present an action plan to achieve this goal at the next UN climate conference, later this year in Egypt.

Read more...

Enhancing and Scaling up Actions for Resilient and Safer Coast Discussed/Highlighted at the African Conference on Priority Setting and Partnership Development for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science.

The Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Connected Seas (ICG/NEAMTWS) in partnership with the National Institute in Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF, Egypt) organized a side event on “Resilient and Safer Coasts” at the kickoff African Conference on Priority Setting and Partnership Development for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development on 11 May 2022 in Cairo, Egypt. The side event brought together key figures including Mr Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO);  Mr Mohamed Taher Elsherief, Governor of Alexandria, Egypt; Mr Bernardo Aliaga, Head of Tsunami Section of IOC-UNESCO; Mr Denis Chang Seng, ICG/NEAMTWS Technical Secretary; Ms Derya Vennin, CoastWAVE Associate Project Officer; Ms Maria Ana Baptistia, ICG/NEAMTWS Chair; Mr Amr Hamouda, President of NIOF; and Peter Billing, Head of unit at the European Union Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO).  Mr Mohamed Taher Elsherief stated “We need to unite efforts to find solutions to the main challenges facing the oceans and contribute in limiting climate change in the effect of sea level rise and marine natural hazards that affects the shores of the coastal cities like Alexandria” in reference to United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) and the societal outcome of a “Safe Ocean”.

Stage of the “Resilient and Safer Coasts” African Ocean side event, Egypt, Cairo. Participants from left to right: Ms Derya Vennin, Mr Denis Chang Seng, Ms Elena Daskalaki, Mr Ahmet Cevdet Yalçıner, and Mr Mohamed Taher Elsherief.

Read more...