FIJI AT WORLD TSUNAMI AWARENESS DAY 2019

Fiji Tsunami Working Group (FTWG) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (PTWS), Pacific Island Countries and Territories Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation (PICT-WG) collaborated with Ministry of Education, Culture and Heritage (MEHA), UNDP Pacific Office “Partnerships for Strengthening School Preparedness for Tsunami in Asia and the Pacific” project and Fiji Ports Corporation Limited (FPCL) to hold a series of events to observe World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD) in Suva, Fiji on 5^th November, 2019. These series of events is a direct response to the recommendation of the 7^th Meeting of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (PTWS) Pacific Islands Countries and Territories Working Group on Tsunami Warning and Mitigation (PICT-WG) held in Noumea, New Caledonia on March 2019 on Priorities and Future Action Plans, as it noted the importance of observing the World Tsunami
Awareness Day 2019 on 5^th November and urged member countries to leverage this opportunity for Nation-wide campaigns and awareness including Tsunami Evacuation Drills especially for critical infrastructures (ports, hospitals, schools, power plants, and Radio/TV Stations).

Previously, IOC collaborated with Fiji National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) to install an additional 15 Tsunami Signage within the Suva Peninsula.The 15-tsunami signage adds to the existing tsunami signage currently installed within the Suva Peninsula. According to NDMO Director, Ms. Vasiti Soko, this timely support has increased the number of tsunami signage within the Suva Peninsula from 75 to 90. She highlighted that the installation of the tsunami signage was timely close to the World Tsunami Awareness Day November 5^th, 2019 as some of the signage was used during the tsunami drills with four schools in Suva.