Pre-IOWave16 Workshop on Standard Operating Procedures for Tsunami Warning and Emergency Response for Indian Ocean Countries

The ICG/IOTWMS pre-IOWave16 Workshop on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Tsunami Warning and Emergency Response for Indian Ocean countries was held in Melbourne, Australia, 9-13 May 2016, hosted by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.  The workshop was attended by twenty-eight participants from twelve countries, namely: Australia, Comoros, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Oman, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and Timor-Leste.  The workshop was conducted by a team of nine trainers from Australia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Center and IOC UNESCO.

The workshop targeted Indian Ocean countries that intend to participate down to community level in the IOWave16 Exercise, which is scheduled for 7-8 September 2016.  The objectives of the workshop were to assist the ICG/IOTWMS Member States to develop integrated end-to-end SOPs for tsunami warning and emergency response; to assist Disaster Management Organisations to develop SOPs for implementing national and local responses to tsunami warnings issued by the National Tsunami Warning Centres; and to prepare Member States to conduct the IOWave16 Exercise.

The workshop programme included lecture sessions, breakout group work, a tabletop simulation exercise and a site visit to the Joint Australia Tsunami Warning Centre, one of the three ICG/IOTWMS Regional Service Providers.  Lectures and training material were based on manuals and templates developed by IOC UNESCO in collaboration with the NOAA International Tsunami Information Centre (ITIC) since 2008. 

The workshop also marked the start of UNISDR’s programme of activities leading towards the UN-designated World Tsunami Awareness Day on 5th November 2016, the theme of which is “Effective Education and Evacuation Drills”.  The IOTWMS will participate in World Tsunami Awareness Day as a means of raising awareness of tsunami hazards in the Indian Ocean and the IOWave16 Exercise in September will form an integral part of IOTWMS’ contribution to the programme of events.