Plans and Procedures for Tsunami Warning and Emergency Management

National tsunami warning and emergency management authorities must have aligned and robust tsunami warning and response plans and procedures to ensure timely and effective tsunami warnings are issued and impacted communities respond effectively to them. While significant improvements have been made in this regard, the Intergovernmental Coordination Groups (ICGs) of the four Tsunami Warning and Mitigation Systems acting under the aegis of the UNESCO-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission have all identified that gaps still remain. Collectively, they have agreed that a guideline that sets a standard for tsunami warning plans and procedures is required to guide countries.

This manual on “Plans and Procedures for Tsunami Warning and Emergency Management” answers the call for guidance from the ICG Member States. It has been developed as an activity of the IOC Working Group on Tsunamis and Other Hazards related to Sea Level Warning and Mitigation System (TOWS-WG) Task Team on Disaster Management and Preparedness with generous support from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and input from the TOWS-WG Task Team on Tsunami Watch Operations.

It is a product of collaboration between the four ICGs through the TOWS-WG, taking into account training materials and expertise across all the systems. It is therefore relevant to all the ICGs, and it establishes a reference point for global consistency with regard to planning for and responding to tsunamis.