Tsunami Ready Pilot Programme
The Tsunami Ready program seeks to build resilient communities through awareness and preparedness strategies that will protect life, livelihoods, and property from tsunamis in different regions. The main goal of the program is to improve coastal community preparedness for tsunamis and to minimize the loss of life, livelihoods, and property. This is achieved through a collaborative effort to meet a standard level of tsunami preparedness through the fulfilment of a set of established indicators. The Tsunami Ready program is implemented as a voluntary, performance-based community recognition program that promotes an understanding of the concept of readiness as an active collaboration among national and local warning and emergency management agencies and government authorities, scientists, community leaders, and the public.
Although communities can be recognized as being ‘Tsunami Ready’, this recognition does not imply approval or promise that a community can or will perform at a certain level in case of tsunami. Tsunami Ready recognition does not mean that a community is tsunami proof; it is rather the acknowledgement and recognition that a community has adopted mitigation measures to cope with their tsunami risk.
On a national scale, the program needs to be supported by national policy, procedures, and mechanism. In India, a National Tsunami Ready Board has been established by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. This board not only responsible in advocating and directing the implementation of tsunami ready in the country but also link the piloting with tsunami exercise at the national level as well as IOWave exercises that is organized regionally by ICG/IOTWMS bi-annually. The Indian Tsunami Ready Board has successfully nominated two villages in India that received UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready recognition.
On an even more local scale, the Tsunami Ready program is set up in total partnership with the local populations and considering the specificity of each community. For example, In Tamarindo, a touristic town, the National Tsunami Monitoring System (SINAMOT) and the Integral Development Association of Tamarindo are working together to develop a preparedness system not only for locals to feel safe but also from an economical point of view as it attracts tourist who feel safe visiting areas that have been recognized Tsunami Ready. In Grenada within the Caribbean , the two (2) parishes of St. Patrick, as well as Carriacou and Petite Martinique have been recognized as Tsunami Ready communities. These communities are not only vulnerable to earthquake sourced tsunamis, but also tsunamis generated from an eruption of the submarine volcano “Kick ‘Em Jenny,” located between 9km - 38km from their shores. Preparation for local tsunamis was emphasized throughout the nomination process.
Therefore, Tsunami Ready is a multiscale program who demand efforts from officials and locals from around the globe to save lives in communities prone to tsunami risk. To connect minds and techniques different conferences have been organized to discuss about tsunami hazards and Tsunami Ready like lecture series and trainings.