Early warning tsunami system, urgent need for Tonga [1]
Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 23:27. Updated on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 18:51.
An Action Plan for an Early Warning Tsunami System for Tonga is expected to be completed by January 2010, according to 'Ofa Fa'anunu the Chairman and Director of the Tonga Meteorology Center.
Following a two-days workshop last week in Nuku'alofa Ofa said they had been directed by the National Emergency Recovery Committee to have the Action Plan by January.
The workshop on Early Warning Systems for Tonga was funded by the United Nations Development Fund .
The drafting of the plan started last week by a group who identified the urgent need to put in place an automatic generated loud siren and sms text warning.
'Ofa said that the workshop aimed at getting together all related emergency stakeholders to discuss weaknesses in the existing warning system. "It identified the urgent need for a loud siren, text warning messaging, mapping out of higher grounds for evacuation and providing effective direction to evacuation routes.
"These are high priority issues that we want to pilot as soon as possible. With regards to the siren we have found a company that can provide a siren system and we can ask for funding. Therefore we are looking at piloting it in Niuatoputapu then Tongatapu, our high priority areas before testing on other islands," explained 'Ofa, who chairs the planning group.
He said that the only delay with the sms text messaging now, which they aim to be automatically triggered from the Fua'amotu Meteorological Centre, are technical issues between Digicel and TCC.
'Ofa said because most people tend to flee to Mataki'eua in Tongatapu and to have only 20 minutes of warning, those far off will not make it in time. "There are many other higher grounds all over Tongatapu, like the high end at Ha'atafu where villages in that area including Kanokupolu can flee. But we will have to test walk these areas before mapping it out.
"Also vital, is mapping an effective evacuation route for people to flee when warning is issued and we are anticipating to have signs on the roads for direction."
'Ofa identified the weakness of the existing warning system is people relying solely on radio, when the main radio is not broadcasting 24 hours and the FM stations dont have the frequency to reach the outer islands.
The working group consists of the Meteorology Centre, Geology, Defence, Police, Ministry of Information and Communication and the media.
Earthquake
With regards to the 6.8 earthquake that shook Tonga early this morning, 'Ofa said there was no tsunami warning "because it did not trigger a tsunami.
"The Hawaii Centre issued only a tsunami information bulletin that provided information on the magnitude and location of the earthquake but no wave was generated."