A network of 88 civil defence sirens will be installed throughout Tonga as part of a new Multi Hazard Early Warning System that is expected to become operational by August next year.

'Ofa Fa'anunu, the director of Tonga Meteorological Services said the new system with computer automation will help to alert people faster with the latest information.

“The 88 sirens will be installed throughout Tonga, mainly in areas where tsunami waves from a 8.7M earthquake on the Tonga Trench directly east of Tongatapu will reach from modeling we did.

“There will also be 514 community radios that will turn on by themselves in a warnings situation for communities that are too remote to justify a siren,” 'Ofa said.

Everything will be activated directly from the Met Office using 14 prerecorded messages. The sirens will use three sounds, one for urgent evacuation, a second sound means listen to the radio; and a third low level sound will indicate a systems test or cultural or a national statement, where people are required to tune to the local radio.

At the moment Tonga Met issues tsunami and hazard warnings directly to their Facebook page, before it is raised on the radio. “We know it reaches more people in a short time but it’s still inadequate for local tsunami,” said 'Ofa, who is looking forward to the new automated warning system.

This Nationwide Early Warning System and Strengthening Disaster Communications (NEWS) project is a grant aid assistance from the people and the Government of Japan worth 2.8 billion Japanese Yen, equivalent to over $56 million pa’anga and formulated based on Japan’s Country Assistance Policy to Tonga.

He is currently overseas attending a World Met meeting. ‘Ofa is President of the World Meteorological Organization Regional Association (WMO RA5).