Australia highlights Tsunami Preparedness, Participates in Regional Exercises

Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, today welcomed Australia’s participation in an international exercise to test response arrangements for tsunami activity in the Indian Ocean.

“The importance of such an exercise is highlighted by the tragic devastation and loss of life experienced in both Sumatra and Samoa in recent weeks,” said Mr McClelland.

The exercise, Indian Ocean Wave, was led today by Indonesia and tested the ability to communicate urgent information including the size, intensity and likely land inundation of a simulated tsunami.

The exercise involved emergency services from Western Australia as well as Commonwealth agencies including Emergency Management Australia (EMA), Geoscience Australia and the Bureau of Meteorology who are involved in the Australian Tsunami Warning System (ATWS).

The ATWS is provided through the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre which operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week to detect and verify tsunami threats to Australia as a result of earthquakes.

The ATWS provides a comprehensive warning system capable of delivering timely and effective tsunami warnings to affected populations. It also supports international efforts to establish an Indian Ocean tsunami warning system, and contributes to the facilitation of tsunami warnings for the South-West Pacific.

Indian Ocean Wave coincides with the United Nations International Disaster Reduction Day and follows a similar exercise conducted in June that successfully tested tsunami warning and communication arrangements for countries in the Pacific Ocean.

Eighteen nations participated in the Indian Ocean Wave exercise, including Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Timor Leste and Australia.

Topics: ATWS, Australian Tsunami Warning System, disaster preparedness, EMA, Emergency Management Australia, environment, Governance, regional exercises, Samoa, Sumatra, tsunami, tsunami preparedness

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