Redouble efforts on tsunami warning initiatives
Published:Tuesday | November 7, 2023 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Tsunamis pose a significant threat to all of us, but they are particularly dangerous for certain group of people – women, children, people with disabilities, and older persons. Tsunami waves often look like walls of water and can attack the shoreline and be dangerous for hours, with waves coming every five to 60 minutes. Although tsunamis are infrequent, they can have devastating consequences. In the last century, only 58 tsunamis have occurred, but they have claimed over 260,000 lives.
The United Nations General Assembly designated November 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day to raise awareness about reducing tsunami-related risks and enhance community preparedness.
Unquestionably, urban planning is crucial and must take centre stage regarding the orderly expansion of cities as it relates to disaster monitoring and seismic management. According to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, there is no comprehensive Caribbean tsunami early-warning system. Tsunamis are rare events but can be extremely deadly.
The highest number of deaths in that period was the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. It caused an estimated 227,000 fatalities in 14 countries, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand being hardest hit. The fact that the Caribbean region lacks early-warning systems, especially for residents living on the coastline or nearby, is problematic. Our coastlines are vulnerable. Additionally, affordable housing is a problem in the region, and many persons build their homes on available lands without following established building guidelines and codes, putting themselves and their families in harm’s way in the event of a tsunami. As the Caribbean continues the fight against inequality for a resilient future, it is very clear that more support is required for our regional disaster management institutions, such as the Caribbean Tsunami Information Centre, an organ of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions.
In order to have disaster-resilient societies, governments must redouble their commitments not only to those institutions tasked with disaster monitoring and management, but also to work more forcefully in the area of public education in order to adequately disseminate information. Additionally, regional disaster management agencies must also be strengthened in order to meet the increasing likelihood of more devastating disasters, especially in an era of climate change and global warming. Given all the information that is now available on tsunamis, no country should be caught flat-footed regarding such disasters.
WAYNE CAMPBELL