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The world is better prepared than ever for a devastating tsunami thanks to a global early warning system, although it is still impossible to predict when exactly such a disaster may strike, oceanographic experts in Jakarta said on Thursday .
“We are much better prepared than in 2004. The global early warning system saves lives” Bernardo Aliaga, tsunami specialist at UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, said at a press conference.
The specialist mentioned the tsunami which in 2004 caused more than 170,000 deaths in Asia, particularly in India, Indonesia and Thailand. At the time, specialists did not have an operational alert system. Today, 1,400 stations around the world reduce the warning time after the formation of a tsunami wave to just a few minutes.
“Are we safer? Yes, maybe. Are we safer all over the world? Maybe not. We really need your help. Because we need to send the message that we need to be better prepared“added Mr. Aliaga.
Experts especially want coastal populations in risk areas to be better prepared. “Our goal is that by 2030, 100% of these at-risk communities will be prepared and resilient in the face of a tsunami.” said Ardito Kodijat, head of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Center.
These preventative measures include educating residents on survival skills, such as running to higher ground as soon as they hear the roaring sound of a tsunami, and deploying buoys near major fault lines to detect when a wave could form.
Countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which was caused by an earthquake with a magnitude greater than 9, as well as those located near fault lines such as Japan, are particularly vulnerable.
In 2011, a magnitude 9 underwater earthquake in northeast Japan caused a tsunami that left some 18,500 dead and missing.
Experts have warned they cannot prevent all deaths caused by tsunamis, only minimize their impacts.
“We just don’t know when the next big event will be, but what we do know is that we can be as ready as possible“said Laura Kong, of the International Tsunami Information Center, based in Honolulu (Hawaii, United States).