Pakistan successfully tests Tsunami warning system

[Neo]

Pakistan successfully tests Tsunami warning system

Friday, 16 Oct, 2009

The excersise simulated the wave caused by an earthquake measuring 9.15 on the Richter scale.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), under a UN-backed initiative, successfully tested the effectiveness of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS) at the southern coastal line of Thatta in Sindh.

The testing was followed by a rescue drill for evacuating coastal area residents from the most vulnerable to safer places, establishment of relief camps and damage assessment practices.

The exercise to test the warning systems and overall preparedness of nations in the region, was supposed to simulate the magnitude 9.15 quake that struck off Aceh on Dec. 26, 2004, setting off a devastating tsunami.

Hundreds of people living in coastal areas including main city of Ketibandar participated in the rescue drill while it was followed by a capacity building and awareness activity for local disaster management authorities, volunteers and media persons.

Briefing the media here on Friday, NDMA Director Preparedness and Mitigation Amir Muhiuddin said the exercise, conducted in collaboration with UNESCO, helped increase preparedness and improve coordination throughout the coastal region. He added that it provided an opportunity for the Indian Ocean countries to test their operational lines of communications, review their tsunami warning and emergency response standard operating procedures, and promote emergency preparedness.

He said the simulated tsunami will be extended in real time across the entire Indian Ocean, taking approximately 12 hours to travel from Indonesia to the coast of South Africa.

He said the exercise also provided an opportunity to test national standard operating procedures and the operational lines of communication between the NTWCs and JMA and PTWC.

Several member states have indicated that they intend to conduct the exercise through community level, including limited evacuation of selected coastal communities.— APP

[Lady Macbeth]

Lol
Fair enough ENESCO is setting up these warning systems for Tsunamis but hey a bit over the top isnt it????When what we really need is warning systems for EARTH QUAKES more than the above mentioned!!!! How many Tsunamis have destroyed even an inch of the coastal areas in Pakistan????Compared to the massive earth quakes????

[Zob]

yes because thank god TUSNAMI heading towards pakistan can only come from the east....and for that there is the whole land mass of india to protect us......unless a TSUNAMI rises from the south....and heads up towards pakistani..(doubt if it is possible)

[Neo]

Originally Posted by Lady Macbeth

Lol
Fair enough ENESCO is setting up these warning systems for Tsunamis but hey a bit over the top isnt it????When what we really need is warning systems for EARTH QUAKES more than the above mentioned!!!! How many Tsunamis have destroyed even an inch of the coastal areas in Pakistan????Compared to the massive earth quakes????

A powerful Balochistan Earthquake occurred on 28 November, 1945 measureing 7.8 on the Richter scale. It was centred approx 100 km SSW of Pasni in Balochistan, British India then. The quake triggered a huge tsunami that caused great damage to the entire Makran coastal region. The tsunami reached a height of 40 feet in some Makran fishing ports and killed more than 4,000 people.

This was the last major tsunami–generating earthquake in the Arabian Sea. The quake was severely felt along the Makran Coast and in the Lasbela District. It was strong in Karachi and lasted 30 seconds. The clock on the building of the Karachi Municipal Corporation stopped.

[Araz]

Originally Posted by Lady Macbeth

Lol
Fair enough ENESCO is setting up these warning systems for Tsunamis but hey a bit over the top isnt it????When what we really need is warning systems for EARTH QUAKES more than the above mentioned!!!! How many Tsunamis have destroyed even an inch of the coastal areas in Pakistan????Compared to the massive earth quakes????

I dont know how one can guard against an earth quake. I know of no system that warns you against an earth quake about to happen. Please let me know if such a system exists. The reason for a relief effort to guard against Tsunami is the time factor available to evacuate the population. This is inot available for earth quake so the only effective measures that I know of are preventative , ie building structures and early relief and rescue effort. UI suspect these efforts are somehow funded by UN which is why people have been so diligent in establishing the system.
Araz

[Lady Macbeth]

Well dont they have those 'thingee ma jigs' that I have seen in countless movies in the 80????


Apparently now you can buy cheaper version of some high tech ones for your homes



There are various scientific and geological as well as natural phenomenons to predict the whereabouts and magnitute of earthquakes.....sometimes the roundabout time as well!
And even if its harder to predict what, where and when on a bigger scale, it is still possible to warn sometimes upto a few hours in advance......very useful when even a few minutes count!!!

[Lady Macbeth]

Originally Posted by Neo

A powerful Balochistan Earthquake occurred on 28 November, 1945 measureing 7.8 on the Richter scale. It was centred approx 100 km SSW of Pasni in Balochistan, British India then. The quake triggered a huge tsunami that caused great damage to the entire Makran coastal region. The tsunami reached a height of 40 feet in some Makran fishing ports and killed more than 4,000 people.

This was the last major tsunami–generating earthquake in the Arabian Sea. The quake was severely felt along the Makran Coast and in the Lasbela District. It was strong in Karachi and lasted 30 seconds. The clock on the building of the Karachi Municipal Corporation stopped.

1945 eh.....havent you got some recent updates on the 'big bad tsunamis' that hit Pakistans coastal region and resulted in casualties.....or killed a parrot?(what was I thinking parrots can fly) ok....a goat maybe?

[Neo]

Tsunami drills in Gwadar today

Sunday, November 01, 2009

ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is conducting a mock evacuation and rescue drill in the coastal Gwadar district today (Sunday) to create awareness among the local communities to understand the hazard as the tsunami generated from the fault line is estimated to strike the coastal areas of Pakistan within 18-30 minutes.

“Pakistan’s coastal region is vulnerable to coastal hazards, including local and distant tsunamis,” said NDMA spokesman Muhammad Irfan Chaudhry while talking to The News.

“The Makran coast has already been hit by a tsunami in 1945 that had killed 4,000 people,” he said.

“With its 1,050-kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea, Makran Ranges cover a vast area of about 400 kilometres in length and 250 kilometres in width,” he said.

The NDMA spokesman said the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 brought to the forefront the vulnerability of coastal areas to this hazard.

Affecting 18 countries and killing nearly 300,000 people, he said, it was one of the worst disasters of the last 100 years.

According to the NDMA spokesman, the potential source of local tsunami is the fault line off Makran, around 90-130 kilometres from the nearest shore where the Arabian Tectonic Plate is slowly sub-ducting below the Eurasian Plate at an average rate of 19 millimetres per annum.

“Due to these faults, stress continues to build up and if the plates revert to the original condition, this will cause an earthquake which may have the potential for generating local tsunami,” he said.

“The tsunami generated from the fault line is estimated to strike the coastal areas of Pakistan within 18-30 minutes. In order to save lives, it is imperative that the coastal districts and communities understand the hazard, be able to identify the warning signs and make timely and informed decision to save lives.

“The districts which are vulnerable to tsunami and coastal hazards are Badin, Gwadar, Karachi, Lasbela and Thatta,” he elaborated.

The NDMA spokesman said one of the ways to raise awareness about hazards and test the systems in place for preparedness and response was to conduct a drill.

He said the aim of the drill was pilot the testing of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in a selected community, which would provide an opportunity for the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) to understand the evacuation process and be able to conduct similar drills or actual evacuation in the district in future.

Irfan Chaudhry said the NDMA earlier organised a number of events in the first week of July 2009 at different levels to raise awareness about the tsunami threat in Gwadar district.

He said the district was chosen because of its vulnerability to tsunami.

“This was the first time that such an exercise was undertaken by the NDMA in collaboration with the DDMA.

“The scale of the activity was deliberately kept small so as to test the pilot,” Irfan Chaudhry said.

“The lessons learnt and challenges identified through the drills will help inform the key stakeholders in the coastal hazards prone districts to plan and conduct similar drills in future,” he added.

[Lady Macbeth]

And I repeat ''1945''????