SOLOMONS TO JOIN 30 PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES IN TSUNAMI EXERCISE
SI MET Service Officers hard at work. Photo: SI MET Service.
Solomon Islands will join over 30 countries around the Pacific Rim as a participant in a mock tsunami scenario which begins today and ends this Friday.
The National Disaster Management Office says the Pacific-wide exercise is to put to practice country tsunami decision-making procedures using the new enhanced forecast products of the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.
Director of the Solomon Islands Meteorological Services David Hiriasia says recent events of 2007 in Solomon Islands, 2009 in Samoa, 2010 in Chile, the 2013 Solomon Islands and the 2014 Chile tsunamis increased the need to be more prepared for such events.
Mr Hiriasia says the important exercise will validate the Warning Centre’s enhanced products for future official use by countries of the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System.
He explains the exercise, titled Exercise Pacific Wave 2015 or PacWave15, will simulate Pacific countries being put into a Tsunami Warning situation requiring Government decision-making.
The Exercise is set for Wednesday, February 4th and participating organizations will include Government Agencies with direct roles and responsibilities in tsunami threat assessments.