Facing the tsunami threat

If you are one of the thousands of Sri Lankans who experienced the tremor - and the threat of a tsunami - last week, memories of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami would have kept you literally on your toes. That is one disaster that cannot be forgotten, given the 40,000 deaths in Sri Lanka alone. Over 230,000 people in 11 countries perished on December 26, 2004.

The 8.6 earthquake near Sumatra on April 11 also came exactly one year and one month after the earthquake and tsunami experienced by Japan last year, which caused widespread loss of lives and enormous damage to property. It also caused a nuclear incident in Fukushima. Seven years on from the Indian Ocean tsunami and 13 months from the Japanese tsunami, we have learned many valuable lessons which came into prominence on April 11. Yet, there are many things that have to be done in a better way the next time. Yes, we hope it would not happen, but in the context of the geographical and seismic movements in the region another major earthquake/tsunami cannot be ruled out. Many say it is only a matter of time.

It is heartening to note that unlike in 2004, the warnings issued by authorities such as the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre were promptly heeded by those at the helm of local disaster management. An evacuation plan was put into effect almost immediately and there was no hesitation whatsoever on the part of coastal residents to move into safer (higher) areas. Teams from the Disaster Management Centres, Police and Security Forces were mobilised swiftly to ensure a speedy evacuation. They used megaphones to warn residents who might otherwise have not heard of the threat of a tsunami. In the end, the evacuation plan was “98 percent successful” in the words of Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera.

Train tragedy

The authorities also prudently stopped train and bus services on the coastal lines - given the painful memories of the train tragedy in 2004 that killed 1,500 passengers and villagers in Peraliya. The Ceylon Electricity Board cut off the power supply to certain coastal areas. Police also closed costal roads in areas where alternative roads were available for public and private traffic. These precautionary measures were widely lauded, for they had the potential to save thousands of lives if a tsunami actually hit our shores. However, we saw severe traffic jams in many coastal areas, mainly because people were panicking in a bid to flee. An orderly traffic movement is a must in an emergency of this nature.

Evacuation routes and safe points must also be more clearly signposted for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Most of the tsunami warning towers (erected following the 2004 tsunami) worked as intended except for 10. These warning towers are essential, because not all people have access to television, radio and mobile phones.

The sirens are literally a communal call to rally for safety. However, the Government must investigate why several towers (Talaimannar, Hambantota, Gampaha, Matara and Galle) had not apparently been commissioned even one year after they were erected in 2010. Subsequently, they had not been linked to the warning system and not emitted the siren for evacuation.

Fortunately, the other methods of reaching the public, such as mobile patrols, worked.

Stealing

It was also reported that police have arrested five persons who had allegedly stolen tsunami warning equipment. Police recovered the stolen equipment that included a buoy used to receive weather information and tsunami alerts. Needless to say, this must be considered a criminal act/offence and those found guilty must be severely punished. No room should be left for thefts of this nature and we hope the expanding Coast Guard Service would look into this aspect as well. After all, the lives of thousands could be at stake if these equipment go missing. Indonesia too is reported to be taking tough action against those vandalising its tsunami warning equipment. Several international experts have suggested that instead of buoys, tsunami detection meters be placed on the sea floor.

They will be inaccessible to thieves and vandals.

The authorities must also devise a proper system to send tsunami alerts through the five mobile operators in Sri Lanka, because practically everyone in the country has a mobile phone. This lacuna was felt on April 11, even though some operators did relay news alerts pertaining to the tsunami originating from print and online newspapers. But it would be better for them to communicate the alert directly to their subscribers, once it is sanctioned by an authority such as the Disaster Management Ministry or the Meteorological Department.

Moreover, these institutions should have a presence either separately or as one entity on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook so that alerts can be posted instantly on the Web. A large number of people can access these sites on their smartphones as well - that could be a viable means of disseminating a tsunami warning.

Admirable role

The Meteorological Department performed an admirable role during the crisis, with senior officials giving voice cuts and pictures to the TV stations virtually minute by minute. However, there should be greater coordination between the Meteorological Department, the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, National Building Research Organisation and the Disaster Management Ministry in communicating evacuation alerts to the public through the electronic media and mobile networks.

It is also equally essential to alert the public to the end of the tsunami threat and indicate that it is safe to return to their costal homes and businesses.

The Indian Ocean countries must work together and with the relevant agencies of the UN (which has praised the success of the evacuation effort) to face any impending threat of an earthquake/tsunami. For example, Indonesia shares 70 seismographs (instruments that record the motion of the ground during an earthquake) with other countries in the region and has 250 seismic accelerators (instruments that measure the speed at which the ground is moving) whose data is shared with other countries. That is the way forward for a collective response to one of the biggest natural threats we have ever faced.