The Tsunami Ready Programme aims to build resilient communities through awareness and preparedness strategies that will protect life, livelihoods and property from tsunamis in different regions.

In December 2004, 227,8991 people lost their lives and around US$10 billion were estimated as overall economic losses in the 14 countries affected by the 9.1-magnitude Indian Ocean earthquake. In response the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO/IOC) along with dozens of partners strengthened its support and catalyzed international cooperation to enable countries to assess their tsunami risk, implement Tsunami Early Warning Systems (EWS) and educate communities at risk about preparedness measures.

Since 2001, that the United States National Weather Service (US NWS) of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been implementing the recognition programme TsunamiReady® in its states, territory and commonwealths. This programme was modelled after the US StormReady recognition programme. The goal was that communities recognized as TsunamiReady® would be better prepared to protect life and property through hazard assessment, mitigation, preparedness, planning and warning coordination.

Since 2015, the UNESCO/IOC started to build its Tsunami Ready Programme based on the experience of USA, first in the Caribbean, where Tsunami Ready Guidelines were developed, which were then approved by the IOC General Assembly. Subsequently, in 2016, UNESCO recognized St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean as Tsunami Ready, and in 2017, the communities of Cedeño in Honduras, Ostional in Costa Rica, and Savaia in Samoa in the Pacific. The programme grew naturally towards a global Tsunami Ready programme, with communities recognized in 11 other countries, and many more to come.

This satellite session did offer a virtual get-together forum for local and national leaders that have gone through the Tsunami Ready recognition process and can proudly attest of their work to protect lives making the Ocean safer.  They have not been together before.

You can watch the webinar recordings on the following link: https://youtu.be/QnAEIzvEL_U