Regional Training for Central America and Mexico, Tsunami Warning and Emergency Response Standard Operating Procedures, February 2013

Regional Training Workshop: Strengthening Tsunami Warning and Emergency Response Standard Operating Procedures

11-15 February 2013
San Salvador, El Salvador

Hosted by El Salvador Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARN)

The ITIC and the PTWC, along with the US Geological Survey and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Tsunami Unit, conducted regional training on Strengthening Tsunami Warning and Emergency Response Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the PTWC New International Tsunami Products, February 11-15, 2013, in San Salvador. The Training was hosted by the El Salvador Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARN, Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources). The training invited participants from the National Tsunami Warning Centers and National Disaster Management Offices of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama, every country in Central America with a Pacific coast as well as Mexico. The ITIC, a partnership of NOAA and the IOC and operated by the NOAA NWS Pacific Region since 1965, has served as a primary resource assisting countries to build and strengthen their tsunami warning systems. This training supported ITIC’s mission and commitment to strengthen the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System.

 Informational Documents

This 5-day training workshop covered essential topics involved in end-to-end tsunami warning. In event time, the topics included event monitoring and detection, threat evaluation and warning, alert dissemination, emergency response, evacuation, and public action. An effective tsunami warning system is achieved when all people in vulnerable coastal communities are prepared to respond appropriately and in a timely manner upon recognizing that a potential destructive tsunami may be approaching. On Day 5, a live tsunami exercise is conducted where participants role-play as country tsunami warning center and emergency response agency groups that react to a destructive local tsunami. This video summarizes the exercise in El Salvador.