Exercise Pacific Wave 08

At the XXII session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (PTWS) held in Guayaquil, Ecuador in September 2007, Member States recognized that the PTWS requires regular testing and review and noted that simulating scenarios and learning lessons through exercises is an effective way to improve preparedness. They consequently recommended that a second Pacific-wide tsunami exercise be carried out in 2008. The name of the exercise will be “Exercise Pacific Wave 08” (PacWave08). PacWave08 will simulate a M9.2 earthquake off northwest Japan that will place Pacific countries into a Tsunami Warning situation, and will require Member State decision-making, and steps taken prior to public notification. These steps may be played during the PacWave08 dates or the following days. The exercise is not required to be conducted through to community level. Rather, the aim is to exercise the operational lines of communication within the PTWS without disrupting or alarming individual citizens. Member countries will, however, be encouraged to exercise, evaluate and report back on communication and decision making within a warning situation down to the level just prior to public notification. In order to ensure the commitment of participating countries is fully coordinated, IOC/UNESCO has sought official nominations from Member States for PacWave08 with whom it will communicate about the planning and conduct of the Exercise.

The Scenario. The simulated tsunami will be generated by a magnitude 9.2 earthquake off the northeast coast of Japan at 40ºN, 143ºE that occurs on October 29, 2008 at 0000UTC. An earthquake of this size would be likely to generate a tsunami with widespread destructive effects. Bulletins will be issued by the Northwest Pacific Tsunami Advisory Center, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the West Coast / Alaska Tsunami Warning Center for approximately 24 hours until the tsunami is simulated to have crossed the entire Pacific.

PacWave08 is intended to be carried out in a readiness style that aims to involve communication and decision making at Government levels, without disrupting or alarming the general public.  Individual countries, however, may at their discretion elect to extend the exercise down to the level of actually notifying the public.

In the case of a real event occurring during the exercise, PTWC, NWPTAC, and/or WC/ATWC will issue their normal message products for the event. Such messages will be given full priority and a decision will be made by each Center whether to continue or cease their participation in the exercise. Smaller earthquakes that only trigger a Tsunami Information Bulletin are not anticipated to disrupt the PacWave08.

Click here to visit the IOC Official Exercise Pacific Wave 08 web site.

Exercise Documents