Tsunami Warning Center Operations, Tonga, October 2019

Tsunami Warning Center Operations

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
14-24 October 2019

The ITIC Training Program has focused since 2005 on improving operating procedures for tsunami warning and emergency response as essential for successful tsunami warning. While infrequent, tsunamis can be extremely deadly because of their no-notice, quick onset and immediate impact in minutes. In order to warn quickly and have the public evacuate when necessary, agencies must pre-plan and have protocols and procedures which are well-known to every stakeholder and to the public, and which are well-exercised and practiced. For local tsunamis, communities must also know the natural tsunami warning signs and self-evacuate immediately to safe areas.

This training follows the tsunami warning chain from detection and threat analysis to warning dissemination, and cancellation. Topics will include earthquake and tsunami science, warning center operations, use of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center products and decision-support tools, and public information or media engagement. Emphasis is on the importance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for enabling consistent and rapid tsunami warning. SOP development is a dynamic process, and each event is unique in its generation and impact, and so also in its response. With every event, we learn more about the science of tsunamis and how to better warn and mitigate against their impact.

Informational Documents