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• Exercise Pacific Wave 22
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At its 29th session (ICG/PTWS-XXIX), 1–2 and 7–8 December 2021, the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System approved the conduct of Exercise Pacific Wave between September and November 2022 in order to support International Disaster Risk Reduction Day (13 October) and World Tsunami Awareness Day (5 November). PacWave22 will be the tenth in a series of PacWave exercises which have been conducted biennially since 2006.
The aim of the PacWave22 is to test PTWS tsunami service provider arrangements, and country preparedness arrangements and operational procedures to respond and recover from a destructive tsunami. The Objectives are:
(i) Test communications from the PTWS Tsunami Service Providers (TSP) to the Tsunami Warning Focal Points (TWFP) and National Tsunami Warning Centres (NTWC) of the Member States concerned.
(ii) Test national communication and cooperation, and readiness within each of the participating countries.
(iii) Test regional communication and cooperation between Member States of the tsunami warning system.
(iv) Support the development of tsunami procedures and products by the Central America Tsunami Advisory Centre (CATAC), a potential new Tsunami Service Provider (pending endorsement of full functionality by IOC governing bodies).
| PacWave22 Timeline and Milestones | |
| Date | Activity |
| 1 Sep 2022 | PacWave22 Exercise Manual, TS 175 |
| 13 Sep 2022, 0300 UTC (En), 1800 UTC (Sp) |
PacWave22 Informational Webinar Meeting site English registration link, Spanish registration link |
| 20 Sep 2022 | Deadline: Regional Working Groups inform TSP if products needed, copied to ITIC |
| 1 Sep – 30 Nov 2022 | PacWave22 Member State / regional activities |
| 2 wks before Reg Exercise | TSP products avail on Regional Exercise web page |
| 13 Oct 2022, 0000 UTC | Pacwave22 Live TSP Communications Test |
| 13 Oct 2022 | PacWave22 Exercise Evaluation Forms available (TS 175 - Annex II) - link to eval forms goes live Pacwave22 Live TSP Communications Test Form (online) Pacwave22 Post-Exercise Evaluation Form (online) |
| 23 Oct 2022 | Deadline: Member States to complete and submit Pacwave22 Live TSP Communications Test results |
| 9 Nov 2022, 2300 UTC | PacWave22-PICT, HTHH scenario (web site) UNESCO News Release (10 Nov 2022) |
| 30 Nov 2022 | Draft Live TSP Communications Test report |
| 21 Dec 2022 | Deadline: Member States to complete and submit PacWave22 Post-Exercise Evaluation Form |
| 28 Feb 2023 | Draft PacWave22 Summary Report |
| 30 Apr 2023 | Final PacWave22 Summary Report |
| PacWave Exercise Documents | |
| Document | Format/Size |
Exercise Pacific Wave 2022 - IOC
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(PDF, 228 KB) (PDF, 198 KB) |
| PacWave22 Exercise Manual (IOC TS 175 Vol.1) | (PDF, 1.3 MB) |
| PacWave22 Summary Report (IOC TS 175 Vol. 2) | (PDF, 3.4 MB) |
TSP Communication Test - Exercise Dummy Messages
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(TXT, 1 KB) (TXT, 1 KB) (TXT, 1 KB) (TXT, 1 KB) |
PacWave22 Regional Exercise Information (format, conduct, scenario, messages/MSEL, Media)
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IOC Tsunami Warning Focal Point (TWFP) and National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) Contact Information
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(PDF, 352 KB) (MsWord, 82 KB) |
| Exercise Planning and Resource Documents | |
| Document | Format/Size |
Tsunami Coastal Assessement Tool (TsuCAT)
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Previous PacWave Exercises
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(HTML) |
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| Plans and Procedures for Tsunami Warning and Emergency Management (IOC Manual and Guides 76 rev., 2017, English) |
(PDF, 3 MB) |
| Preparing for Community Tsunami Evacuations: from inundation to evacuation maps, response planning, and exercises, Guide and Supplements (IOC Manual and Guides 82, 2020, English, Spanish) | |
| Tsunami Service Provider (TSP) Documents | |
| Document | Format/Size |
| PTWC Products User’s Guide for the PTWC Enhanced Products for the PTWS (IOC TS 105 rev, Aug 2014)
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(Web Site) |
NWPTAC Products (For Member States of the NWPTAC Area of Responsibility only)
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(PDF, 124 KB) (PDF, 370 KB) (PDF, 65 KB) (PDF, 1.7 MB) |
SCSTAC Products (For Member States of the South China Sea region only)
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CATAC Products (For Member States of the CATAC Area of Responsibility only)
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Pacific Island Countries and
Territories Regional Exercise
(PacWave22-PICT)
9 Nov 2022 2300 UTC
to 10 Nov 2022 0100 UTC
UNESCO News Release
| PacWave22-PICT Timeline and Milestones | |
| Date | Activity |
| 2 November 2022, 2300 UTC | Webinar - Meeting site, video recording |
| 7 November 2022 8 November 2022 (final incl HF freq) |
Exercise Manual incl MSEL (final incl HF freq, 8 Nov) |
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8 November 2022 |
Communication Test (Email Listserv, WhatsApp, HF Radio) - please acknowledge receipt and time of receipt (UTC, date, name of person) |
| 2300 UTC 9 Nov to 0100 UTC 10 Nov 2022 |
PacWave22-PICT Regional Exercise |
| 10 November 2022 NEW | UNESCO News Release |
| 16 November 2022, 2300 UTC (2 hours) NEW | Cold Wash - Regional Exercise Debrief - Meeting site, video recording |
| 21 December 2022 NEW |
Deadline to complete and submit PacWave22-PICT Regional Post-Exercise Evaluation Form (Online). |
On 25 July 2022, the Chair of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) for the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (PTWS) approved the “Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai type” Volcanic Tsunami Hazard Response: Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) Interim Procedures and PTWS Products User’s Guide following the review conducted by the ICG/PTWS Steering Committee.
The ICG/PTWS Steering Committee also recommended PTWC to collaborate with WG-PICT through Exercise Pacific Wave 2022 to test the “Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai type” Volcanic Tsunami Hazard Response: 
PTWC Interim Procedures and PTWS Products User’s Guide.
The massive explosion on the volcanic island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH), about 30 km (19 mi) south-southeast of Fonuafoʻou island in Tonga, on 15 January 2022 at about 4:14 UTC, generated a tsunami that caused damages locally, regionally, and across the Pacific.
This was the first time that the PTWC had to respond to such an event, since its system is primarily focused on earthquake-generated tsunamis representing nearly 90% of the past cases of tsunami in the world.
The PacWave22-PICT Regional Exercise aims to;
1. Test the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) PTWC Interim Procedures and PTWS Products (IOC Circular Letter 2902) and whether the HTHH PTWS products are interpreted PICT Member States accurately and in a timely manner, and
2. Test regional communication and cooperation between PICT Member States, and the value of information sharing in facilitating national tsunami alert decision-making.
The PacWave22-PICT will consist of a 2-hour real-time table top exercise starting at 2300 UTC on 9 November 2022 (Access to your timezone). The exercise scenario will replay the HTHH tsunami sequence that occurred on 15th January 2022 with PTWC-simulated products. During the exercise, PICT national stakeholders (National Tsunami Warning Centres and National Disaster Management Offices) will share event information through multiple informal communications modes, including by WhatsApp, mailing list, and/or HF Radio.
To enable this regional exercise, PTWC will provide participating Member States with PacWave22-PICT Regional Exercise messages. These messages provide information that can assist countries in their tsunami hazard assessment, tsunami response planning, and warning decision-making.WG-PICT Member State exercises are also encouraged to consider:
- Conducting exercises based on limitations derived from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the absence of a warning centre duty officer(s), the requirement for virtual exercises, and/or evacuations/sheltering considering physical distancing practices of a pandemic.
- Testing the capability to carry out their national warning and response responsibilities.
- Conducting the exercise down to the community level, including where possible, an extensive public awareness campaign.
The ITIC and IOC will host PacWave22-PICT Regional Exercise - Cold Wash and Debrief on 16 November 2022, at 2300 UTC. Country Players, and Exercise Observers and Controllers are invited to participate to provide their experiences and feedback. Information on the webinar, including agenda and documents, can be on this meeting website.
| Exercise Documents | |
| Document | Format/Size |
| UNESCO News Release, 10 November 2022 NEW | (website link) |
| IOC Circular Letter 2908, Pacific Island Countries and Territories Regional Exercise during Pacific Wave Exercise 2022 (PacWave22-PICT) on 9 November 2022, 27 Sep 2022 | (PDF, 198 KB) |
| Exercise Registration | (Online) PDF, 165 KB |
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Exercise Manual for PacWave22-PICT Regional Exercise (final incl all HF freq, issued 8 Nov 2022) |
(PDF final, 4.3 MB) |
| Master Schedule of Events List (MSEL) - PacWave22-PICT Regional Exercise - (MSEL) | inside Exercise Manual |
| PTWC Messages (version 2, 7 Nov 2022) - PacWave22-PICT Regional Exercise PTWC msgs (all msgs ZIP) |
(all msgs, ZIP, 48 KB |
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(PNG, 766 KB) (PNG, 759 KB) (PNG, 748 KB) (TXT, 6 KB) (TXT, 1 KB) (ZIP, 1.6 MB) (ZIP, 13.3 MB) |
| Post-Exercise Evaluation Form - PacWave22-PICT Regional Exercise. NEW | (Online) |
Country Photos/Videos - injects and activities NEW
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(ZIP, 51 MB) |
| Exercise Planning and Resource Documents | |
| Document | Format/Size |
| Information web site, PTWC Interim Procedures and PTWS Products for Tsunamis from the Hunga Tonga – Hunga Ha‘apai Volcano | |
| User's Guide, PTWC Interim Procedures and PTWS Products for Tsunamis from the Hunga Tonga – Hunga Ha‘apai Volcano (v1.3, 25 July 2022), IOC CL 2902, 17 Aug 2022 | (PDF, User's Guide) (PDF, CL 2902) |
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| Plans and Procedures for Tsunami Warning and Emergency Management (IOC Manual and Guides 76 rev., 2017, English) |
(PDF, 3 MB) |
| Preparing for Community Tsunami Evacuations: from inundation to evacuation maps, response planning, and exercises, Guide and Supplements (IOC Manual and Guides 82, 2020, English, Spanish) | |
Quick Links
Resources
Tsunami Awareness Poster
Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Singalese.
Global & Regional Hazard Maps
Tsunami Sources, Significant Earthquakes, Significant Volcanic Eruptions, Tsunami Icosohedron Globe.
TsunamiTeacher USA
Tsunami Basics
Also on YouTube
(w/closed captioning)
Learn the basics of tsunamis. Available in English, Samoan.