Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning System Formally Launched at UN Meeting
New York, Jun 30 2005 10:00AM
A United Nations commission today formally launched a tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean and laid the
groundwork for similar initiatives around the world’s seas, haunted by the realization that such an operation could have
saved tens of thousands of lives lost in last December’s disaster in South Asia.
The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS) formally came into existence at the 23rd Assembly of the
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO/IOC) in Paris
with the establishment of an Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) to govern it.
The IOC also adopted resolutions establishing similar bodies for the Caribbean and adjacent regions as well as the
North-East Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas.
The system, work on which has already begun, is expected to be fully operational by July 2006. Based on quake and tidal
sensors, speedy communications, alarm networks from radio to cell phones, and disaster preparedness training in
vulnerable regions it will give people time to flee to higher ground before the waves strike.
In December, several hours passed between the quake that spawned the tsunami and landfall of the waves that killed more
than 200,000 people, wasting precious time in which scores of thousands could have fled out of their pathway. At present
such an early warning system exists only in the Pacific region.
Welcoming today’s development UNESO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura encouraged participants “to maintain the momentum
that has allowed a great deal of progress to be achieved in a few short months.” He pledged his agency’s continued
support to Member States “in their efforts to provide the best possible protection for their populations against
tsunamis and other ocean-related hazards.”
The Indian Ocean ICG, to be made up of the IOC’s Member States, will be supported by a secretariat, provided by the IOC,
in Perth, Australia. The Group is expected to hold its first meeting from 3 to 5 August.
In a fast-track effort to detect a tsunami after a strong earthquake in the Indian Ocean, the IOC has overseen the
installation or upgrading of tide gauges, which are already transmitting real-time information.
ENDS