US expert calls for National Tsunami Warning Centre with provincial
links
BY MANJULA Fernando
EXECUTIVE Director of the Pacific Disaster Warning Centre in Hawaii
Dr. Allen Clark said the December 26 tsunami was not an indication or a
warning of heightened major natural disasters risk for Sri Lanka.
Speaking to the Daily News on the sidelines of the first national
workshop on natural disaster management and mitigation at the
Postgraduate Institute of Science at the Peradeniya University, Dr.
Clark said:
"The possibility of another tsunami has not changed historically
following the December 26 tsunami. The December tsunami may be an
indication the area is more active. This was truly a unique one with
regard to size and intensity."
Responding to the question whether the Boxing day tsunami warns us of
more similar tragedies in the future and whether Sri Lanka was more
vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis now than 10 years before, he said
there could be a series of low intensity tsunamis in the same region due
to the high seismic activity in the Sumatra region but another one of
the same magnitude was unlikely to occur soon.
Dr. Clark was here on the invitation of the Parliament Select
Committee on Disaster Management appointed to make recommendations to
set up a National Early Warning Centre and power up the country's
regional warning systems following the tsunami which engulfed one third
of the country's coastal belt killing more than 30,000.
He made representations before the committee on Thursday.
Referring to the proposed regional tsunami warning system, Dr. Clark
said it was more critical to have effective national warning centres
with strong linkages at provincial level to minimise damage in a
disaster than a regional center.
"Regional centres are satellite linked. It could be located anywhere
if there are gauges in the right places to detect a tsunami," he said.
This system should be backed by proper public awareness on how to react
in an emergency.
"The most simple and cost effective method to disaster management and
mitigation is to have a good awareness program to educate the vulnerable
masses on how to anticipate and respond in a situation," he observed.
"This was the biggest problem faced during the December tsunami."
He described the television and radio as the most effective mode of
reaching people.
The executive director said a global effort for a better and an
effective tsunami warning mechanism is on the way after the December
tragedy.
This program backed by US, Australia, Japan, Germany and India is
expected be in place in another three years making way for the
scientists to issue accurate tsunami warnings within a few minutes of an
earthquake. He said there were no systems which could issue 100 per cent
accurate warnings on tsunamis. "We are very very poor at predicting
tsunamis."
Referring to the controversial issue of the buffer zone implemented
as part of tsunami damage mitigation program, Dr. Clark suggested that
the construction and demarcation of an exclusion zone should be made
based on the risk vulnerability for the people and as part of an overall
plan.
"People are very intelligent, if they understand the reason they will
understand the need," he said. Construction can be planned and designed
according to the different vulnerability levels, low risk and high risk
areas. He said this issue could be a very delicate political and social
issue.
The Hawaii Centre has offered training exchange programs for
scientists and PGIS students as part of their assistance to set up a
national warning system in Sri Lanka.
Dr. Clark promised to explore the possibility of initiating a
scholarship program for students to travel to Hawaii and learn more
about natural disasters and related subjects.
The workshop was chaired by former PGIS Director and Geology
Department, senior lecturer Prof. Kapila Dahanayake. |
