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Current Developments & Challenges in Tsunami Warning Systems: Sri Lanka

Current Developments & Challenges in Tsunami Warning Systems: Sri Lanka. Rohan Samarajiva samarajiva@lirne.net. Agenda. How did warnings actually work in Sri Lanka? 26 th December 2004 27 th February 2005 28 th March 2005 Current situation

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Current Developments & Challenges in Tsunami Warning Systems: Sri Lanka

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  1. Current Developments & Challenges in Tsunami Warning Systems: Sri Lanka Rohan Samarajiva samarajiva@lirne.net

  2. Agenda • How did warnings actually work in Sri Lanka? • 26th December 2004 • 27th February 2005 • 28th March 2005 • Current situation • Legal and institutional framework and its weaknesses • The way forward: Public-private partnerships

  3. December 26th, 2004 • Seismic information on 9.3 earthquake (0059 hrs UMT) known in Colombo (0110 UMT), more or less at same time as Hawai’i • Navy and Police knew of abnormal situation in East Coast after 0300 hrs but did not issue warning • Journalists got first information around 0300 and carried stories at 0334 and 0341 hrs • ~40,000 lives lost from 0230 to 0600 hrs UMT, without one minute of official warning

  4. February 27th, 2005 (2 months later) • PTWC unable to communicate to Government designated warning center using fax and email

  5. March 27th, 2005 (3 months later) • Great Nias Earthquake occured at 1610 UMT (2210 LK time) • PTWC issued tsunami bulletin at 1626 hrs UMT • I received an SMS at 1658 hrs UMT and confirmed quake using Internet • BBC carried story around 1715 hrs UMT • Sarvodaya district centers (and some government officials) informed before government media carried warning & before congestion hit the networks

  6. March 27th, 2005 • Sri Lanka TV and radio channels carried warning & 2 km evacuation order at around 1730 hrs UMT • Only 10 minutes before the 90 mts it took for the first wave to hit East Coast on 26th December 2004 • Media knew as early as 1700 hrs UMT but did not broadcast lacking authorization from government • No all clear announced after warning/ evacuation ordered

  7. Policy discourse snapshot 29th March 2005: Select Committee • Sri Lankan legislators called for a single body to issue warnings on potential natural disasters • “We could not find any authority who was willing to say it was safe for people to go back, that is why we need a centralised system from where authoritative information can be obtained.”—head of broadcasting organization • A high-ranking official for media policy said the government will seek a public service clause in licenses issued to broadcasters, requiring uniform disaster alerts

  8. Current situation: Institutional • Disaster Management Act became law in May 2005 • Disaster Management Center established in July 2005 under President • Previous NDMC continues to exist under Ministry of Social Services • Ministry of Disaster Management created in November 2005 • Road Map published in December 2005

  9. Current situation: warning • Weather-related: Department of Meteorology (Tsunami Early Warning Center) • Seismological: Geological Survey & Mines Bureau (24 hr monitoring of earthquake waveforms) • Ocean waves: National Aquatic Resources Authority • Media have trouble confirming stories; getting direction from government (July 2005)

  10. Road Map on warning • Multi-hazard early warning center to be established by DMC within 1-2 years at cost of USD 0.28 m • Multi-hazard EW Division of the DMC to be located at premises of Meteorological Department • Dissemination of alerts and warnings via • Existing government channels • TV, newspapers (?), radio • Police wireless network • Military communication networks • Explore options of using networks of Sri Lanka Red Cross Society & other NGOs to “multiply” reach of conventional channels

  11. Geog. Survey & Mines Bureau Int’l warning systems Met. Dept Etc... Hazard detection agencies Detection and assessment of hazard National Early Warning System: Sri Lanka (statutory body) Private sector, Civil Society Partnership Issue warning Emergency Services Armed forces Media District Authorities Telecom Operators Etc… Adopted model

  12. Weaknesses • Efficacy of DMC and its EW Division rests on quality of leadership • No insulation from “ocean of bad governance”; no lessons learned from experience with regulatory agencies/authorities • No independence for Director General • No assured funding • Apparent total reliance of external funds

  13. Weaknesses • Apparent over-reliance of seconded government officials, making likely a low-performance organization • Over-dependence on government & neglect of private sector • Lacuna re media and telecom • E.g., former government-owned incumbent included in DMC coordination chart, but not largest telco • Communication of warnings ill understood • Over-reliance on government entities, non-reliance on the effective organizations • Lacuna on last-mile warning

  14. Warning, a public good that has to be supplied despite government failure . . . • Bangladesh: Warning supplied through public-private partnerships • “The cyclone of 1970 took the lives of 300,000 people but the cyclone of the same intensity of 1991 killed 138,000 people, and the cyclones of 1997 and 1998 resulted in only 127 and 6-7 deaths respectively”

  15. More information • www.lirneasia.net • Google relevant terms with Sri Lanka included • Samarajiva, R. (2005) Mobilizing information and communications technologies for effective disaster warning: Lessons from the 2004 tsunami, New Media and Society (7(6); 731-47. http://nms.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/7/6/731. Prepublication version: http://www.lirneasia.net/2005/07/icts-and-early-warning/

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