Indian Ocean countries to stage tsunami test

14 Oct 2009, 7:52 am   -   Source: SBS staff and agencies
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A tsunami warning buoy (AAP)

A tsunami warning buoy (AAP)

Australia and 17 other Indian Ocean rim countries will stage the first region-wide test of a tsunami warning system, to coincide with the UN's World Disaster Reduction Day.

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Australia and 17 other Indian Ocean rim countries will stage the first region-wide test of a tsunami warning system, to coincide with the UN's World Disaster Reduction Day.

The United Nations' body UNESCO says the joint exercise will replicate the massive earthquake that struck off the Indonesian coast in 2004.

The exercise aims to test the effectiveness of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS), which was established after the massive 9.2 magnitude quake struck more than 5 years ago.

The tsunami it triggered killed more than 217,000 people in 11 countries.

UNESCO says the exercise will test national standards and response times, and will encorporate mock evacuations and a simulated tsunami that will spread in 'real time' from Indonesia, just as it did when the real quake struck in 2004.

Countries participating in the event are: Australia, Bangladesh, Burma, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.

 

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