UNESCO Conference On Tsunami Preparedness To Be Held In Dublin

An international conference is to be held in Dublin today to discuss preparedness for possible tsunamis in the North-East Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.

UNESCO experts from 16 countries will attend the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) hosted event, which will be opened by Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Alex White.

This is the twelfth meeting of the group, which is working through UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission to develop a tsunami early warning and mitigation system for the North-Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean area. 

The group was established by UNESCO in response to the tragic tsunami of 26 December 2004, which claimed over 250,000 lives in the Indian Ocean region. While the risks of Tsunami in the Atlantic and Mediterranean are relatively low, historical records and geological evidence show that the Irish coast is vulnerable to tsunamis from sub-marine landslides and distant earthquakes.

GSI Director Keon Verbruggen said: "While tsunamis are very rare events in the Atlantic, the effects of a Tsunami in Ireland would probably be similar to the coastal flooding seen during storm surges, but we would have a much shorter time to react. That's why we need to put an effective detection and warning system in place. The Geological Survey of Ireland is working with other Government departments to ensure that we have an appropriate response for Ireland."

An international tsunami detection and alerting system is in place and has been tested a number of times. Ireland receives tsunami messages from the French Centre National d'Alerte Aux Tsunamis (CENALT). The Geological Survey of Ireland is working with national partners, including the Office of Emergency Planning, Met Éireann, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and the Marine Institute, to develop an appropriate emergency response plan. 

The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is the lead Government department for tsunami in the national emergency management process.

(MH/CD)