Efficacy of simulated Tsunami warning system tested

A UN-backed simulation exercise involving 24 countries, including India, has come out with results of a disaster warning system established after the strongest tsunami in living memory hit the Indian Ocean region in 2004.

The simulation exercise, held on 9-10^th September, aimed at assessing the potential capacity of the various countries involved and their response time to potential mass destruction events.

The exercise, known as "IOWave14 -Indian Ocean Wave" comprised two scenarios -- the first simulated an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 south of Java, Indonesia, on September 9 and the second simulated an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 in the Makran Trench south of Iran and Pakistan. The virtual tsunami also generated land threats warnings to Australia which was supposedly one of the largest natural disasters Australia could possibly face.

Fortunately, this was not a real emergency but an elaborate simulation designed to test the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System.

A network of seismic monitors, sea level gauges and deep ocean buoys delivered this pertinent information and warnings to Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

The participating countries are Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, East Timor, the French overseas department of La Reunion, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and Yemen.