Wave exercise – NEAMWave 17
NEAMWave17: Tsunami exercise to be conducted for the North East Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea (IOC-UNESCO)
Following the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the member states of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission requested the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) to coordinate the development of three new tsunami early warning systems (in Indian Ocean, Caribbean and NE Atlantic and Mediterranean and connected seas [NEAM]) in addition to the Pacific Tsunami Warning System which IOC had coordinated since 1965.
For the NEAMTWS region, this coordination is provided in the IOC Intergovernmental Coordination Group for North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected Seas Tsunami Warning System (ICG/NEAMTWS) which was formally established during the 23rd Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Assembly in 2005.
The coordination and development work for NEAMTWS has focus on three strategic areas of work:
- Tsunami hazard assessment;
- preparedness and awareness; and
- warning system development.
The warning system part of NEAMTWS has developed steadily and is now operational with four accredited Tsunami Service Providers (in France, Greece, Italy and Turkey) that provide Tsunami alert services to NEAM member states. UNISDR will film three exercises carried out within NEAMTWS from 31 October to 5 November 2017 and make a number of interviews with representatives of countries which are benefiting from the system.