First certificate training programme in tsunami science and preparedness

This Tsunami science and preparedness (TSP) programme is an intensive 16-day programme specifically developed for professionals and practitioners actively engaged in end-to-end tsunami warning, mitigation and preparedness activities. It is the most comprehensive programme of its kind, designed to equip professionals with the finest resources available and vital skills to help them save lives and build tsunami-resilient societies. This first TSP programme in Asia is led jointly by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand and University of Washington (UW), USA and supported by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID-Asia). It is offered as part of AIT’s new post-graduate study programme on Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Management.

In July 2007, University of Washington offered the first TSP programme in Seattle, Washington. Thirty one highly selected participants from Indonesia, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Maldives attended the programme and received certificates. Because of the overwhelming number of positive results and high demand, this course is being organized jointly by AIT and UW in Asia under the framework of the International Tsunami Training Institute (ITTI).

Programme courses
The programme consists of three modules:

Module 1: Tsunami hazard assessment

• The science of tsunamis & important physical characteristics of tsunamis
• Tsunami impacts to the coastal built environment
• Tsunami hazard assessment methodologies
• Tsunami inundation maps & their effective use and limitations
• Historic and pre-historic tsunami data & paleo- and post-tsunami investigations

 
Module 2: Tsunami warning systems

• Key components of a tsunami warning system
• The general operation of a tsunami warning center
• The technology required for detecting and monitoring a tsunami
• Real-time forecasting of tsunami impacts using numerical models
• Emergency warning communications to the population at risk
• End-to-end simulation exercises in tsunami warning

Module 3: Tsunami Mitigation and Preparedness & Coastal Community Resilience

• Integration of coastal and tsunami risk into community planning
• Participatory approach in community risk management and preparedness
• Evacuation plans and critical infrastructure for evacuation
• Emergency management for tsunami response and post-event recovery
• Mitigation measures—constructed facilities, use of forests and trees as protection, tsunami-resistant structures, etc.
• Team exercises on coastal community resilience assessment and planning

Field Trip
A 4-day field trip to Ranong, Phang-Nga and Phuket provinces in the southern Thailand is designed to reinforce concepts and principles covered in the program courses. It will provide an opportunity to witness evidence in the field that is difficult to replicate in a classroom or lab, and to confront the realities that government officials and community leaders must face in assuring tsunami preparedness.

The field excursion allows programme participants to:

• Meet with local residents and officials in a coastal community in Ranong province
• Conduct a field exercise on community resilience assessment and planning
• Visit the tsunami’s hardest hit areas along the Phang-Nga coast
• Examine paleo-tsunami evidence at Phra Thong island, Phang-Nga province
• Appreciate the role of mangrove forest as a natural barrier
• Learn about the incident command system in Patong for tsunami response and recovery