Tonga: First national tsunami evacuation drill set for November 3rd 2017
The Cabinet has endorsed that the NEMO under MEIDECC to conduct the first national tsunami evacuation drill on November 3, 2017. The drill aligns with the World Tsunami Awareness Day normally commemorates every 5th of November every year. This year’s world tsunami awareness day theme is ‘safely to safety’.
The ultimate goal of this exercise is To “educate the people on how to evacuate quickly and safely” after a major felt earthquake using the worst-case scenario (9.0 magnitude). This national drill spans the entire Kingdom and will be conducted between 9am to 3pm to maintain the element of surprise in order to carry out the exercise and evacuations as closed to a real event as possible.
On Friday 3 November there will be an alert warning sent out by Tonga Meteorological Services for a 9.0 ritcher scale earthquake at the Tonga Trench which is a felt earthquake that will produce a series of tsunami waves.
The beginning of the exercise, a sound byte mimicking the earthquake will be broadcasted through all radio stations followed by the triggering of sirens. The National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) urges the public to evacuate by foot to the evacuation sites giving the opportunity for elderly people and or disabilities to use vehicles to evacuate.
Director of NEMO Mr. Leveni ‘Aho said, “This drill exercise would enhance community and individual understanding about how and where to evacuate before a tsunami wave strikes. We also hope that the exercise would help prepare businesses for a tsunami event.”
NEMO has mapped out the evacuation points and is currently conducting consultations with schools, businesses and coastline communities with assistance from the Ministry of MEIDECC and key stakeholders to raise awareness about the this national drill exercise and to point them to evacuation sites.
A security taskforce comprising of Police and His Majesty’s Armed Forces will be set up in the Nuku’alofa area to ensure order but most importantly to deter security issues likely to arise on that day.