Climate Change Resilience
By Mr. Ueretan Bauro, Te Uekera newspaper, Kiribati
21 July, 2015, Nuku’alofa, Tonga, PMC-3 - The Federated States of Micronesia has a system in place to respond to a tsunami threat.
“Yes we still receive information from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) in Hawaii. However, the decision to declare a warning for tsunami is now our own responsibility,” says Mr. Eden Skilling, a Meteorological Officer from FSM.
When a tsunami threat is received from the PTWC, the FSM Meteorological Service, the national focal point for tsunami, will analyse and evaluate the information before it is sent to the Disaster Co-ordinator Office.
Mr Eden Skilling, Met Officer from FSM
“There, the Director and the Governor will meet and call a taskforce to discuss the tsunami information and its level of threat before a warning is sent to the people, Mr. Skilling said.
When the decision is taken to warn the populace, the taskforce will use all available communication system to disseminate the warning.
“The faster the message gets sent, the better response time for people to take action to save their families and properties.
A challenge pointed out by Mr. Skilling is how to inform people when there is a power outage.
“What taskforce will do is ask the Police, who are also in the taskforce, to manually relay the tsunami threat or warning. Because you just can’t use the phone or the radio,” Mr. Skiling said. #PacMC2015
Mr. Ueretan Bauro is the Editor of Te Uekera Newspaper, Kiribati Broadcasting and Publication Authority.
This article was developed by a Pacific Media Team of Reporters currently providing coverage on the Third Pacific Meteorological Council in Tonga. This activity coordinated by SPREP is supported by a partnership including the Government of Tonga, SPREP, Finland Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS).
This article was developed by a Pacific Media Team of Reporters currently providing coverage on the Third Pacific Meteorological Council in Tonga. This activity coordinated by SPREP is supported by a partnership including the Government of Tonga, SPREP, Finland Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS).