On February 16, 2017 the community of Cedeño (population 4363), a popular tourist destination along the Pacific Coast of Honduras, was recognized as Tsunami Ready by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. It is the first community in Honduras, Central America, and in the Pacific to receive the designation. The UNESCO IOC Pacific Tsunami Ready program is being piloted by ITIC in interested countries of UNESCO IOC's Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (PTWS).

To achieve therecognition, Cedeño had to meet 10 guidelines covering hazard assessment, tsunami signage, evacuation mapping and planning, education and outreach, and 24 x 7 communications and response planning.  The achievements were put into action through a community exercise that tested the end-to-end tsunami warning chain.

On February 15, as part of the IOC's Exercise Pacific Wave 2017, Honduras' National Tsunami Warning Center (COPECO) tested its tsunami warning procedures after receiving a live earthquake message from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.  On February 16 in Cedeño, with the support of the Municipality of Marcovia and the National Disaster Organization (COPECO), the Local Emergency Management Organization (CODEL) conducted a Tsunami Drill, mobilizing 100s of people from schools, shops, local businesses, restaurants and homes to evacuate to two established Meeting Points. People with disabilities and the elderly also participated, demonstrating a good understanding of tsunami life protection measures.  After the evacuation, volunteers led children in tsunami educational activities.

Cedeño Evacuation Assembly Area.

Schoolboys reading ITIC-IOC's Tsunami Warning! comic book.