Tsunami Ready Communities in the Indian Ocean

IOTIC Online Lecture Series on Tsunami Ready

From September -  October 2020, in preparation for the IOC’s more formalized training program under the Ocean Teacher Global Academy (OTGA), the UNESCO-IOC Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Centre (IOTIC) organized an Online Lecture Series highlighting how UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Program could reduce to a minimum the risks of loss of lives and property from future tsunamis.

The 6-part lecture series targeted community leaders, disaster management offices, NGOs and citizens at large to inform about the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Program and encourage them to implement the program’s indicators as the international performance based preparedness and to be recognized as Tsunami Ready community by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

The lecture series were formatted as “Interactive Expert Sessions on Piloting IOC-UNESCO Tsunami Ready in the Indian Ocean”. There were two topics in each lecture that were more than simple webinars. The lecture series invites all participants to take part in high level discussion between international experts on the opportunities and challenges of making vulnerable communities “Tsunami Ready” in line with international standards set by the UNESCO program. Each topic within each lecture triggered more than 20 questions from the participants. These questions and answers were followed up through IOTIC’s social media (Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook). Certificates of completion were awarded for participants attending all six sessions.

The 6 online lecture series reached 2.171 attendees from 44 countries. Each of the lecture was attended by approximately 360 participants from University, disaster management offices, tsunami warning centres, NGO, and others (media, community member, etc.).

The lecture sessions can still be seen in IOTIC’s Facebook:

• Getting Community Tsunami Ready
• Tsunami Hazards and Risk Reduction 
• Tsunami Information and Evacuation Plan 
• Tsunami Education, Outreach, and Exercise 
• Tsunami Warning and Emergency Response
• Piloting Tsunami Ready and Applying for Recognition