Shimbo Pastory and Johnson Mwamasangula
This article was published in The Citizen Newspaper – Tanzania on 5th November, 2022.
Tsunamis are rare events but they are the deadliest and costliest among all hazards. Over the past two decades, tsunamis have accounted for almost 10% of economic losses from disasters globally.
For instance, the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake in Japan was the costliest disaster in world history costing more than US$ 235 billion (Sh. 502 trillion).
According to UNESCO, about 58 tsunamis have hit the world with devastating effects but more are still expected in the future as the sea level rises due to climate change. Tanzanian coastline is not spared from the possibility of higher tidal waves.
The report titled ‘State of the Global Climate’ which was released on May 18 this year by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlights that the rate of sea level rise was 4.5 millimetres per year between 2013 and 2021, which is more than twice the rate aggregated between 1993 and 2002.
A particular mention is made of the Indian Ocean, parts of which have recorded a rate of 2.5 millimetres per year above the global average.
One might wonder how nature can be much deadlier than wars and all dangers we can think of. The big deal here is brainstorming on how we can defend ourselves should nature strike. This is the purpose of the dedication of November 5 as a world day for Tsunami awareness.
Basic breakdown
Tsunami is a combination of two Japanese words, the word “tsu” which means harbour and the word “name” which means “wave”. They are harbour waves but not any harbour waves.
They are a series of enormous waves caused by an underwater disturbance usually associated with earthquakes occurring below or near the ocean but also they can be caused by these tectonic plates sitting on the earth’s crust slipping on fault lines, volcanic eruptions, submarine landslides or coastal rock falls.
These events cause vertical movement of the sea floor resulting in the consequent displacement of water mass. Most of the time the first wave is not the largest, it’s the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or even later waves that are the biggest and may look like walls of water.
As we are looking ahead to this global observance, we bear in mind that more than 700 million people who live in low-lying coastal areas and Small Island Developing States which are rich in tourism and rapid urbanization are exposed to extreme sea-level events including tsunamis.
This embosses the need to scale up international cooperation to help ensure that 100% of communities at risk of tsunami especially those bordering Indian and Pacific Oceans are prepared for and resilient to tsunamis by 2030.
For example, Indonesia witnessed the deadliest unforgettable tsunami destruction of its coastal towns and villages on August 26, 1883, triggered by the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa affecting both Java and Sumatra islands.
World Tsunami Awareness Day was designated by UN General Assembly in December 2015 to be a calling on countries, international bodies and civil society to raise tsunami awareness and share innovative approaches to risk reduction.
This initiative which is facilitated by United Nations Disaster Risk Reductions (UNDRR) came into action from lessons learned from Japan’s repeated and bitter experience of Tsunamis over the years and built up major expertise they have in tsunamis early warning, public action and building back better after a disaster to reduce future impacts.
By the year 2030, an estimated 50% of the world’s population will live in coastal areas which are socioeconomically vulnerable as they are exposed to natural happenings like ruinous flooding, storms and tsunamis.
National Preparedness
Dr Erasto Sylvanus is Head of Emergency and Critical Care Services and Coordinator, Case Management in Outbreaks and Disasters at the Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit of the Ministry of Health.
He unveils that disaster management is multisectoral, natural disasters are particularly managed collaboratively by the office of the prime minister, the ministry of health, the army, fire and rescue services, the navy, the police force, and emergency aid facilities.
However, the extent of this collaborative management depends on the intensity of the disaster, the risks involved, and the harm caused.
“The Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit prepares contingency plans which give guidelines for the whole undertaking in the event of a disaster. Also, risk assessment is carried out periodically, and reports published to categorize areas appropriately and respond effectively when there need arises”, Dr Sylvanus elaborated.
According to Dr Sylvanus, there are three levels of response to disasters, the first being the local level, where the effects of the disaster can be contained and victims managed at the local level (district or region).
The second is the national level, whereby the facilities and human resources can be mobilized within the country and cover the disaster effectively.
The third, he said, is the international level whereby the disaster, poses a risk to other countries, or where there is obvious inadequacy in containing the disaster, international intervention is sought. This is guided by the national All Hazard Public Health Emergency Response Plan.
Among other things, the Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit conducts training, and awareness programmes, as well as structuring teams for emergency response at local levels.
The Unit also oversees simulation exercises for emergency response among the multisectoral emergency responders. This training is done both generally, that is for all disasters, and specifically for certain emergencies.
According to the Risk Matrix from the 2016 Public Health Risk Profile for Tanzania, as presented in the All-Hazard Public Health Emergency Response Plan (Page 32), a tsunami is categorized as a low -possibility disaster in the country.
The Regional Situation
In East Africa, the World Bank forecasts that climate change will hit the region hard and force more than 10 million people to flee their homes by 2050 with Dar es Salaam metropolis being at risk, yet harbouring about 5 million people, with many exposed to poor living conditions in a low-lying city nose to mouth with such an ever-rising sea level.
Empowering communities to react appropriately is crucial in disaster response as a country so that we do not repeat errors of history. People ought to know what to do in case of emergency especially those we do not see often like tsunamis.
This observance is an important reminder to pull together global efforts on disaster and risk reduction. For our side of Africa, The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System which boasts scores of seismographic and sea level monitoring stations which disseminate alerts to respective national tsunami information centres is remarkable progress and is an important system in our region despite that we don’t have much of tsunami occurrences.
Alongside that, on this day, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) advises that improving warnings, enhancing preparedness and practising response drills will help communities prone to or at risk of tsunami prepare and become resilient.
