Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, and Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) Director of Life Saving, Peter George, announced on the 6 March an innovative awareness program to help the general public and surf life savers better prepare and respond to tsunami warnings.

“The earthquake in Chile last month and the subsequent issue of tsunami warnings for the east coast of Australia demonstrated that while the tsunami warning system worked well, sections of the public chose to ignore the warnings,” Mr McClelland said. The awareness program, prepared in conjunction with the States and Territories, includes a new interactive online resource to assist life savers and other beach management personnel deal with the general public in the event of a tsunami warning.
Education materials will also be provided for school kids and recreational boaters, fishers and other marine users about the nature of tsunamis, what to look out for and basic actions that should be taken in the event of a warning, including:

• not travelling to the coast or headlands to watch the tsunami
• the importance of moving inland or to higher ground
• returning and securing boats that are in shallow water
  
• moving vessels already at sea to deep water, well offshore.

Since the devastating Boxing Day tsunami in 2004, Australia has made significant advances in the coordination of responses to advise and alert the public of tsunami warnings. Tsunami warnings are provided through the Australian Tsunami Warning System (ATWS), which is jointly operated by the Bureau of Meteorology and Geoscience Australia, and is provided through the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (JATWC) which operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week to detect and verify tsunami threats to Australia. The centre uses sea surface buoys and undersea sensors to measure earthquake activity and the likelihood of a tsunami affecting Australia. In the event of a tsunami threat to Australia, warnings are issued through the media, including local radio and television announcements as well as messages through emergency service workers, lifeguards and surf life savers.

“The recent apparent indifference to these warnings is a concern given that on some beaches, surfers and swimmers stayed in the water and many people even drove to potentially risky areas to try and see a wave.”

For this reason, the Attorney has also written to relevant Emergency Services Ministers and Surf Life Saving Organisations and requested a review of the public response to tsunami warnings and the need to ensure that warnings are followed.

The review will be conducted with State and Territory Emergency Services Agencies, Local Governments, surf life saving organisations and other stakeholders and will focus on:

• ways to better educate and prepare the public for, and improve its response to, future tsunami warnings
  
• mechanisms for the effective distribution of tsunami warnings to the public.

“It is vital that the public understand the warnings and are aware of the actions that should be taken in the event of a potential emergency.”

The Government looks forward to the results of the review and congratulates Surf Life Saving Australia on their cooperation and constructive input on this issue.

“Surf Life Savers and Lifeguards have a unique role in protecting people on Australian beaches. This review and the awareness program aims to assist them by making sure the public is responsive to the warnings they provide.”

A CD Rom of the awareness program has been distributed to all Australian Surf Life Saving Clubs and is also available at www.beachsafe.org.au/tsunami

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Links

• AFAC Corporate site
• KWeb Forums
• BISI