VOLUME XXXIX, NUMBER 2
April-June 2007
Cover Story: 1 April Solomon Islands Tsunami
1
Summary of Earthquakes
2
1 April, Solomon Islands, continued 3-10
21 April, Chile
11
IOC News
South Pacific National Capacity Assessments
12
Tsunami Warning Operations Seminar, April
12-13
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ICG/PTWS News
Great Waves available in Chinese
14
ITIC-PTWC News
Tsunami modeling tour, Honolulu, May
14
ITIC Staff additions/changes
14-15
Workshop and Meeting Summaries
ISEE Training Meeting, Tsukuba, April
15-16
2007 Most Destructive Tsunami:
SOLOMON ISLANDS 1 April 2007, 20:08 UTC, M
W
= 8.0
Gizo
-6º
-8º
-10º
-12º
-6º
-8º
-10º
-12º
154º 156º 158º 160º
Honiara
-6
6
6
6
6ºººº
º
º
Global CMT
Reverse faulting
Depth 23 km
Historical seismicity (1990-present) of the region, showing the
size and depth of earthquakes and the current earthquake as an
orange star. (Courtesty of USGS National Earthquake Informa-
tion Center, NEIC). Global Centroid Moment Tensor with depth
calculated at 23 kilometres.
An earthquake (Mw=8.1) occurred in the Solomon Sea
(8.460° S, 157.044°E) at 20:08 UTC 1 April 2007. It was
7:39 AM 2 April local time in the Solomon Islands. The
rupture zone extended 100 km west of the Solomon
Island’s West Province capital of Gizo (374 km from the
Solomon Islands capital of Honiara) ending just south
of the Shortland Islands. A large tsunami was gener-
ated and measured on various islands and tide gauges.
Taken together, 52 deaths are attributed to this earth-
Red star shows earthquake’s location in the upper right corner
global map of the region and in the larger map, showing the
plate boundaries and the source region for this event. (From
McAdoo and others, Geologic Report (GR), p. 3)
VOL. XXXIX, NO.2
PAGE 2
SUMMARY OF EARTHQUAKES
1 APRIL- 30 JUNE 2007
With surface wave or moment magnitude (Mw) greater than or equal to 6.5 and a depth no greater than 100 km, or
an event for which an international warning centre issues a message. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (P) issues;
Tsunami Information Bulletins (TIB), Expanding Regional Warnings (ERW), Regional Watch/Warnings (RWW) or
Indian Ocean Watch Bulletins (IO). Japan Meteorological Agency (J), issues Tsunami Bulletins (TB), or Indian Ocean
Tsunami Watch Information Bulletins (TWI). Epicenter, depth (from GCMT solution) and Mw from USGS (G); from
Harvard (H), which changes to GCMT in July 2007, and Mw from PTWC (P) at action time. Height measurements
from tide gauges peak to trough or half peak to trough as indicated, otherwise measurement is the greatest value for
either inundation or runup depending on the event.
DATE
TIME
(UTC)
LOCATION
EPICENTER
DEPTH
(km)
M
w
PTWC (P) or
JMA (J)
ACTION
ACTION
TIME
(UTC)
TSUNAMI?
DAMAGING?
MAXIMUM
MEASUREMENT
and LOCATION
1-2
Apr
20:40
Solomon
Islands
8.460° S
157.044°E
23
8.1 (H,
J 002-006,
P 002-
008)
8.0 (G)
7.8 (J 001,
P 001)
ERW 001
NWPTA 001
ERW 002
NWPTA 002
ERW 003
NWPTA 003
ERW 004
NWPTA 004
NWPTA 006-
(Cancellation)
ERW 005
ERW 006
ERW 007
ERW 008-
(Cancellation)
20:55
21:02
21:32
21:39
22:39
22:39
23:34
00:13
00:34
01:17
01:58
03:26
04:05
YES
YES
10 m
(runup)
Tapurai,
Simbo
Island,
Western
Province,
Solomon
Islands
5
Apr
03:57
Azores Islands
Region
37.306° N
24.621° W
12
6.4 (P)
6.3 (G,
GCMT)
TIB
04:29
NO
7
Apr
07:09
Azores Islands
Region
37.306° N
24.494° W
12
6.3 (P)
6.1
(GCMT)
6.0 (G)
TIB
07:23
NO
20
Apr
01:46
Southwestern
Ryukyu
Islands
25.710° N
125.108° E
12
6.7 (J)
6.3
(GCMT)
6.2 (G)
NWPTA
01:52
NO
21
Apr
17:54
Aisen or Aysén
Fiord Chile
45.243° S
72.648° W
12
6.2
(GCMT, P)
—
—
YES
YES
7.7 m
(runup)
at fjord near
Aisen dead
and missing
13
Jun
19:30
Near Coast of
Guatemala
13.554° N
90.618° W
33
7.0 (P)
6.7
(GCMT)
6.5 (G)
TIB
19:40
NO
28
Jun
02:52
Solomon
Islands
7.969° S
154.630° E
17
6.7
(GCMT,
G,P)
TIB
03:07
NO
VOL. XXXIX, NO. 2
PAGE 3
Tsunami travel time map showing approximate spread of energy
from the source modelled in order to estimate arrival time of the
wave in distant locations.
PTWC Tide gauge recording from
Honiara, Solomon Islands, 2–3 April 2007
quake and tsunami. Damage extended to island popu-
lations, ecosystems and was found to vary in geologic
terms from island to island.
Within minutes of the earthquake, Pacific Tsunami
Warning Center (PTWC) issued an expanding regional
warning for the immediate area surrounding the earth-
quake, and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)
issued a Northwest Pacific Tsunami Advisory. The tsu-
Solomons,
continued
Above a) Tsunami observations in New Zealand sea-level gauges
on the west coast (1 minute recording interval), showing sea lev-
el minus tides and elasped time since earthquake. Right b) New
Zealand sea-level gauge response to the Gizo Tsunami 1 April
2007. The origin time of the earthquake was 08:40 2 April 2007,
New Zealand Standard Time (NZST). Data provider indicated in
parenthesis following tide gauge name; National Tidal Facility
(Bureau of Meteorology) for Jackson Bay, Port Taranaki Ltd. for
New Plymouth, Tasman DC for Little Kaiteriteri, and all others
from New Zealand’s National Institue of Water & Atmospheric
Research Ltd. (NIWA). Both courtesy of Rob Bell at NIWA.
Tide gauge
(Provider) Latitude, Longitude
Arrival time
2 April NZST
(UTC)
Periods of waves (min)
Max wave
height above
mean level
(cm)
Max peak-to-
trough wave
height (cm)
Time of peak wave
NZST (UTC)
*=3 April
Charleston
41.908º S, 171.433º E
17:21 (05:21)
6’-8’ on top of larger 28’-30’
51
110
20:10 (08:10)
Jackson Bay (NTF-BoM)
43.957º S, 168.616º E
16:52 (04:52)
7’-11’ on top of larger 27’-32’
38
84
19:55 (07:55)
New Plymouth (Port Taranaki)
39.055º S, 174.033º E
17:10 (05:10)
10’-14’ on top of larger 22’-24’
33
60
19:50 (07:55)
Little Kaiteriteri (Tasman D.C.)
41.048º S, 173.027º E
18:37 (06:37)
11’-13’ & 30’
18
31
21:57 (09:57)
Kapiti Is. 40.842º S, 174.938º E
18:53 (06:53)
19’
21
30
00:38* (12:38)
Anawhata 36.921º S, 174.461º E
16:40 (04:40)
30’-40’
12
20
17:20 (05:20)
Kaingaroa, Chatham Is.
43.732º S, 183.733º E
18:20 (06:20)
10’-11’
10
20
18:40 (06:40)
Sumner Head
43.570º S, 172.773º E
20:50 (08:50)
15’-18’ & 22’-30’
7
12
2:22* (14:22)
Kaikoura 42.415º S, 173.703º E
20:38 (08:38)
12’-14’
7
12
2:18* (14:18)
b)
a)
Tsunami observations in New Zealand
Water level record provided by PTWC from Honiara gauge, in-
dicating maximum peak-to-trough wave height (in metres) with
elapsed time depicted. Amplitude was reported as 0.20 m with a
period of 62 minutes in expanding and cancellation messages.
VOL. XXXIX, NO.2
PAGE 4
Solomons,
continued
Location of Solomon Islands, Western Province survey sites. In
addition to McAdoo survey, color data points distinquish survey
sites from two Japanese teams, Nishimura and Tomita teams.
The Tomita team results were not otherwise available for this
article. (McAdoo and others, GR, Figure 5, p. 8).
nami warning messages were revised and reflected
changes in the watch warning areas as data became
available. PTWC relied on both water level gauges and
Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami
(DART) instruments to update and eventually cancel its
messages. All warnings, watches and advisories were
cancelled within 8 hours of the earthquake.
International teams of scientists were dispatched to
cover the earthquake and conduct post-tsunami sur-
veys. Several received surveys provide the graphics,
photographs and discussion of this newsletter article,
and one post-tsunami report is included in its entirety,
from Woodlark Island in Papua New Guinea (see page
7). Except for tide record readings from other parts of
the Pacific, including the records sent from New Zea-
land gauges, the tsunami remained regional in that it’s
effects were seen in the area around the Solomon Is-
lands and Papua New Guinea.
One team of geologists, headed by Brian McAdoo, in-
cluded Kelly Jackson, Jens Kruger, Michael Bonte-Gra-
pentin, Andrew Moore, Willson Rafiau, Douglas Billey
and Breddley Tiano, with Solomon Islands governmen-
tal geologists, representatives of South Pacific Ap-
plied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) and local dive
experts. They visited the region one month after the
event and knew from other survey teams which areas
to investigate further. They visited severely damaged
villages on the islands of Ghizo, Ranongga and Simbo,
as well as the uninhabited islands of Njari, Makuti and
Nusa Aghana (see red dots on map this page).
The locations shared similar features (except for Ra-
nongga); in that all had low-energy lagoons, bordered
Truck and house in Titiana, which floated approximately 50m
inland by the tsunami, indicating the tsunami acted more as a
swiftly rising tide than a turbulent bore. Twenty-one people died
in this village. Half of the 24 children that died in this tsunami
lived here or in the neightboring village of New Manra. (McA-
doo and others,GR, Fig. 21, p.22).
by a barrier reef and a sandy beach. Villages were also
located at natural channels in the reefs, a feature that
contributed to damage. In the Ghizo Island villages of
Pailongge and Titiana, structures made of thatched
grass and palm fronds were lifted off foundations and
floated tens of metres inland with minimal structural
damage (see photos this and next page).
The McAdoo-led survey found that the tsunami had hit
villages substantially, (Tapurai, 10 m; Pailongge, 6 m;
Titiana 6 m) but with varying intensity. At Tapurai, where
the barrier reef lagoon is not as well developed, all
structures in the tsunami affected area were destroyed,
suggesting a wave with higher turbulence.
Another team of scientists, including Yuichio Tanioka,
Yuichi Nishimura, Yugo Nakamura, Yoshinobu Tsuji,
Yuichi Namegaya, Mashiko Murata and Stephen Wood-
ward, surveyed the coseismic crustal deformation on
the islands of greatest impact, from 11–22 April 2007.
On the islands they visited, the highest runup they mea-
sured was nine metres on the northern side of Simbo Is-
land at the village of Tapurai. Three consectutive waves
were oberved in quick succession within five minutes
VOL. XXXIX, NO. 2
PAGE 5
Mortality statistics. Island name in bold, followed by community
name. The immigrant Gilbertese population (in italics) suffered
higher per capital mortality rates than the indigenous Melane-
sian populations. Children also made up for a high percentage
of deaths. Data from the National Disaster Management Office,
Gizo. (From McAdoo and others, Solomon Island earthquake
and tsunami damages reef, affects local economy, Table 1, p.7).
Population
(% of population
affected)
Number
of Dead
(% of village
population)
Children
(u
nder 10)
dead
(% of dead)
Ghizo
Gizo
3302 (77.6%)
2 (0.1%)
0
New Manra
206 (4.8%)
8 (3.9%)
5 (62.5%)
Titiana
366 (8.6%)
13 (3.6%)
8 (61.5%)
Pailongge
76 (1.8%)
0
0
Kolombangara
89 (2.1%)
0
0
Nusa Mbaruku
216 (5.1%)
10 (4.6%)
8 (80.0%)
TOTAL
4255
33
21
Simbo
Tapurani
234 (85.4%)
7 (3.0%)
1 (14.3%)
Riguru
40 (14.6%)
2 (5.0%)
0
TOTAL
274
9
1
Ranongga
Mondo
341 (100%)
2 (2.1%)
0
TOTAL
341
2
0
Vella Lavella
Samboroa
319 (76.7%)
0
0
Lambulambu
97 (23.3%)
2 (2.1%)
2 (100%)
TOTAL
416
Choisuel
Luti
101 (24.6%)
1 (1.0%)
0
Lologae
9 (2.2%)
1 (11.1 %)
0
Sagiae
21 (5.1%)
1 (4.8%)
0
Sepa
165 (40.2%)
1 (0.6%)
0
Sasamunga
114 (27.8%)
2 (1.7%)
0
TOTAL
410
6
0
GRAND
TOTAL
5696
52 (0.9%)
24 (46.2%)
Gilbertese
788 (13.8%)
31 (59.6%)
21 (87.5%)
Morality Rates Solomon Islands
April 2007
At Pailongge on the south shore of Ghizo island, homes were
lifted off foundations and found some distance away, still rela-
tively intact. With a population of 76, no one died here as the
residents with knowlege of tsunami gathered others including
the children to higher ground. The knowlege may have been
through lessons learned from the 26 December 2004 Tsunami or
experience with the major tsunami in the area in 1934. (Photo
from MacAdoo and others, GR, p. 14).
of the earthquake. On Ghizo Island although the mea-
sured runup was less, averaging 5 metres in most loca-
tions along the south side, more damage and loss of life
was suffered.
The earthquake and tsunami mobilized a great deal of
sediment, in the lagoon, beach and even on land. As
the tsunami passed through the lagoon and over the
beach, it picked up sediment which it subsequently de-
posited on land. At Tapurai, the deposit consisted of
a melange of lagoon and beach sediment combined
with boulders from the hillside that backs the village. At
Pailongge and Titana, the sediment was mostly derived
from the lagoon and included both fine grained coral and
Halimeda fragment from the beach and lagoon, along
with boulders from coral colonies killed by the event.
Coseismic land level changes caused further damage
of the coastal ecosystem. On Ranongga Island, the 3+
metre uplift on the SE coast killed off vast stretches of
coral, affecting ocean access.
Mortality rates exhibited distinct variations between vil-
lages. Pailongge and Titiana villages were both hit by
a tsunami with similar magnitudes, yet 13 people died
in Titiana (6 of which were children under 8 years old)
and none died in Pailongge. The people of Titiana are
of Gilbertese (Polynesian) descent, who migrated to the
Solomond in the 1950’s, and have no indigenous knowl-
edge of tsunamigenic earthquakes. Many were explor-
ing the lagoons as it emptied with the leading depres-
sion wave, and were overwhelmed by the subsequent
peak. The Melanesian populace of Pailongge, however,
gathered together the oldest and youngest members of
the community and headed for higher ground after the
shaking stopped, demonstrating an effective use of in-
digenous knowledge that saved their lives.
VOL. XXXIX, NO.2
PAGE 6
Solomons,
continued
Coseismic vertical deformation by the 2007 Solomon earth-
quake. The red dots represent uplift measured, the blue dots
indicated measured subsidence and the white dots no change.
Measurements in centimetres. (From Tanioka and others, Pre-
liminary Report for Tsunami Field Survey for the Solomon Is-
lands Earthquake of April 1, 2007, Fig. 6).
Tsunami height distribution. Green dots show the locations of
measurements. Bars show tsunami heights at those locations.
(From Tanioka and others, Preliminary Report for Tsunami
Field Survey for the Solomon Islands Earthquake of April 1,
2007, Figure 3).
Left (2 photos), Mondo
Village on Ranongga
Island. The Department
of Mines and Energy and
SOPAC recommend that
the village be moved from
this ancient and active
landslide complex to a
safer location. (McAdoo
and others, GR, p. 20).
Photos of crustal deformation. (Directly above) Uplifted corals around Ranongga Island,
an island, which one survey team concluded was completely uplifted, judging from the large
area of coral flats surrounding it. Above, right, A subsided pier at Lengana Simbo Island.
(From Tanioka and others, Figure 5, a and b).
Photos to the left: Vertical crustal deformation estimated from the white line, area above and
close-up, below, showing the high tide level before the 2007 Solomon earthquake, indicated by
red arrows. (From Tanioka and others, Preliminary Report for Tsunami Field Survey for the
Solomon Islands Earthquake of April 1, 2007, Figure 7).
VOL. XXXIX, NO. 2
PAGE 7
verbal reports on 2 April 2007, were that the wave oc-
curred at 07:00 and was 2 metres high as it approached
shore, 1.00 metres when it hit shore, so the measured
2.00 metre mark would appear to be fairly accurate.
Contrary to press reports, seven houses collapsed but
were not washed out to sea. These houses appear to
have collapsed because of wave erosion of the sand
foundations. Three canoes were damaged and house-
hold utensils and other personal belongings lost, as well
as some damage to gardens. One medium pig was said
to have been lost. Some betel nut palms and the church
were damaged.
The wave traveled about one kilometre inland (flat,
swampy in parts) and washed several people with it,
although they were essentially unharmed. The people
could not stand up so they had to swim. Sebom walked
to where the wave reached and estimated the distance
to be one kilometre.
In Unumatana Village ten houses and 32 canoes were
destroyed. One grave was disturbed and uncovered.
Two people nearly drowned. Seven water wells were
filled in by sand, big rocks from the ocean were washed
up on the shore, cash was lost and 6 families lost house-
hold items and clothes. Fish that were washed into the
Report on the effects of the 2 April 2007
Tsunami in the Guasopa area (SE Woodlark
Island), the Kaurai area and outlying villages
and islands — Papua New Guinea
George E Clapp, Woodlark Mining Limited
WML Community
Relations Manager, Woodlark Island, PNG
Background
Woodlark Island, known locally as Muyuw, but named
on the topographic map as Muyua, falls within the Sa-
marai-Murua Administrative District of the Milne Bay
Province of Papua New Guinea. It is situated some 440
km WSW of Ghizo Island (Solomon Islands). The island
has a population of some 4700 people, who are Aus-
tronesians. The people are fishermen and at home with
the sea. They have experiences with tsunami phenom-
ena in the past.
General Guasop and SW Woodlark area
Assistant Community Relations Manager, Dilex Sebom,
was sent to Guasopa on 3 April 2007. Amongst other
duties, he was assigned obtaining first hand informa-
tion on the effects of the tsunami of the previous day
and report any damage. Guasopa is the only govern-
ment station on Woodlark Island and has the island’s
only airstrip, which is
a grassed strip with a
coral limestone base
and was constructed
in mid-1943 by the
Americans.
Community Relations
Supervisor John Beba
went by dinghy to
Waviai Island, Gusa-
sopa, Unumatana and
Wabununa on 4 April
2007. George Clapp
went to Nasikwabu
(Alcester Island) on 5
April. Their observa-
tions are summarizied
as follows:
Only two villages are
definitely known to
have suffered signifi-
cant damage; Kelau, on the western side of
Kumarau Bay, and Unumanatan Village.
Kelau suffered a 2.00 metre wave, as mea-
sured on a house post by the church pastor,
so thought to be reasonably accurate. The
mark was above everybody’s head. Initial
AUSTRALIA
12° S
6° S
0°
150° E
145° E
155° E
Unuma
tana
Unuma
tana
Kelau
Kelau
Kumarau Bay
Kumarau Bay
Guasopa
Guasopa
Ungonam
Ungonam
Wabununa
Wabununa
WOODLARK ISLAND
or MUYUW (MUYUA)
Kaurai
Kaurai
Unkinibod
Bay
Wonai
Bay
Suloga Point
Map of the
region show-
ing source
region (red
oblong)and
earthquake
event (red
star) with
inset
showing
details of
Woodlark
Island and
places dis-
cussed in
the report.
VOL. XXXIX, NO.2
PAGE 8
Solomons,
continued
Kelau villager standing in front of his collapsed house. Note the
mark on the stumps of the house on the left of the picture - this
indicates how much sand was removed by the tsunami waves
from where the stumps were sunk in originally about 40cm -
it is NOT a mark of the wave height. Note that the roof of the
collapsed house is intact - house collapse was almost certainly
due to erosion of the sand foundations by wave action. Photos
provided by: Dilex Sebom, Woodlark Mining Limited.
appeared undamaged; no fallen trees or other signs of
large wave damage.
General Kaurai (N Central Woodlark) Area
The brief report by John Bera, CR Supervisor, who is
from Kaurai village and was at Kaurai (but not on the
beach) with a handheld radio when the tsunami oc-
curred is attached. (Appendix A) No injuries or deaths
were reported. The waves could well have been fun-
nelled into the Kaurai lagoon, since the mouth of the
lagoon faces directly towards the origin point of the tsu-
nami. The report of the sea turning ‘milky’ is quite inter-
esting but the cause is unknown. John was not on the
Kelau villager with a fish on a string, gathered 20 or 30 metres
into the bush from the beach at Kelau.
No damage was reported at either Ungonam village,
near the far eastern end of Woodlark Island, or Oya-
vata Village on the northern shore of Guasopa Harbour.
At Wabununa Village, 3 kilometres to the east of Un-
umatana Village, everything was reported to be alright.
At Guasopa itself (the government station), only a few
gardens along the coasts were damaged and the airstip
was undamaged. No reports had come in from Kavata-
na Village, 3 kilometres north of Ungonam. There were
no reports of any human injuries or deaths in the SE
area of Woodlark.
A report was obtained in the afternoon of 3 April that
everything was fine on Budibudi Island, in the Laugh-
lans, was Okay, apart from some lost and damaged ca-
noes. The waves there had apparently washed inshore
about 70 metres. The food gardens appeared to have
escaped damage. Again there were no reports of any
human injuries or deaths.
The Nasikwabu people reported that the tsunami was
basically a non-event there. They experienced a couple
of fairly large swells. Alcester Island lies 45 km SW of
Suloga Point on Woodlark Island. Other small uninhab-
ited islands between Woodlark were not landed on, but
village and the bush made the place smell. There are
no reports of any injuries or deaths.
At Unumatana there were three distinct waves, and the
waves are said to have been between 1.5 and 3.5 me-
tres in height. The waves travelled inland between 200
and 400 metres. The events were estimated to have
occurred between 07:30 and 09:00.
More houses at Kelau that were collapsed by the tsunami.
Note that the roofs of the houses are largely intact. Collapse
was almost certainly brought about by wave erosion of sand
around the house stumps weakening the house structure. (Photo
by Dilex Sebom, Woodlark Mining Ltd, and available on the
NDGC website devoted to damage photos of this event. URL:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nndc/struts/results?eq_1=48&t=101
634&s=0&d=2&d=22).
VOL. XXXIX, NO. 2
PAGE 9
Canoe thrown into the bush and damaged by the tsunami at
Unumatana. Photos provided by: John Beba, Woodlark Mining
Limited.
beach and there was no reliable estimate of the size of
the waves, although he believes that it could not have
been more than 1 metre or so.
Conclusion
It seems that the 2 April 2007 tsunami in the Wood-
lark area consisted of a minimum of three waves and
that the effects were very different from place to place.
The most useful part of this report is probably the ac-
count of what happened at Kelau, where a reasonable
estimate of wave height was obtained and a good re-
port of how far the waves extended inshore and the
damage they caused. Kelau may well have suffered
because of deflection of the tsunami by the Guasopa
Peninsula. Indeed that may well have been the case
with Unumatana, the worst affected village, since the
tsunami waves that hit Unumatana could have been
Kelau village, taken from just along the bay. The camera (a
cheap Olympus digital) was on zoom, so the village is actually a
lot farther away than it looks. Collapsed houses can be clearly
seen, but apart from that a casual glance would not identify this
as a scene where a tsunami had recently gone through. Photos
provided by: Dilex Sebom, Woodlark Mining Limited.
Solomons,
continued
deflected by the Guasopa Peninsula and Waviai Island
was undamaged. Definitely villages where the waves
were deflected appear to have suffered more than vil-
lages in the direct line with the tsunami waves. Although
this was not a big tsunami event at Woodlark, it may
give some useful information to tsunami experts. House
damage appears to have been caused by water wash-
ing away sand around the house stumps. Canoes were
washed away and/or smashed against trees. An inter-
esting aspect is the time that events are reported to
have occurred, at Kaurai, at Unumatana and at Kelau
- these are definitely anomalous. (Papua New Guinea
used Eastern Standard Time, the same as Queensland,
Australia).
Brief report regarding the tsunami of 2 April 2007
at Kaurai (Appendix A)
by John Beba, CR Supervisor, WML
People staying out at Kaurai Lagoon, working on the
Beche-de-Mer, noticed the sea swelling and waves in-
creasing in size as they awoke to prepare for another
day’s catch, on the morning of 2 April 2007.
Waves coming into the lagoon were in full force and
a number of canoes washed down to the sea, where
men had to rush and grab them and take them back to
shore.
The sea turned milky as waves continued to pound the
shoreline. Immediately people remembered the same
thing that happened years back and decided amongst
themselves to quickly leave the place, believing some-
thing bigger could happen any time.
As they began arriving at the village news of a possible
tsunami was already spreading across the village, be-
cause Woodlark Mining Ltd. community relations super-
visor, John Beba was there with a hand held radio.
The people confirmed to John Beba exactly what was
happening at the beach. People were further advised
not to risk going out to sea for another eighteen hours,
as anything could happen anytime.
Information sources for the April 2007
Solomon Islands Tsunami (
* referenced in this
article
)
Asian Disaster Reduction Center, ADRC Highlights Vol.
163, 1 June 2007. Report on the Solomon Islands
Earthquake and Tsunami Investigation. URL:
http://
www.adrc.or.jp/highlights/NewsNo163
. With links to
event page, and Sentinel-Asia Project entry for event
through GLIDE number TS-2007-000042-SLB. URL:
http://www.adrc.or.jp/view_disaster_en.php?NationCo
de=90&lang=en&KEY=1044
VOL. XXXIX, NO.2
PAGE 10
Solomons,
continued
*Clapp, George E. and John Beba, Report on effects of
02 April 2007 Tsunami in the general Guasopa (SE
Woodlark Island) Area, the Kaurai Area and outlying
villages and islands [manuscript pdf file] With ap-
pendix, Brief report regarding the Tsunami of 02 April
2007 2007-04-02 at Kaurai by Beba. 12 p. printout
with map of Woodlark and photos.
Fisher, Michael A.; Geist, Eric L.; Sliter, Ray; Wong,
Florence; Reiss, Carol, and Dennis M. Mann, (2007)
Preliminary analysis of the earthquake (Mw 8.1) and
tsunami of April 1, 2007, in the Solomon Islands,
Southwestern Pacfic Ocean. Science of Tsunami
Hazards; 26:1, p. 3-20. URL:
http://tsunamisociety.
org/261Fisher.pdf.
*Fritz, Hermann M. and Nikos Kalligeris, (2008) Ances-
tral heritage saves tribes during 1 April 2007 Solo-
mon Islands tsunami, Geophysical Research Letters,
American Geophysical Union; No. 35, (L01607).doi:
10.1029/2007GL031654.
Gibbons, Helen and Eric Geist, Deadly tsunami hits
Solomon Islands. Sound Waves, U.S. Department
of the Interior, US Geological Survey (USGS); April
2007 (92): p. 1-2. URL:
http://soundwaves.usgs.
gov/2007/04/SW200704-150.pdf.
Ji, Chen, (2007), Finite fault model: Rupture process
of the 2007 April 1, magnitude 8.1, Solomon Is-
lands Earthquake. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS),
Earthquake Hazards Program. ”Tsunamis and
Earthquakes” [website]. Menlo Park, CA: USGS.
URL:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthe-
news/2007/us2007aqbk/finite_fault.php
. Linked to
from Solomon Islands analysis,
http://walrus.wr.usgs.
gov/tsunami/solomon07/.
Koshimura, Shunichi, compilor. “The Tsunami Disaster
of 01 April 2007 in the vicinity of Solomon Sea” [web-
site]. Sendai, Japan: Tohoku University; 2007. URL:
http://www.tsunami.civil.tohoku.ac.jp/hokusai2/disas-
ter/07_Solomon/event.html.
Provides links to news
sources, numerical models, data and animations.
*McAdoo, Brian; Fritz, Herman; Jackson, Kelly L; Kru-
ger, Jens; Bonte-Grapentin, Michael; Moore, Andrew
L.; Rafiau, Wilson B.; Billey, Douglas and Breddley
Tiano, Solomon Island Earthquake and Tsunami
damages reef, affects local economy, [no date, man-
uscript], 8 p.
*McAdoo, Brian; Jackson, Kelly L; Kruger, Jens; Bon-
te-Grapentin, Michael; Moore, Andrew L.; Rafiau,
Wilson B.; Billey, Douglas and Breddley Tiano. Geo-
logical Survey of the 2 April 2007 Solomon Islands
Earthquake and Tsunami. N.D. manuscript pdf file.
30 p.
Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), Earthquake, Tsunami
in the Solomon Islands. PDC International Charter,
“Space and Major Disasters” [website]. URL:
http://
www.disasterscharter.org/disasters/CALLID_151_
e.html.
Includes list of available image products; pre-
liminary damage assessments for Ranongga Island,
Simbo Island, Kolombangara Island and Ghizo Is-
land.
*Tanioka, Yuichiro; Nishimura, Yuichi; Nakamura, Yugo;
Tsuji, Yoshinobu; Namegaya, Yuichi; Murata, Masa-
hiko; and Stephen Woodward, Preliminary Report for
Tsunami Field Survey for the Solomon Islands Earth-
quake of April 1, 2007, [preprint, pdf file], 6 p.
*U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, National Geophysi-
cal Data Center (NGDC). “Tsunami Event–1 April
2007” [website]. Boulder, CO: NGDC; 2007. URL:
h
ttp://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nndc/struts/results?EQ_0=
3037&t=101650&s=9&d=100,91,95,93&nd=display.
Includes link to photographs, several reproduced in
this newsletter.
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, Pacific Marine Environ-
mental Laboratory (PMEL) and NOAA Center for
Tsunami Research. “Tsunami Event–April 1 2007,
Solomon Islands” [website]. Seattle, Washington:
PMEL; 2007. URL:
http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/solo-
mon20070401.html.
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS), Western Coastal and Marine Geology. Pre-
liminary analysis of the April 2007 Solomon Islands
Tsunami, Southwest Pacific Ocean. “Tsunamis and
Earthquakes” [WCMG website]. Menlo Park, CA:
USGS. URL:
http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/solo-
mon07/.
Links to other resources including metadata,
Seismological background and animated models.
University of Southern California, “Tsunami Research
Center. Solomon Islands Tsunami (4/1/2007)” [web-
site]. Los Angeles, CA: USC; 2007. URL:
http://www.
usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/2005/tsunamis/solomon/index.
html.
Yagi, Yuji, 2007 04 02 Solomon Islands Earthquake [in
Japanese]. v. 0.2. Tsukuba, Japan: Tsukuba Univer-
sity. URL:
http://www.geo.tsukuba.ac.jp/press_HP/yagi/
EQ/20070401/
. Seismic data and analysis.
VOL. XXXIX, NO. 2
PAGE 11
Aysén Fiord Chile, 21 April 2007, M
W
= 6.2
Lieutenant Commander Andrés E. Enríquez, Head, Department
of Oceanography, Servicio Hidrográfico de la Armada de Chile
(SHOA). aenriquez@shoa.cl
The Servicio Hidrográfico y Oceanográfico de la Armada
de Chile (SHOA) reported that a M6.2 earthquake on 21
April 2007, produced a landslide in the fjord area close
to Puerto Chacabuco. The landslide generated three
waves, the biggest reported was about six metres, and
it affected a local area. A SHOA tide gauge, located ten
kilometres from the landslide, measured a 0.8 metre vari-
ation. As of 1400 GMT, ten people were missing; most
were workers from salmon aquaculture farms in the area.
The event reminds us that tsunami are not solely trig-
gered by underwater earthquakes but can also occur due
to landslide. A presentation on this event cant be found
on the JTIC website at http://www.jtic.org/en/jtic/images/
dlPDF/ArticlesNewsletter/aisen%20chile_fiord_21apr07.pdf.
SHOA is the Tsunami National
Contact and Tsunami Warning
Focal Point for Chile.
Photos and detailed map
extracted from Enriquez,
Andres E. [Local tsunami
in Chile 21 April 2007].
Chile: SHOA; 2007, found
on the JTIC website: http://
www.jtic.org/en/jtic/imag-
es/dlPDF/ArticlesNewslet-
ter/aisen%20chile_fiord_
21apr07.pdf.
Aisen
Region
,
N
autical
Chart
Puerto Chacabuco.
Location of the Tide
Station.
Major
landslide area
(10 Km from
Puerto
Chacabuco)
44˚ S
45˚ S
46˚ S
47˚ S
75˚ E 74˚ E 73˚ E 72˚ E
Global CMT
Near Normal
Faulting
Depth: 12 km
Photos above show
landslide occuring
and the wave form-
ing, then muddy
aftermath. Far left,
View of landslide area
before the earthquake
looking northeast.
Left, wave inundating
wooded area.
VOL. XXXIX, NO.2
PAGE 12
IOC NEWS
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology will pre-
pare a final consolidated report for submission to
UNESCO/IOC, SOPAC, AusAID, and SOPAC Member
Countries on the results of the survey and make rec-
ommendations to the Australian Government for any
necessary further assistance to build capacity within
SOPAC Member Countries.
South Pacific National Capacity
Assessments
A project entitled, “SOPAC Member Countries National
Capacity Assessment:Tsunami Warning and Mitigation
Systems,” commenced in May 2006. The objective of
project was to work with and enable South Pacific Ap-
plied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) Member Coun-
tries to assess their ability to receive, issue and respond
to tsunami warnings, which will help to identify require-
ments for further capacity building programs. The proj-
ect was undertaken by the Australia Bureau of Meterol-
ogy (BOM), Emergency Management Australia (EMA),
SOPAC, and sponsored by the Australian Agency for
International Development (AusAID). The project was
also conducted in collaboration with the Intergovern-
mental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). Team visits
were planned for the Cook Islands, Federated States of
Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue,
Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands,
Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
The outputs to be achieved include:
Internationally recognised and detailed national
assessments of requirements and capacity for an
effective and durable tsunami warning and mitigation
system through completion of an UNESCO/IOC ques-
tionnaire for each of the SOPAC Member Countries
covered by the Activity;
Recommendations regarding any necessary improve-
ments to assist SOPAC Member Countries to receive,
communicate and respond to tsunami warnings for
coastal communities more effectively; and
Information readily available to SOPAC Member
Countries, SOPAC, AusAID, and potential donors to
facilitate capacity building programmes for early warn-
ing of and response to tsunami events (and potentially
other hazards).
The Work Plan entailed the following:
1. Conduct Pacific Island Countries (PIC) Planning
and Training Workshop at ICG/PTWS in Mel-
bourne, May 2006.
2. Complete consultation and planning for expert
team visits at SOPAC meetings in Honiara, Sep-
tember 2006.
3. Initiate team visits to SOPAC countries, October
2006.
4. Complete individual national assessments and
summary report in consultation with PICs by June
2007.
Tonga Assessment Team including members of Australia and
New Zealand meteorological and emergency managment ser-
vices, SOPAC, and various Tonga tsunami response organiza-
tions. May 2007.
Tsunami Warning Operations Seminar
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2-3 April 2007
The seminar, “Protocols, Procedures and Best Prac-
tices for Monitoring, Evaluation and Alerting the Pub-
lic,” was held 2-3 April 2007, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
hosted by the Malaysia Meteorological Department. The
Seminar was a collaborative regional capacity building
activity of the IOC PTWS, World Meteorological Orga-
nization Regional Associations V and II (WMO RA-V
and RA-II), South Pacific Islands Applied Science Com-
mission (SOPAC), and South Pacific Regional Environ-
ment Programme (SPREP) that brought together the
principal stakeholders, the national meteorological ser-
vices as the tsunami warning focal points, and national
disaster managers as the emergency response agen-
cies, of the Southwest Pacific and South China Sea,
to increase their understanding of the current tsunami
warning services of the Pacific, and to identify, strat-
egize, and plan to take action to better prepare against
tsunami threats from nearby and distant tsunamis. The
Seminar was led by Dr. Charles McCreery, Director of
the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC), Dr. Laura
Kong, ITIC Director, and Masahiro Yamamoto, IOC Se-
nior Tsunami Advisor and former Director of the Japan
Tsunami Warning Center. Altogether, the Seminar was
attended by 84 scientists representing 27 countries,
five international organizations (IOC, WMO, SOPAC,
SPREP, ASEAN), and the two international tsunami
VOL. XXXIX, NO. 2
PAGE 13
Malaysia,
continued
warning centres providing the primary services to this
region (US NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center,
PTWC, and Northwest Pacific Tsunami Advisory Center
of the Japan Meteorological Agency, JMA NWPTAC).
The Seminar was opened by the Ministry of Science,
Technology and Innovation, Malaysia Secretary Gener-
al Y.B. Dato’ Abdul Hanan bin Alang Endut. Welcomes
were given by Dr. Yap Kok Seng, Director-General,
Malaysian Meteorological Department; Dr. Laura Kong,
ITIC; Dr. Peter Koltermann, IOC Tsunami Unit Head;
Dr. Tokiyoshi Toya, WMO Regional Director for Asia
and South-west Pacific, Mr. Noud Leenders, Senior Ad-
visor, Community Risk Programme, SOPAC, Dr. Dean
Salofa, SPREP, and Mr. Arona Ngari, President, WMO
Regional Association V (South-west Pacific).
The Seminar was divided into two parts. Day 1 involved
an overview of tsunami warning and mitigation systems,
and the services provided by the PTWC and JMA. Pre-
sentations were made by ITIC, PTWC, Yosuke Igarashi
(IOC Senior Advisor, JMA), Ed Young (USA NWS Pa-
cific Region) and David Coetzee (New Zealand Civil
Defence and Emergency Management). Topics cov-
ered that day were; tsunami hazard risk assessment,
tsunami warning centre operations (including seismic
and sea level monitoring), decision-making, message
dissemination, tsunami emergency response (including
the roles and actions of stakeholders in the government
and private sector), exercises and drills, and tsunami
mitigation countermeasures, education, and aware-
ness building.
Day 2 focused on improving the PTWS and national
systems. Provisional input was made to the PTWS Task
Team on Messages led by Dr. McCreery. Also under
discussion was planning for the future for the Southwest
Pacific (SWP) and South China Sea (SCS) regions,
led by Malaysia for the SCS and PTWS SWP Working
Group Vice-Chair Samoa for the SWP, and facilitated
by Mr. Donald Tambunan, Assistant Director and Head
of Science and Technology Unit ASEAN Secretariat,
SOPAC, JMA, PTWC, and ITIC.
During ICG/PTWS-XXI, an intersessional task team on
messages was established to review PTWC proposed
tsunami bulletin language changes, consider additional
changes, and solicit input from all Member States on
the potential impact of the bulletin amendments in ac-
cordance with USA NWS standards. The task team is
comprised of the Chairs of PTWS Working Group (WG)
5 and IOTWS WG 5 on interoperable systems, repre-
sentatives from PTWS warning centres (JMA, Russian
Federation, France, Chile, Australia, New Zealand,
PTWC), and the PTWS Officers, and will issue its report
at the ICG/PTWS-XXII in September 2007 in Ecuador.
The April 2007 session had the goal of informing and
obtaining feedback from countries receiving tsunami
warnings from the PTWC, JMA, and/or WC/ATWC.
Five breakout groups were formed to comment on the
current message products that are issued, highlight
inconsistencies in language and intent, comment on
the methods of alert dissemination and its timeliness,
recommend new content, products, or methods to in-
clude, and prioritize the urgency of the recommended
actions.
In the afternoon of Day 2, participants were asked to
review, identify or modify a regional strategy by review-
ing prior meeting actions, reporting on progress made,
and identifying new actions especially concerning end-
to-end tsunami warning and preparedness, and to iden-
tify practical TWC and NDMO tools that Member States
should have considering implementation costs and
national/regional commitments. The meeting’s action
outcomes can be found on the Internet at
http://ioc3.
unesco.org/ptws/documents/TWCOpsSeminar/Action-
Planning/SouthChinaSea/TWOps_SCSActionPlan.pdf
.
Some of those gathered for the workshop, where altogether, 84
scientists representing 27 countries, and five international orga-
nizations (IOC, WMO, SOPAC, SPREP, ASEAN) attended.
One of the break out groups formed to comment on the state of
tsunami messaging and what improvements need to be made.
VOL. XXXIX, NO.2
PAGE 14
ITIC Staff changes
Joining ITIC staff in April 2007 is Yohko Igarashi, a seis-
mologist with Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) who
was seconded for a year’s assignment to assist ITIC.
She will assist in the areas of seismic information prod-
ucts and miscelleanous adminstrative tasks as assigned
ITIC-PTWC NEWS
Vietnam Delegation visits Dr. Kwok Fai Cheung (second from
left), Department of Ocean and Resource Engineering, Univer-
sity of Hawaii, on tsunami modeling and inundation projects
in May 2007. The Vietnam delegation was headed by Dr. Vu
Thanh Ca (fourth from left), Director of Center for Advanced
Technology Application, Ministry of Natural Resources and
Environment.
Vietnam Delegation Conducts Hawaii
Tsunami Study Tour
A delegation from the Government of Vietnam conduct-
ed a Hawaii Tsunami Study Tour from 14–17 May 2007,
hosted by ITIC and PTWC. Led by Dr. Vu Thanh Ca, the
delegates were four officials from the Vietnam Ministry
of Natural Resources and Environment.
Vietnam is currently conducting a two year tsunami risk
assessment project along its coastline, which entails
tsunami hazard modeling and mapping activities. Pre-
liminary studies conclude that the Vietnam coastline is at
risk from potential tsunamis generated by earthquakes
in the Manila Trench. It would take an estimated two
hours for a Manila Trench generated tsunami to reach
the Vietnam coastline. The objective of the Vietnam tsu-
nami hazard mapping project is to construct tsunami
hazard maps for the South China Sea and Vietnam-
ese coastal areas and islands to mitigate the possible
damage due to tsunami. Moreover, the tsunami hazard
maps will support its Center for a Tsunami Early Warn-
ing System that is currently being constructed.
The delegation was provided extensive training at ITIC,
PTWC, University of Hawaii (UH), and both County and
State Civil Defense agencies. At the UH, the delegation
was briefed by Professor Kwok Fai Cheung, Depart-
ment of Ocean and Resource Engineering, on tsunami
inundation modeling techniques used in Hawaii. Brief-
ings were also provided by the IOC Global Sea Level
Observing System (GLOSS) Program at the UH Sea
Level Center.
the National Marine Environment Forecasting Centre
(NMEFC) of the State Oceanic Administration of China
and the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO).
It can be found on the ITIC website at:
http://ioc3.
unesco.org/itic/contents.php?id=351
.
Translation of Tsunami: The Great Waves
into Chinese
Tsunami: The Great Waves, the long-standing publica-
tion of the ITIC, has been translated into Chinese by the
Hong Kong Observatory. This 12-page glossy brochure
provides information on what a tsunami is, how fast and
how big they can be, what causes them, and describes
programs undertaken to mitigate this hazard, including
the development of tsunami warning centers, research
programmes, and safety rules describing what to do
when a tsunami attack your coastline. Tsunami: The
Great Waves in Chinese (1st edition) is available for
the first time. A second translation into a simpler form
of Chinese was also undertaken and will soon be avail-
able. It is also available in English, Spanish and French.
It was designed and published by ITIC, with support
from the UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Programme, the USA
(National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration or
NOAA), France (Laboratoire de Geophysique) and
ICG/PTWS NEWS
VOL. XXXIX, NO. 2
PAGE 15
WORKSHOP AND MEETING SUMMARIES
Japan Training Course in Seismology and
Tsunami Disaster Mitigation—UNESCO
lecturers, Tsukuba, Japan, April and May
2007
The International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake
Engineering (IISEE) of the Building Research Institute
(BRI) was originally established in 1962 to train
researchers and engineers in developing countries to
better mitigate against earthquake disasters in their
home countries. Presently, the IISEE conducts training
courses with the Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA). More than 1,200 participants from over
90 countries have participated thus far.
The IISEE conducts annual year-long training in
seismology, earthquake engineering. The seismology
course covers the basics of seismic wave theory, and
moves systematically onto seismological observation
and analysis, earthquake source processes, and plate
tectonics. The earthquake engineering course covers
structural analysis and dynamics, and focuses on
seismic resistant structures such as reinforced concrete
and steel construction, state-of-the-art technologies of
base isolation and vibration damping, and optimum
seismic design techniques. The tsunami disaster
mitigation course includes the seismology course, and
covers tsunami-related topics such as fluid dynamics,
generation and propagation of tsunami, and tsunami
early warning systems.
Since 2005, participants are able to acquire a Master’s
Degree in Disaster Mitigation through the joint efforts of
the Japan National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
(GRIPS), Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA), Public Works Research Institute (PWRI) and
BRI. In 2006, a tsunami course was added. Class size
is limited to ten for the seismology and earthquake
engineering concentrations and five for the tsunami
mitigation programme. The programme involves nine
months of classroom study (lectures, exercises, field
trips), and three months of individual study with a
scientific expert.
The training was offered in cooperation with UNESCO
from 1963 to 1972, after which the Japanese
Government continued the programmes independently.
UNESCO sent experts to IISEE from 1985 to 1995,
and is again providing experts in 2007. As a part of this
cooperation, on 6 April 2007, Dr. Laura Kong, gave a
lecture entitled “Education of tsunami disaster reduction”
to participants from all three courses. She introduced
the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System
(ICG/PTWS) and the Hawaii State Regional Tsunami
Warning System as examples of how awareness and
preparedness need to be integral components of an
ITIC news,
continued
by Director Laura Kong. She shares in the activities of
the ITIC for monitoring and recommending improve-
ments to the PTWS tsunami warning activities. She will
also support capacity building activities, and serve as
an information resource on tsunamis, tsunami warning
systems and tsunami mitigation.
Alicia Estell’s last day of work at ITIC was Friday, 25
May. Her replacement is Bernee Gibo, who started
working the next week. [By the end of 2007, Pilar Mudd
had replaced Bernee].
USAID Intern to NWS
Ranjith George, a Civil Engineer with a Masters in
Remote Sensing under contract with Science Appli-
cations International Corporation (SAIC), who is from
Bangalore, India, arrived at the National Weather Ser-
vice, Pacific Region Headquarters 29 May 2007. His
position title is International Tsunami Notification Coordi-
nator, and is funded from the USAID/Indian Ocean Tsu-
nami Warning System (IOTWS). Ranjith will be helping
improve the interim watch advisory service that PTWC
provides to the nations of the Indian Ocean region,
primarily through following up with national tsunami
warning contacts to see if they are receiving PTWC’s
bulletins. Ranjith will also assist with completion of
the Tsunami Warning Center Concept of Operations
(CONOPS) Reference Guide that is being developed
for the international community, which documents the
US tsunami warning system.
Pictured at a going away luncheon for Alicia Estell are from left
to right, Alicia Estell, Administrative Assistant, Tammy Kaitoku,
IT Specialist and Webmaster, Yohko Igarashi, Visiting Seismolo-
gist, and Brian Yanagi, Office Manager and Disaster Manage-
ment Specialist. and Dr. Laura Kong, Director. Not pictured
Linda Sjogren, Technical Information Specialist.
VOL. XXXIX, NO. 2
PAGE 16
ISEE training,
continued
Participants in the 2007 IISEE programme. Back row, from left to right: Netai Chandra Dey Sarker (Bangladesh) Disaster Man-
agement Bureau, Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, Prakhammintara Phuwieng (Thailand) Seismological Bureau, Thai
Meteorological Department; Afsar Khan (Pakistan) Pakistan Meteorological Department (Ministry of Defense); Yushiro Fujii (Ja-
pan), IISEE, BRI; Laura Kong (USA) ITIC Director; Lasarusa Piutau Vuetibau (Fiji) Mineral Resources Department; Nobuo Huru-
kawa (Japan) IISEE, BRI; Esline Garaebiti (Vanuatu) Vanuatu Department of Geology, Mines and Water Resources; Bun’ichiro
Shibazaki (Japan), IISEE, BRI; Zaty Aktar Binti Mokhtar (Malaysia) Seismological Division, Malaysian Meteorological Depart-
ment. Front row, from left to right: Tun Lin Kyaw (Myanmar) Department of Meteorology and Hydrology; Sanjeevani Nilmini Ban-
dara Thaldena (Sri Lanka) Geological Survey & Mines Bureau; Rami Ibrahim (Syria) Seismology Section, National Earthquake
Center, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources; Norhadizah Binti Mohd Khalid (Malaysia) KLIA Meteorological Office,
Malaysian Meteorological Department.
effective warning system. She discussed education,
outreach, awareness, and public policy for tsunami
disaster mitigation and distributed UNESCO educational
materials such as “TsunamiTeacher.” On 8-9 May 2007,
Dr. Peter Koltermann, Head of the IOC Tsunami Co-
ordination Unit in Paris, spoke on the development of
early tsunami warning systems worldwide with regional
systems coordinatied through IOC UNESCO.