Post-tsunami advances in knowledge that contribute to disaster risk reduction


Posted on December 23, 2014  /  1 Comments

Based on writing and interviews done in June 2015 in the context of LIRNEasia’s events organized to mark the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 2004 http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Regional/2014/12/22/Contributing-to-global-knowledge/.

The first multilingual trials of the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) – a data format for exchanging public warnings and emergencies between alerting technologies – were carried out in Sri Lanka as part of the Hazard Information Project funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre.

“It was an unexpected success,” says Samarajiva, a former telecoms regulator. He adds that, in recognition of the important role played by Sri Lankans in the development of this technical standard, a meeting of CAP experts from 20 countries took place in the coastal town of Negombo in June this year, with the discussions centring on:

> Advances in multiple links in the early warning chain;

> The sophisticated science behind improved detection and monitoring of earthquakes and tsunamis; and

> Community readiness to receive public warnings and act appropriately.

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