U.S.-supported workshop aims for safer, tsunami-ready Philippines

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The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS) trained more than 140 national and provincial government officials and civil society representatives in a three-day workshop designed to strengthen the Philippines’ capacity for tsunami preparedness and response.

From December 8 to 11, NOAA and PHIVOLCS organized the Tsunami Ready National Workshop in Quezon City, gathering experts from NOAA’s International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC), the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.

Funded by the U.S. Department of State, the workshop equipped participants with the skills to conduct risk assessments and develop effective warning systems and evacuation plans in case of tsunamis.

“Preparedness saves lives. The Tsunami Ready Workshop demonstrates our two countries’ shared commitment to ensuring every community has the tools to face tsunami threats with confidence,” U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Y. Robert Ewing said at the workshop’s opening ceremony on December 8.

“For decades, the United States and the Philippines have worked together on disaster preparedness, which keeps Filipinos and visiting Americans safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” he added.

The workshop supports the Philippines’ implementation of IOC’s Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme (TRRP), which guides high-risk coastal communities in meeting the 12 key indicators required for “Tsunami Ready” recognition, including mapping tsunami hazard zones, approving evacuation maps, conducting regular community tsunami exercises, and ensuring reliable alert systems.  The TRRP was modeled after the United States’ TsunamiReady® program.

“Tsunamis are no-notice events.  We don’t know when the next big one will be, so we need to always be ‘Tsunami Ready,’” said Dr. Laura Kong, Director of the ITIC, the primary provider of tsunami preparedness training in the Pacific.

In his opening remarks, DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. recognized over 20 years of collaboration with U.S. scientists for tsunami preparedness.

“With your help, we hope to finally see our very first internationally recognized Tsunami Ready community—or communities—in the Philippines very soon,” said Secretary Solidum.

For decades, the United States and the Philippines have worked together to strengthen disaster resilience to ensure the safety of Filipinos and Americans.

Through agencies like NOAA, the United States supports initiatives that build the resilience of Philippine communities against natural disasters.