Tsunami early warning system on its way

By Matai'a Lanuola Tusani T - Ah Tong 15 December 2019, 11:00AM

Samoa will soon be able to receive an early warning of an impending tsunami before it reaches our shores, New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister has announced. 

Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters made the announcement during a press conference when he visited Samoa on Friday.

A network of ocean buoys will be deployed across the Pacific as part of an overhaul of the Government of New Zealand’s Emergency Management System and will measure ocean movements to act as a tsunami early detection and monitoring system. 

Samoa will be given access to monitoring and detection from the buoys together with other Pacific Islands: Tokelau, Niue, Cook Islands and Tonga who are vulnerable to tsunami. 

“When an earthquake happens and a tsunami triggers off it will give early warning system not just the Pacific island countries but it would be my own country [N.Z.],” said Vaovasa. 

He added a boat is on its way to Samoa to place a buoy in one of the islands of Samoa. 

Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi, said most of earthquakes occur on the south side of Samoa directly within the vicinity of the Tongan trench. 

He said it would be the most appropriate place for for the equipment to be deployed, as the area being badly affected in the 2009 tsunami. 

A 149 people died from the 2009 tsunami with majority of the fatalities people residing on the coastline of Aleipata, Lalomanu and Falealili and Siumu. 

  

By Matai'a Lanuola Tusani T - Ah Tong 15 December 2019, 11:00AM

Trending Stories

Samoa Observer

Upgrade to Premium

Subscribe to
Samoa Observer Online

Enjoy unlimited access to all our articles on any device + free trial to e-Edition. You can cancel anytime.

>