A Lack of Early Warnings, Education

By Edward Devlin, CBCP

A tsunami wave train, generated by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004, struck the coastlines of 11 countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Burma, and India. The waves resulted in a staggering loss of life – perhaps more than 250,000.
One of the reasons for the huge loss of life was attributed to the lack of early-warnings for the people along the coastlines. Now, many governments and organizations such as The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization agree that a tsunami early-warning network for the Indian Ocean, similar to the one that now protects the Pacific Ocean coastlines, is necessary. In fact the U.N.’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has proposed a system that could be operational by mid-2006. The cost would be an estimated $30 million.

Educating the Public to Act Quickly is Vital
Many experts feel that an early-warning system is only a part of the answer to minimizing the loss of life. In addition, there needs to be an effort to educate the residents of that area as to what a tsunami is, what the warning signs are, and why they need to evacuate.
For example, let’s take an incident that occurred recently in Ishigaki, Japan. In March 2002, Japanese meteorologists detected a tsunami headed toward the island of Ishigaki and quickly warned residents of the possible danger. But instead of heading to safety in the hills, many islanders went to the beach to witness the tsunami. This is an example of the limitations of warning systems without proper education.
Now let’s look at a different example that occurred in Taro, Japan. When Japan’s deadliest tsunami hit in 1960, following an earthquake in Chile, no one in Taro was killed when the water struck the town, while 199 people were killed along other parts of the Japanese coast. Why? Taro was devastated in 1933 by a tsunami that killed more than 900 people and destroyed 505 homes. As a result, Taro incorporated early-warning systems with education. Now, Taro residents are fully prepared.
• The town hall receives earthquake and tsunami alerts from the Japan Meteorological Agency and has also developed its own monitoring system.
• Cameras along the coast send images back to the town hall, which also receives readings from an ultrasound tide monitor.
• When the town hall gets a warning of a possible tsunami, it broadcasts warnings over loudspeakers.
• In cases where people may not hear the loudspeakers, each of the town’s 1,500 households has a wireless receiver to alert people at home.
• To ensure that residents know what to do when they hear a warning, the town holds a tsunami drill most years on March 3, the day the 1933 tsunami struck. Practice warnings are sent out, and residents go to the refuge area assigned to their part of town, using roads built for that purpose.
• In addition to the warning system, in 1934 Taro began to build seawalls. These now form an elaborate system. One wall has been built across a road with a gate that opens and closes like a lock.
There’s no question that early-warning systems are valuable, but they need to be accompanied with education. In our country we have earthquake information and drills in April every year (San Francisco quake of 1906). We also have tornado information and drills in the center of the country every spring.

How Did Businesses, Government Make Out?
Reports from one area indicate a mixed return. One of the areas hit hard by the tsunami was the village of Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka. Waves swept through the Divisional Secretariat Office, leaving the city’s most important papers under water for days. The recovery process – in an attempt to salvage business permits, marriage certificates, car registrations, and birth certificates – consists of a clerk spreading the papers all around the office.
According to the Wall Street Journal report, “In many developing nations, the affairs of entire economies and bureaucracies are recorded in piles of loose paper or in fat folders of forms filled out by hand and tied up with string. ... In normal circumstances, the paper system, while slow, does work. But now, with millions of indispensable personal and official documents washed out to sea or waterlogged across Asia, police and bureaucrats are predicting all sorts of problems – and even court cases – as people find their way back to the paper trail.”
• The Bank of Ceylon in Hikkaduwa – Since the tsunami struck on a Sunday, the bank had all of its important documents safe in the bank’s vault. The bank also keeps backup hard copies, but if depositors have to use them, it can take days to make a withdrawal.
• The Commercial Bank Ltd. in Hikkaduwa – On the other hand, this bank has all its records in a computer database in Colombo. It was up and running five days after the tsunami. All the bank needed was “new computers.”

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Millions of the tsunami survivors now are suffering acute shock and depression after witnessing the sea kill relatives and friends, as well as devastate the area. Many of these survivors may continue to suffer shock and depression for a long period of time – moving from acute shock and depression to post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD could last months (or years) – preventing the return to work, school or family duties.
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, “The signs of full-blown PTSD are flashbacks, sleeplessness, hyper-vigilance and hair-trigger startle response lasting a month or more after a disaster. Bursts of anger and avoidance of the site of the ordeal also occur. Children may re-enact the disaster in their play. Left untreated, PTSD can lead to alcohol or drug abuse, requiring more treatment and expense.”

Ed Devlin, CBCP, has provided business recovery planning consulting services since 1973 when he co-founded Devlin Associates. Since then, Devlin has assisted more than 300 companies in the writing of their business recovery plans and has made more than 800 seminars and presentations worldwide.

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