The new early warning service provider housed at the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA)
By Brigitte Leoni
Lisbon, 23 November 2017 - Portugal today joins France, Italy, Greece and Turkey as a National Tsunami Warning Provider in Europe covering the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea - which was the source of a devastating earthquake and tsunami which destroyed Lisbon in 1755.
The new system operational today in Lisbon, will strengthen early warnings for the 39 countries who are members of the North East Atlantic, Mediterranean and Connected Seas (NEAM) region under the coordination of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
It is hoped that this latest addition to the system will encourage more countries to the Tsunami Early Warning Service. Currently, only 16 countries do so.
Tsunamis are rare events that happen mostly in Asia and Americas but also in other parts of the world. Portugal was hit by a devastating earthquake measuring 8.5 to 9 on the Richter scale back in 1755, which killed more than 70,000 people and triggered tsunami waves up to 5-6 meters high in Lisbon.
Experts predict that another earthquake may occur again and could destroy part of Southwest Portugal and Spain, affecting hundreds of thousands of people who live on the increasingly urbanized shores of the Iberian Peninsula.
The new Portuguese service provider housed at the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere, (IPMA) can detect any earthquake striking the region and send the relevant information to the Portuguese authorities who will be able to alert people at risk within eight minutes, giving the authorities some time to order the evacuation of thousands of people to safe areas.
“The system provider relies on hundreds of sensors installed along the Portuguese shoreline that will be able to detect any ground shaking movement or water displacement,” said Fernando Carrilho, Director of the IPMA. “These sensors will send the information to the Portuguese authorities who will issue a tsunami message to communities and people at risk via text messages and sirens.”