Portugal’s Minister of the Sea said the new early warning system for tsunamis, that now has been installed in Lisbon, represents an increase of security for the population at a cost of "only one million euros."
Ana Paula Vitorino was speaking at the inauguration of the new system at the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere.
The minister explained that the Portuguese population now will be able to get more information about possible tsunamis and that the equipment serves to improve the emergency response and coordination from the National Civil Protection Authority.
“The system provider relies on hundreds of sensors installed along the Portuguese shores 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 messages and sirens.”
The Portuguese coast is extensive, with more than 943 km of coastlines in continental Portugal and some other 667 km of coasts in the archipelagos of the Azores and 250 km in Madeira. Not all are at earthquake risk but many are located along the Africa-Eurasia plate boundary, which makes them very vulnerable to seismic activities. The country suffered two recent major earthquakes and tsunamis, the first in February 1969 in continental Portugal and the second in January 1980 in the Azores, killing some eighty people altogether.
Eduardo Cabrita, the Minister of Internal Administration, commented, "The tsunami early warning centre is part of the effort to coordinate the weather service and the National Civil Protection Authority. Portugal must be at the heart of the best of global scientific networks," since "tsunamis are not something distant and exotic."
Cabrita recalled that "the 1755 earthquake resulted in one of the largest tsunamis ever recorded," and that the early warning system, which Portugal now is part of, was launched with the help of UNESCO in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that affected Indonesia and other parts of Asia."
The NEAM Early Warning System is one of the four main early warning systems existing in the world, with the Indian Ocean Early Warning System built after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami which killed an estimated 230,000 people, the Pacific Early Warning System and the Caribbean Early Warning System.
It is estimated that more than 130 million people live around the Mediterranean and that around 230 million tourists visit the zone every year, adding to the overall potential risk if a tsunami happened.
The two ministers cut the ribbon and unveiled a sign commemorating the start of the new service.
