A tsunami will sweep the coasts of the Mediterranean: an inevitable phenomenon within thirty years

We still remember the terrible pictures of the tsunami that hit the Thai coast in particular, on December 26, 2004. It did not occur to us at that time that such a phenomenon would hit our coast.

Until now Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission for UNESCO He asserts that we can expect a disaster of this kind in the coming years in the Mediterranean.

preparing people

This topic will be one of the main topics discussed at the United Nations Ocean Conference to be held in Lisbon, Portugal on June 27.

On this occasion, the International Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO wishes to expand the scope of its programme “Tsunami ready”And the Created in 2017, To prepare coastal populations to prepare for dangers Particularly tsunami in the Mediterranean, as reported Cross.

A “big” risk that should not be overlooked

A scientific study was published in ScienceDirect He explains that the risk is “significant” in the Mediterranean for the next few years.

We must therefore be prepared to see the formation and, above all, the breaking of a giant destructive “wave” several meters high on our coast, the origin of which is seismic. Because this wall of water holds everything in its path.

What is the preparation programme?

“The Global Tsunami Warning System, which UNESCO is piloting, is particularly effective at detecting tsunamis very quickly. But sounding the alarm is not enough: to save lives, coastal communities must also be trained to respond in the right way. UNESCO is now firmly committed to training them in all around the world by 2030,” said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General ofUNESCO.

Already tested in 40 communities in 21 countries, in the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean regions, the Tsunami Ready program will be expanded globally to thousands of the most vulnerable coastal communities.

The program defines twelve standards covering all stages, from prevention, population training and risk assessment, to preparedness and response, in proportion to local needs.

A phenomenon that has already occurred in the Mediterranean

according toINGVthe Italian National Institute of Geology and Volcanology, hasNo less than 290 tsunami previously mediterranean productse, hundreds of years ago.

But the last time it hit the island of Samos in Greece on October 30, 2020 and the coast of Azore on October 16, 1979. Each time, the victims must feel sorrow …