Tsunami drill successful

Dulshani Gunawardena

The tsunami warning drill conducted on Wednesday proved to be successful, Deputy Director, Emergency Operation Center, Colonel Keerthi Ekanayaka said. The targeted evacuation time being one hour, they far surpassed their target by evacuating the villagers within 30 minutes.

He said that they had recognized a few technical problems within the warning structure, which would prove immensely helpful in improving the system.

The warning was conveyed to the public via telephone, fax, email and most importantly via text messages, which helped in reaching the majority of the population. The evacutation was conducted by officers and volunteers of the Disaster Management Centre.

The Tsunami Warning Drill was organized by the Disaster Management Centre and conducted in six seaside villages islandwide.

An event of a series of warning drills, this program is aimed at building tsunami reaction awareness among the public.