HIGH RISK FOR SPAIN IN THE EVENT OF A TSUNAMI

HIGH RISK FOR SPAIN IN THE EVENT OF A TSUNAMI

Europa Press, Santander (25.11.2011. 09:30 am) http://www.diarioelhierro.com/

Experts at the International Meeting of UNESCO about tsunamis have warned on Thursday at the Institute of Environmental Hydraulics at the University of Cantabria "high risk" that runs across Spain in case they occur an event of this nature as they do not have a Warning System or any protocol in place.

Based on reports prepared by the Institute of Environmental Hydraulics at the University of Cantabria, researchers have warned that although the society is unaware, the coasts of Spain "historically" have suffered the impact of "large" tsunamis, being the most affected areas the south-western Atlantic basin, especially the Gulf of Cadiz and the Mediterranean coast. These reports have been published in scientific journals such as Natural Hazard and Earth System Sciences.

More than 80 researchers (geologists, seismologists, physicists, engineers, instrumentation and communications experts or natural hazards) of 40 countries have gathered between 22 and 24 November at the Institute of Environmental Hydraulics at the University of Cantabria (IH Cantabria), specializing in the area of ​​excellence 'Water and Energy' of Cantabria Campus (ICC).

This meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group to develop a tsunami warning system in the Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Connected Seas (IOC / NEAMTWS), coordinated by UNESCO, includes among its participants with the researcher and professor of IH Cantabria the University of Cantabria (UC), Mauricio Gonzalez, who coordinates the working group 'Modelling and Risk'.

Gonzalez, in an interview with Europa Press has reported that, although most countries are developing their systems, "Spain is the only one who has not begun," "has not even started because there is no institution responsible for Warning System. "

"It can happen today or tomorrow"

According to the researcher has said IH Cantabria, the company''believes that these events occur every hundred or thousands of years,''but the truth is that''may happen today or tomorrow,''as has happened with emerging volcano island of El Hierro, exemplified.

People "have no idea" that tsunamis have occurred in Spain over the history even after the tsunami occurred in Indonesia in 2004 and recently in Japan, has started learning society "more" of the "dangers" of these events, said Gonzalez.

However, "we need to raise awareness, assess risk and meet the most vulnerable" to later implement in these areas "emergency protocol" for, at any given time "to react to local level," noted above.

In early 2012 Britain, France, Portugal, Morocco, Italy, Greece and Turkey, among others, will begin to issue their warning signs, and they all meet in the European system of alerts, but in Spain, there is a lack of a system , should there be a tsunami in Algeria or Cadiz - areas affected by faults - "when it arrives we can no longer give an alert and we will over react," he warned.

Gonzalez pointed out that all these countries " are developing systems" and launching "minimum requirements" to alert of these emergencies, while "Spain does not do anything," he criticized.

"In Spain, at the time the Civil Protection told a tsunami has occurred, for example, in Italy, will not be able to do anything, because there is no emergency first, second, because people will not be ready, what will you do, "Gonzalez has asked.

True, he explained, that the risk "areas exist in lagoons promptly" and although there have been no evidence yet on the whole coast "as it should do," have been studied areas such as Cadiz, Huelva and the Balearic Islands.

IN THE MEDITERRANEAN it will cause "major problems"

At the moment we know that in the Atlantic the risk is "high" and while in the Mediterranean "is not so high" if or when the tsunami occurred in one height of summer "would have major problems on the beaches, ports and the coast" due to the large number of citizens and tourists congregate in these areas, has detailed Gonzalez.

IH Cantabria investigator stressed that these events are occurring over time, "every ten years is a rather large and every 30 or 40 a very big" however "are forgotten generations and away of what has happened, "but if repeated in Cadiz as a tsunami in 1755 - known to exist through sedimentological studies -" it can become worse than happened in Indonesia. "

In 2012, when other countries start their warning systems, "if an alert comes to Spain we will not know what to do, so the danger is greater to know that an alert if it will give us just because we are not prepared, so run the risk, in that case, tragedy strikes, "he warned Gonzalez.

Alert System is Necessary

Therefore, this researcher has said that Spain needs a local warning system to detect earthquakes instruments underwater and thus tsunamis, as well as numerical modeling of execution of events that can occur.

Thus, if warned that a tsunami is produced in Turkey and we know its magnitude, it will "react" as they know how to act through the models made by computer.

Gonzalez has indicated that to develop this system to be studied Alert numerical models and the fault location and then evaluate and draw up risk maps, and with these, which are like "pictures of the reality of the situation," power measure not only the risk of high waves but to know which areas may be affected socially.

If that system was in operation at the time of the alert would trigger a "protocol", which also has to develop, which would involve law enforcement, emergency services and government.