The tsunami warning siren at Imperio Square in Belem, Lisbon, will be activated on Monday as part of an exercise to test readiness and preparedness levels, the capital’s city council announced.
In its statement, the municipality, chaired by Social Democrat Carlos Moedas, indicates that the municipal tsunami warning and alert system will be tested, which consists of activating a siren installed at the location “with sound signals for approximately 10 minutes.” which may occur several times during the exercise period.”
The exercise, called NEWWAVE’23, will take place from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and aims to test “the effectiveness and readiness of the tsunami warning system implemented in the Northeast Atlantic, Mediterranean and adjacent seas region.” (NEAMTWS, English acronym),” according to a note from the National Emergency Management and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC).
“This is a communications exercise during which various national and international stakeholders will exchange technical and operational alerts related to the possibility of an earthquake causing a tsunami that will impact the coasts of the Northeast Atlantic and, in particular, the coasts of the Northeast Atlantic . Portuguese coast,” reads information released by ANEPC.
According to the same source, Portugal is participating in this exercise through ANEPC, the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), the General Directorate of the Maritime Administration, the Naval Maritime Search and Rescue Service, the Municipal Services of Civil Protection and the Fire Departments of the coastal and estuarine municipalities of the continent.
Also participating are organizations responsible “for the management of vital infrastructure in the fields of energy, water supply, communications, and road and rail networks.”
IPMA is participating in the exercise as the National Tsunami Warning Center and NEAMTWS tsunami service provider, responsible for monitoring, detecting and disseminating tsunami warnings to national coordinating authorities as well as emergency management authorities of various countries in the Northeast Atlantic. such as Morocco, Spain, UK, Denmark, France, Germany and Ireland among others.
ANEPC involves the implementation of different levels of the structure of the national civil protection system: national, regional and subregional, in coordination with municipal levels and ensuring coordination with other agents and participating entities.
The Lisbon City Council will promote an information and public awareness campaign about the tsunami risk at several waterfront locations in the parish of Belém.