Revisiting Tsunami Incident Management

On 26th Dec 2024 Sri Lanka will be marking 20 years since Tsunami Disaster! Thus, I thought of dedicating this Newsletter to my involvement with the Tsunami Disaster Management and planning Interim National Warning System way back in 2004.

By 26th Dec 2004, I was working as the Senior Staff officer to the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) under Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri who was the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the Commander of the Navy. I was the Duty Officer at JOH on that Sunday and due to prevailing security situation in the country, briefed all communication operators (JOH employs all; Army, Navy Air Force and Police Radio Communication operators to monitor the communication island wide) to be vigilant on any communication despatch that indicate a conflict! The prevailing security situation especially in the Eastern theatre was very tense with high probability and possibility of flaring a firefight between Army and LTTE at that time. I was aware of these developments due regular security updates are received, compiled, and also assessed at JOH for the President. All reports indicated possible skirmishes, and all Service HQs were well informed of the assessments on deteriorating security situation in the country.

It was around 0900 or so the Police Communication Operator informed that there was an unusual communication in Kalmunai about sea water coming to land and now the Police Communication in whole of coastal belt of the east is lost. As this was unusual, I immediately called Trincomalee eastern Naval Command to find out what is happening there in east coast. The Navy also informed that sea water is rising in Trincomalee Bay, and all ships are now being taken out whilst 'Action Station' (The mode of informing whole of the security establishment by sounding the siren to take up action points in preparation of eminent enemy attack) alarms has been sounded. Immediately these were informed to CDS, and the JOH senior staff and I started browsing the Internet through my Laptop whilst switching all TVs to BBC and local media channels. The BBC already airing the tsunami striking in Thailand Phuket area and browsing the United States’ Geological Survey webpage I noticed the huge earthquake and the magnitude by that time is revised to 8.6 Richter Scale.

I started plotting the epicentre and relevant details as indicated in the BBC and in USGS Web page in the nautical charts of the JOH ‘War Room’ (the large room with all maps, charts and essential data to read, analyse and manage the war-fighting anywhere in the island) and also drafted what to do list for briefing the CDS who now is on the way to JOH.? The JOH became a hive of activity with arrival of other officers who were now waiting to activate various needs that may be arising. The CDS arrived and I immediately briefed him with the developing situation. By this time local media also started announcing of the sea water ingress and all were feeling the loss of communication and the over-burdened communication networks. The CDS after having briefed the Prime Minister (The President was away from country) told me that the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister is coming to JOH and for me to brief him in Sinhala.

The Cabinet of Ministers and the Prime Minister came, and I immediately started my briefing to them from the war room. After informing them the occurrence, happening and current situation I started to get questions. Out of many, I still recall two questions raised by MP Wimal Weerawansa on why is it called Tsunami and Late MP Alavi Maulana asking me whether this have link with the opposition’s ongoing campaign to ‘brake-coconuts’ at Dewala’s (A ritual in Sri Lankan society in which one slam the coconut at Dewala asking for divine interventions for good or bad; in this case the opposition was drawing the wreath of the Gods against the Government!). I answered both very politely, of course and received instructions form Prime Minister to go to Prime Minister’s Residence of Temple Trees (by which time has converted to a Operational Centre to direct Government efforts of relief) with the same nautical chart I briefed him, and go live in uniform (I was in uniform) to explain people what has had happened!

Meantime CDS suggested to convey a Emergency Security Council meeting then and there itself at which point I informed CDS that Prof Charita Pattiarchchi (an Oceanographer of Sri Lankan origin who was studying Tsunami for last 20 years, and by this time was in Payagala, Kalutara having survived the first wave) is best suited to brief the Security Council. I was instructed to bring him down and I immediately called Prof Charita on mobile phone to convey CDS message. He said that he is in Shorts and all roads are jammed for him to come to Colombo! I directed my Police colleague (Inspector of Police, Dissanayake) in JOH to arrange Police vehicle for Prof Charita somewhere near Payagala now. All these were happening simultaneously whilst I went to the Temple Trees with removed Nautical Chart board from the War Room to live telecasted from the Temple Trees itself. Sooner I finished it I returned with the Chart Board to War Room as the Security Council is going to meet over there in short time!

By the time the emergency Security Council meeting started Prof Charita was also there, and he briefed the Security Council briefly on science behind Tsunami and his experience at Payagala just few hours back. He further briefed what is going to happen for next 48 hours or so with ‘after-shocks’ and what need to be alerted of! He called Hawaii based Tsunami Warning Centre (established to cater for Pacific Tsunami but monitor the global emergencies) as he is known to the personal over there and immediately JOH established a live information sharing system directly with Hawaii Tsunami Warning Centre. I was assigned as the focal point for this arrangement and my mobile phone number was registered for their alert system whilst I connected with Hawaii based Centre on 24/7 basis through my laptop and an additional IDD line. And for next 72 hours I was virtually living on my desk day and night at JOH coordinating thousands of alerts, enquiries, and questioning originating from all corners of the island.

By the end of 72 hours, I sketched out and made an interim early warning mechanism to evacuate whole of coastline and this was tabled at a meeting chaired by the President when she returned after about 2 days’ time. In addition to this interim early warning from the evening of 26th Dec, the Indian Naval vessels and Aircraft started arriving with relief material and personnel and Captain Suraj Berry of India’s High Commission in Colombo became a live wire in coordinating efforts. Within 24 hours, the Indian Navy’s Hydrographic Survey Ships arrived in Colombo, Galle and Trincomalee to post survey and make harbours cleared safe for shipping (a standard necessity for international Ports and Harbours immediately after a disaster of this nature; otherwise the insurance premiums go high if Masters of the Vessels operates their vessels without safe for navigation clearances) and many of my Hydrographic course mates were onboard to make matters easy and efficient.

Tsunami is a subject taught during the Hydrographic Industrial Module when I completed my Category A qualification course at National Institution of Hydrography in India (based in Vaso Da Gama in Goa). The 11 months long course is affiliated to the University of Goa for Master of Hydrographic Survey degree and having had my Category B course in 1995 at same Indian Naval School, I was having survey experiences onboard Submarine Cable laying ships, Physical surveys in support of Sri Lanka Government’s efforts to study the impact of Indian Sethusamudram Canal Project and etc, this higher level course of study exposes more in to what to do with the subject of hydrography. I was the senior most of two of us selected (then LCdr Asoka Wijesiriwardana being the other officer) to do Long Hydrography Course for the first time as Sri Lanka Government under then Foreign Minister Luxman Kadirgamar was on an action plan to claim our Outer Continental Margin under the provisions of UNCLOS as well as the newly assigned Search and Rescue Region under the Convention of Safety of Lives at sea. I must mention the lead role played by Sri Lanka’s Defence advisor to Sri Lanka High Commission in India at New Delhi, then Captain Ravi Wijegunaratna (now the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Pakistan) in securing the training slots in 2003.

The Tsunami Interim Warning Plan I sketched out proved itself in March 2005 when on 29th we had an earthquake of same magnitude in the same locality triggering a Tsunami alert in the region. We started experiencing the water disturbances in the Southeastern parts of the country when the whole coastline including the territory under LTTE also evacuated within a matter of 2 hours in anticipated waves. The waves went away from the island towards middle of the Indian ocean, and it took some 48 hours for scientist to identify why it was in a different direction this time! Such were the complexities in science even in studying these under sea earthquakes!

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