Port Blair, Oct. 5: The International Coordination Group for the India Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWS) of UNESCO in coordination with Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad (INCOIS) has conducted Indian Ocean Wave Tsunami Communication Exercise (IOWave23) on 04th Oct, 2023 in India.All Emergency Support Functionaries (Police, Fire, Health, Electricity, Shipping, PBMC, PMB, APWD, Civil Supply, IP&T etc.) Emergency Operation Centers, District Administrations, A&N Command, NDRF and other Stakeholders of A&N Administration were participated in this exercise.

The main focus of this exercise was primarily on monitoring and issuing warning of Tsunamis in Indian Ocean by simulating Earthquake followed by Tsunami modeling in Indian Ocean Countries and tested communication channels, decision making during tsunami situations created in this Exercise. The exercise was tested disaster management organization's communications protocols, organizational SOPs, plans and policies for tsunami warning and emergency response.

During the exercise, the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) at Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad has started by sending message of simulated tsunami threat information as an occurrence of Gigantic Earthquake measuring 9.0 Mw in Richter scale near the Andaman Trench on 04th Oct, 2023 at 0930 IST and followed by Tsunami generation and issue alerts/warning in the form of bulletins to all coastal states of India including ANI.These alerts/warnings/advices/threat has disseminated from State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC)through different means of communication channels to all Emergency Operation Centres and Control Rooms of line Departments of A&N Islands.