Project News

The National Service for Risk and Emergency Management (SNGRE), with the support of the "Project for the construction of Safe and Resilient Cities against Earthquakes and Tsunami Disasters" of JICA, held the "Workshop of Socialization of the Manual for the Preparation of the Tsunami Evacuation Plan in Galapagos ".

This workshop has been addressed to 26 municipalities of the 5 coastal provinces of continental Ecuador and was completed in June.

On this occasion, the workshop was held in the province of Galapagos, in which 3 municipalities of the archipelago participated.

This event was held within the framework of Output 1 activities of the project: "Based on the tsunami warning issued through the Tsunami Warning Technical Protocol, the pilot municipalities provide timely assistance to quickly evacuate the communities." following purpose:

• Deepen understanding of tsunami from the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami case study.
• Present and delve into the "Technical Manual for the Preparation of the Tsunami Evacuation Plan" prepared by the project.
• Understand the tsunami evacuation plan and how to develop it in each coastal municipality.
• Present the case study of the pilot municipalities.
• Share information, exchange opinions and answer questions about the tsunami evacuation plan.

A tsunami could reach Galapagos Islands in the event of a major earthquake off the coast of Ecuador, Chile, or Central America. In addition, the tsunami generated by the Tohoku earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011, traveled 14,500 kilometers from its epicenter and took 16 hours to reach the Galapagos Islands.

The tsunami, which traveled at speeds of up to 760 kilometers per hour at sea, hit the island of Santa Cruz harder, flooding police stations and bank buildings in Puerto Ayora area, and triggering tsunami alerts that forced the evacuation of the Galapagos tortoises from the national park to higher ground.

The Galapagos Islands receive a large number of national and international visitors throughout the year, needing the urgent development of a tsunami evacuation plan and map. In Santa Cruz, the pilot municipality of the project, with the support of the Japanese expert, the tsunami evacuation plan and map is being drawn up, altitude signboards are being installed and residents are being made aware.

The workshop was attended by 17 participants from the three municipalities of Galapagos, the Governing Council of the Special Regime of Galapagos, the Navy, the Red Cross and the Fire Department, who learned in greater detail about the "Technical Manual for Preparation of the Tsunami Evacuation Plan "prepared by the project. The municipalities of San Cristóbal and Isabela have also taken the first steps to develop a Tsunami Evacuation Plan.

With the support of JICA experts and the seven pilot municipalities of the project, SNGRE continues to work for the development of tsunami evacuation plans in all Ecuadorian coastal municipalities, including the Galapagos Islands, as a post-project initiative.

To read the full article ("Socialization Workshop of the Manual for the Preparation of the Tsunami Evacuation Plan in Galapagos"), please search for "Plan de Evacuación por Tsunami" on the Facebook profile of the Governing Council of the Special Regime of Galapagos linked below.

• Governing Council of the Special Regime of Galapagos (Facebook, external link)

Written by Yu Kumagai (CSR Project Coordinator by JICA)

Workshop in the province of Galapagos

Workshop in the province of Galapagos

Presentation of Mrs. María Quiñones (SNGRE)

Workshop participants

Altitude signboards at the entrance to Tortuga Bay

"Technical Manual for the Preparation of the Tsunami Evacuation Plan"