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| Down Under |
| Fake Tsunami alert tests new warning system |
| 2006-05-17 |
| A VIRTUAL tsunami triggered by an earthquake off the coast of Chile is testing emergency services in Australia and New Zealand. The computer-generated disaster, known as Pacific Wave 06, has been set up to test communication networks throughout the region. Attorney-General Philip Ruddock, who is observing the exercise in New Zealand, said no one would forget the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami disaster, which claimed thousands of lives across South-East Asia. "By joining with our neighbours to test the Pacific Tsunami Warning System, we are taking an important step to ensuring we are better prepared for an ocean-wide tsunami," Mr Ruddock said. The exercise will also involve Emergency Management Australia (EMA) activating the National Emergency Management Coordination Centre to liaise between government departments and disaster management offices in other countries. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |