A new educational resource on tsunamis, funded by the Attorney-General’s Department, has been released.

The Department’s National Emergency Management Projects (NEMP) program funded Surf Life Saving Australia to produce the interactive online resource, Tsunami: The Ultimate Guide.

The resource can be used by individuals and schools to educate on all aspects of tsunami hazards.

Its release coincided with Australia’s participation in an international tsunami warning exercise PacWAVE15 – a Pacific-wide event that evaluated the effectiveness of the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (PTWS), and measured the readiness of countries in the Pacific Ocean to respond to distant and local tsunamis.

Australia’s participation in PacWAVE15 was coordinated by the Bureau of Meteorology, in consultation with the relevant authorities and jurisdictions, including State and Territory members of the Australian Tsunami Advisory Group (ATAG) of the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee.

The guide is a free, comprehensive, interactive resource which is aligned with the Australian school curriculum. It was produced in conjunction with Australian and State and Territory Government Agency experts through ATAG.

There is information about tsunamis available on the internet, but until now no single authoritative guide with an Australian focus.

The guide was recognised for its importance when Surf Life Saving Australia received a Highly Commended Award as a Project of National Significance at the 2014 Resilient Australia Awards.

Tsunami: The Ultimate Guide can be accessed here.

Read more by PS News February 2015