Colombia • Tsunami Alert Situation Report No. 1 11/03/2011 This report is produced by OCHA in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It was issued by OCHA Bogotá. It covers the period from 11/03/2011 to 11/03/2011. I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIOR ITIES • National authorities issued a Tsunami alert on the Pacific coast on 11 March (5:30 am). However, evacuations are not instructed at the moment. • According to current information the waves will not reach a dangerous height, but national authorities are closely monitoring and reporting on the situation. • OCHA and UNETT are in standby. II. Situation Overview Due to the 8.9 Richter earthquake that hit Japan 11 March 14:46 local time, the Colombian authorities have issued a Tsunami alert to 16 municipalities on the Pacific coast, affecting approximately 800,000 inhabitants. Apart from this, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) has issued a general Tsunami alert for the whole Pacific Ocean. The calculated arrival of the first wave to the coast of Colombia is at 19:00 on 11 March. DGR (Dirección del Gestión de Riesgo; National Risk Management Division ) informs that according to current information the waves will not reach dangerous heights. At the moment of the arrival of the waves, there will be high tide on the coast (2.5 meters). According to local Disaster Prevention and Attention Authorities in Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca), 2.7 meter waves are expected in the municipality. DGR does not consider evacuations necessary at the moment. Even though the forecast on the Colombian is low, rivers may increase in level, causing floods. The 16 municipalities which are included in the alert are as follows. Department Municipalities Chocó Juradó, Bahía Solano, Nuquí, Bajo Baudó and El Litoral de San Juan Valle del Cauca Buenaventura Cauca Lopez de Micay, Timbiquí and Guapí Nariño Santa Barbará, El Charco, La Tola, Olaya Herrera, Mosquera, Tumaco and Francisco Pizarro Swimming, diving and fishing is restricted at the moment. OSSO (Observatorio Sismológico del Suroccidente; Southwestern Seismological Observatory ) reports that the population should stay away from the sea. They also report that a stronger swell might last a few hours, with various augmented waves. Tumaco bay (Nariño) is more prone to be affected by a Tsunami. Impact may be lower on the coast of Cauca and the urban center of Buenaventura. UN missions and staff have been recommended to stay away from the coast line by UNDSS. Colombia has a National Tsunami Detection and Alert System. The focal point for Tsunami alerts is OSSO, with the technical support of INGEOMINAS (Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería; Colombian Institute of Geology and Minery) and DIMAR (Dirección General Marítima; General Maritime Division ). III. Humanitarian Needs and R esponse At the moment of issuing this Sit Rep, there are no reports on humanitarian needs. The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate 1 effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://ochaonline.un.org OCHA Situation Report IV. Coordination The National Tsunami Alert and Detection System has been activated in Tumaco (Nariño), Cali (Valle del Cauca) and Bogotá, which is permanently monitoring and reporting on the situation during today. The Local and Regional Disaster Prevention and Attention Committees have been activated in all 16 municipalities along the coast. In Bogotá, OCHA and UNETT are in standby in case of changes in the situation. At 8:00 (11 March) OCHA met with DGR in Bogotá regarding strengthening of the organization’s information flow through social media, towards both the media and citizens. In Nariño, the Local Humanitarian Team met in Tumaco at 8:00 and decided to establish a Humanitarian Situation Room (OCHA and PAHO) and to activate evacuation and information protocols, as well as to keep constant contact with local authorities. V. Contact OCHA Colombia Bogotá Office Sub office Medellín Sub office Cali Sub office Cúcuta Carrera 10 No. 97A – 13 Carrera 43A No. 1 – 85 Oficina Carrera 37A No. 6-36/28 Avenida 6e No.5-34 Barrio Oficina 401 213 Oficina 201 Popular 57-1 6221100 Fax: 6221232 57-4 3121010 57-2 5574392 57-7 5755535 For more information, please visit http://www.osso.org.co/ and http://www.sigpad.gov.co/ . The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate 2 effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://ochaonline.un.org .