The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, together with partners, supported Pacific Island countries and territories in advancing tsunami evacuation mapping, response planning, and readiness through the TEMPP II workshop held in Nadi, Fiji, from 13–17 April 2026. The training brought together disaster management officials, tsunami warning center staff, and GIS specialists to strengthen national capacity in translating hazard information into practical evacuation maps, response procedures, and exercise scenarios aligned with the UNESCO‑IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme.
Building on the first regional TEMPP training in 2019, TEMPP II emphasized preparedness and response dimensions of tsunami readiness. Participants received technical instruction on hazard assessment and used QGIS tools to transform inundation modelling into evacuation maps. They also developed awareness materials for public outreach and worked on community evacuation planning, considering factors such as time to tsunami arrival, walking speeds, notification methods, and standard operating procedures.
The workshop included scenario‑based exercises using NOAA’s Tsunami Coastal Assessment Tool (TsuCAT), enabling participants to design drills and readiness testing. This practical approach helped countries refine evacuation maps, strengthen response planning, and accelerate progress toward meeting the 12 Tsunami Ready indicators.
Participants came from 11 Pacific countries and territories, including Australia, Fiji, Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, and Vanuatu. The regional cohort fostered peer learning and shared experiences across diverse contexts and levels of readiness.
Delivered by the International Tsunami Information Centre in partnership with NOAA’s National Weather Service, and funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response, the workshop combined technical expertise with applied community planning. Trainers guided sessions on hazard assessment, evacuation mapping, response planning, and exercise design.
In closing, the U.S. Embassy emphasized that the Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme succeeds through collaboration among governments, scientists, community leaders, and the public. The skills developed during TEMPP II—ranging from GIS mapping to scenario‑based exercises—were highlighted as essential for building stronger resilience and protecting lives, livelihoods, and property across Pacific communities.
