The 2004 tsunami disaster where thousands of lives were lost and many people were left homeless changed the way in which we prepare for potential hazards. During that time, Tsunami warnings were issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Tower Center and received by Sri Lanka’s Department of Meteorology, but there was no system in place to effectively send the information to people at community levels. It took about three hours for the Tsunami to reach the coast of Sri Lanka. Many lives could have been saved, had there been a timely and effective warning system to reach the communities.

ADRA Sri Lanka’s TTWT project and the construction of two tsunami towers, contribute to the need for a system to broadcast emergency warning messages to vulnerable communities living near the coast of Tangalle, in the Southern region of Sri Lanka.

The towers are incorporated into the national network and work in parallel with the existing towers and the warning control system at the Disaster Management Center in Colombo and Sri Lanka’s Department of Meteorology and can issue a siren warning within 15 minutes of receiving information of a tsunami threat. At the same time, the project aims to warn the population on the use and function of the towers, by holding community meetings and drills to be able to interpret the warning signals from the sirens in the tower and move quickly to higher ground in the event a warning is given.

TTWT project is funded by ADRA Czech Republic and is located in Tangalle, in the Hambantota District, Southern Province of Sri Lanka.

To learn more about TTWT and other tsunami projects, contact us at info@adrasrilanka.org

ADRA Sri Lanka has been actively involved in post-tsunami recovery projects in the coastal regions of Sri Lanka.