Yikes! Malta needs to up its game to prepare for unexpected TSUNAMIS & natural disasters
Our islands are classified as 'tsunami-genic'.
When it comes to protection from natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis, our islands have so far taken it for granted, because in our defence, they’re super rare! But the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) seem to think otherwise.
The CTBTO delegation was recently in Malta to encourage Government to establish a 24/7 monitoring system that records data about any potential natural disasters. Lassina Zerbo, the executive secretary of the CTBTO said that our country needs to step up its monitoring game.
“The last tsunami in this region dates back to 1908 – that is long ago, but you never know when a tsunami will hit,” says Mr Zerbo. “It could happen in the next hour, we do not know. An earthquake in Greece or France can affect Malta.”
Malta does have a seismic monitoring and research group at University, but it isn’t functional on a 24/7 basis. Mr Zerbo suggests the use of the CTBTO’s international monitoring system, that is made of seismic sensors. “Using that information, Malta can gather information and give it to a centre for tsunami warnings,” he says.
Our islands are classified as “tsunami-genic”, so it is critical for our country to have its own centre, or at the very least, be part of an overall region of tsunami centres that can provide information.
Malta has had a handful of earthquakes and tremors over the years, and one tsunami, that luckily had no casualties. But, last February’s unexpected and disastrous storm (hilariously dubbed Hurricane Dnegel), left the island in a state of chaos for a while until damages were sorted. A tsunami or earthquake could have more serious repercussions, so maybe it’s time to pull our socks up!
Mr Zerbo says that authorities seemed open to the idea and hopes Government and the University would join forces to take better precautions should disaster actually strike.
What do you think about our current situation?