Tsunami evacuation drill in Sawadi area of Oman

Muscat: Citizens and expats living in the Sawadi coastal area in Barka will take part in an evacuation, as the Sultanate participates in a simulated tsunami test in the Indian Ocean on September 4.
“The aim of the exercise is to evacuate everyone that resides in the Sawadi coastal area to a safer area, and this will include residents, tourist and expats. The objective is to familiarise them with the evacuation mechanisms and steps,” an official from the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) told Times of Oman.
Oman is set to participate in the Indian Ocean Wave 18 on September 4. The regional exercise is being organised by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
The exercise will simulate a 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Iran, which will generate simulated tsunami waves travelling across the Indian Ocean basin towards the coast of the Sultanate in less than half an hour.
The estimated height of the simulated wave will be some 12 metres, flooding the beaches at 0600 hrs UTC on September 4.
In preparation for the test, PACA has organised awareness programmes to explain the process to the residents of the area through lectures, social media, and leaflets.
“From August 13 to 18, a number of awareness lectures were held for the residents of the Sawadi Coastal area,” the PACA official said, adding, “The lectures will continue next week to raise awareness over the idea of evacuation and its mechanisms.”
“Leaflets have also been printed in several languages to answer the questions of citizens and residents, in order for the information to reach the largest possible number of people, in addition to educational tweets through social media outlets,” the official added.
Residents of the area have positively responded to the upcoming evacuation test.
“Through the increasing participation and the questions asked by them during the lectures, it can be concluded that the response was excellent and is a testament to the awareness of the residents over the dangers of the tsunami and ways to deal with it, if it occurred,” the official said.
The exercise is held every two years and is attended by all countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Oman had previously also participated in this exercise to test its readiness with tsunami risks.