The earth trembled violently in the Kamchatka Krai region of Russia yesterday, sending tsunami warnings across the globe!
Alarm bells rang in real time and in the memories of millions of people around the world.
The 8.8 magnitude quake, one of the strongest recorded in the region, prompted tsunami alerts in nations as far-flung as Japan, Ecuador, and the United States.
Closer to home, Fiji was also placed under watch.
All coastal and low-lying regions were cautioned to remain vigilant.
However, as the sirens wailed and advisories were issued in many countries around the world, a question lingered: are we truly listening here in Fiji? Are we prepared?
History has shown what happens when nature’s warnings are ignored or underestimated.
The Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004, remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.
Triggered by a 9.2–9.3 magnitude earthquake off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, the tsunami killed an estimated 227,898 people across 14 countries.
Entire communities were swept away in moments by the raging sea. A heartbreaking number of those lives might have been saved had there been more widespread awareness and faster adherence to tsunami warnings. Then, as now, the ocean gave signs. Many were unprepared or unaware of what those signs meant.
Similarly, the Japan tsunami of 2011 stands as another grim testament of the power of mother nature!
Despite Japan’s advanced disaster preparedness systems, over 18,000 people lost their lives after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake unleashed waves as high as 40 metres along parts of the Tōhoku coast.
The devastation was immense, not only in lives lost but in the nuclear crisis that followed.
It reaffirmed something for us all. Even nations with the best warning systems must contend with human behaviour. And that means how quickly and seriously people respond.
On the home front, we cannot afford complacency. It can hurt us! It can bite back!
Let’s never forget that we live on the front lines of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a seismically active region where the threat of tsunamis is ever-present. So yesterday’s earthquake off Russia’s east coast may have felt distant, but the ocean connects us all.
Remember, the swells and currents it stirs don’t recognise borders. They effectively cut through them at will.
Sirens have been strategically installed around Suva, Nasinu, and Lami, designed to alert us the moment danger looms.
The Seismology Division of the Mineral Resources Department continues its critical role, tracking seismic events and issuing warnings. But no system, however advanced, can be effective if we do not act. Now that is a critical factor here!
The call to stay out of the water, off beaches and reefs, and away from low-lying coastal areas is lifesaving advice. Too often, warnings are met with indifference or curiosity.
So, in saying that, let the painful lessons of 2004 and 2011 serve as our guidelines. Let them remind us that the sea, while beautiful, can turn unforgiving in an instant.
When the sirens sound, they are calls to act, to protect, to survive.
In a world where natural disasters can strike without warning, listening to those who monitor the Earth’s movements is important. Let’s be vigilant. Let’s be aware of what we must do when warnings come. Let’s reflect on the fact that for many people, in 2004 and 2011, there were no second chances!
