Alicante to participate in international tsunami drill on Tuesday

The drill will consist of a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in the Mediterranean followed by a tsunami

Officers from the Policía Local in Alicante, along with firemen and members of the Civil Protection department, will participate on Tuesday in an international tsunami early warning and communications drill, organized by UNESCO and coordinated by the Security and Emergency Response Agency in Valencia (AVSRE).

The drill will consist of a simulation of an earthquake between the Italian peninsula and Sicily with a magnitude of 7.9, followed by a tsunami.

The objective of this exercise, which is being carried out in Alicante for the first time, is to test the effectiveness of the devices and systems that receive warnings transmitted from the Emergency Coordination Centre in the Comunidad Valenciana. In addition, communication systems from International Alert Centres will also be tested, along with the procedures to alert and evacuate residents in the coastal area.

The Alicante provincial council decided to participate in this exercise on the basis that although tsunamis along the Mediterranean coast aren’t common and are generally considered unlikely, in theory they can still happen!