Andalusia is one of the areas of the Spanish coast especially vulnerable to the risk of tsunamis, according to the General Directorate of Civil Protection and Emergencies of the Ministry of the Interior, which has published a technical guide with the signalling system to be used by the Public Administrations in the Andalusian community to warn the population about the safe evacuation routes in case of tsunamis. The need to establish a common signalling system is one of the first initiatives adopted for the implementation of the State Tsunami Plan approved in 2021.
The Signalling Plan developed for the National Civil Protection System follows the model contained in the UNE-EN ISO 7010:2020 standard, the most widely used internationally, with the aim that citizens of any country can easily identify evacuation routes and safe areas.
This technical guide for informing the population, which has the favourable report of the National Civil Protection Council, establishes a uniform signage for the entire national territory.
Its implementation will be carried out by the competent Administration in each territory and must appear in the official languages of each Community, in addition to recommending the use of an English version or any other language majority among the resident population.
In addition, the Signalling Plan establishes a series of criteria that must be taken into account by the Public Administrations for its implementation as its most suitable location, optimal visibility and good accessibility.
THE RISK OF TSUNAMIS IN SPAIN
The entire Spanish coastline is exposed to the risk of tidal waves, but especially vulnerable are, in addition to Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Galicia, the Balearic Islands, the Region of Murcia, Ceuta and Melilla. These Autonomous Communities and Cities add up to a total of 6,846 km of coastline, 86.49% of the 7,905 km total.
Spain has had a State Tsunami Plan since May 2021 and the development of this common signalling system is one of the first initiatives adopted for its implementation. Planning for this risk is complemented by the Plans approved by the Autonomous Communities and the City Councils.
ALERT SYSTEMS
The State Plan for Civil Protection against the Risk of Tsunamis, which is integrated into the General State Plan for Civil Protection Emergencies (PLEGEM), creates an anticipation and early warning system that allows warning of the imminence of this type of emergencies both to civil protection authorities and public emergency services and to citizens so that they can implement self-protection protocols, with special attention to the most vulnerable people.
The National Tsunami Warning System (SINAM) is a unique and coordinated system capable of early detection of the generation of tsunamis that may affect the Spanish coasts and transmitting, in the shortest possible time, information to the competent civil protection bodies of the territorial areas potentially affected.
SINAM draws on information collected by the National Seismic Network; the REDMAR network of State Ports; the detection systems of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, as well as other marine detection systems of the various public administrations and other international centers.
In addition, the system of alerts to mobile devices, ES-Alert, can also be used at present, through which the State Emergency Centers and the Autonomous Communities can send alert messages in serious situations directly to the mobile phones that are in the previously identified areas.