Tsunami Watch

More Than Just A Tidal Wave

Since the beginning of the common era, about 72 tsunamis have affected the coastal towns of Italy. Most of them have been of minor intensity but some very destructive.
However, not all of Italy is affected by tsunamis. Only towns in the southern part of Italy and those facing the Messina Strait are exposed to a tsunami risk. Like other coastal countries on active plate boundaries, it is a kind of overkill for an earthquake to occur, damage buildings, and then cause a tsunami to come in and flood the streets the people are standing in because their homes are too unstable. The most destructive of tsunamis to hit the area was in 1908 when a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck in the Messina Strait. The shaking lasted for about twenty seconds and created a tsunami with waves almost forty feet high killing an estimated 80,000 people. However, recent studies have concluded that the massive tsunami was actually caused by an underwater landslide and not from the earthquake.

Messina Earthquake of 1908

Preventive Action

Only after the 2004 tsunami in the Indian ocean has Italy taken part in any tsunami readiness or prevention program. The Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System for the Northeastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas was put into place with each of 39 countries installing a tsunami warning focal point for sharing information. Spain, Greece, and France also have their own tsunami watch providers to provide an early warning system. In 2012, a test of this system, organized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, occurred simulating four different tsunamis based on those that have happened throughout history. Since earthquakes cannot really be predicted,  the systems first analyze data to determine the probability of a tsunami with a given earthquake with a given magnitude, and with a given depth and proximity to the coast. Then they analyze real sea-level data along the coast. Initial tests of the system were conducted of April 2012, with much success. The secretary of the system stated that a warning system implemented on an international level means regular training and awareness would help people know what to do in case of emergency.

Tsunamis in Italy
Messina Earthquake and Tsunami of 1908
Tsunami Test System