Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) Program
United States of America
In response to the December 2004 Tsunami disaster, the United States is implementing a two-year $16.6
million program to support development of an Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) for
tsunamis and related coastal hazards. This program will provide technical assistance to the region
through an integrated, “end-to-end” approach—addressing all stages of early warning from initial hazard
detection and warning to community-level response to warning messages. The U.S. program directly
supports ongoing international efforts to develop a regional system under the auspices of the
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations.
 U.S. Experience. The U.S. brings formidable leadership in building and operating early warning systems
and in associated disaster preparedness and response. In addition to private sector and other partners,
the program will involve a number of key U.S. agencies, including: the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS), U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the
State Department. USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDM/A) will serve as the program
lead and provide overall management and coordination.
Program Approach. The U.S. program will deliver assistance at regional, national, and local levels that
addresses hazard detection, prediction, warning, communication, mitigation, and preparedness. Major
program areas include:
- Technical support to the IOC—IOC national assessments and institutional support;
- Regional hazard detection, prediction, and warning formulation—design and development of
observation and communications systems, tsunami warning center capacity building, warning
formulation standards and protocols, and data-sharing strategies;
- National dissemination and communication of warnings—support for national disaster
management organizations, planning, policy and regulations, communications and notification
systems, and hazard mapping and modeling;
- Local knowledge and preparedness to act—support for a TsunamiResilient Communities
program and coastal hazards mitigation; and
- Regional and sub-regional exchange of best practices and lessons learned—training,
educational exchanges, and knowledge-sharing information systems.
U.S. technical assistance will primarily support Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and the Maldives.
At the regional level, the U.S. will also work to share and replicate best practices with other countries, and
support international efforts to design and develop Indian Ocean detection and communications systems
that are consistent with global standards and systems. Regional cooperation, transparency, and
harmonization will be underlying themes in the U.S. program.
The U.S. will work in cooperation with the international community, the private sector, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), and regional technical and academic institutions to leverage additional resources
and catalyze impact in the region. For example, the U.S. will coordinate international and private sector
efforts to identify and deploy earthquake and tsunami detection technologies, while dedicating program
resources towards ensuring national government capabilities to operate and maintain equipment over the
long-term. Similarly, the U.S. will implement the TsunamiResilient Communities initiative in coordination
with ongoing NGO efforts to improve local preparedness and emergency response in the region.
Contact. For more information, please contact Mr. Timothy T. Beans Regional Mission Director, USAID
Regional Development Mission/Asia tel. +66-2-263-7479.
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