Samos Achieves UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition

Key officials, partners and stakeholders gathered on 19 June 2024, to celebrate the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition of Samos. This marks a significant achievement and is testament to the town's proactive measures under the CoastWAVE Project, funded by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and implemented by UNESCO-IOC. The Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme (TRRP) is a comprehensive tool designed to enhance the resilience of coastal communities against tsunamis and other sea-level-related hazards.

The successful implementation of the Tsunami Ready Programme in Samos has been made possible through collaboration with the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), a partnership coordinated by Marinos Charampalakis, Nikos Kalligeris, Eleni Daskalaki and others. In his speech, Nikos Kalligerishighlighted that "The Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme is a living organism that is constantly fuelled with new actions, both for optimizing the programme's indicators and for maintaining and renewing UNESCO's recognition."

In a gesture underscoring the spirit of cooperation integral to the Tsunami Ready Programme, the Tsunami Ready plate was presented to both the current Mayor of the municipality of Eastern Samos, Mr. Paraskevas Papageorgiou, and his predecessor, Mr. Georgios Stantzos. Mr. Papageorgiou remarked, "Today is an important day for fortifying the city of Samos against the threat of a tsunami and its devastating consequences." He emphasized the significance of this recognition in protecting Samos' residents, including vulnerable groups.

The Samos (Greece)-Izmir region (Türkiye) tsunami on 30 October 2020, serves as a stark reminder that the Mediterranean is prone to such events, highlighting the critical need for preparedness and education to mitigate their impact.

The Tsunami Resilience Section at UNESCO-IOC in Paris HQ welcomed the addition of another TRR community in the NEAM region and expressed their gratitudetothe partners from the National Observatory of Athens and the municipality of Samos for their dedicated support.

Samos follows Alexandria, Egypt, Cannes, France and Büyükçekmece, Türkiye, who have all achieved Tsunami Ready recognition this year.