Sri Lanka Tourist Board Acts Swiftly on Tsunami Alert
New “Rapid Response” Safety Procedures Prove Highly Effective

Colombo, Tuesday, March 29: Tourists in Sri Lanka’s coastal districts were evacuated to safe locations within one hour of last night’s earthquake off the Indonesian coast, the result of “rapid reaction” safety procedures put into place by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) following the December 26 tsunami.

Senior government officials were first alerted to the possibility of a tsunami by the new 24-hour earthquake monitoring unit set up recently by the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB)

“Senior officials within our own SLTB network were informed of the situation within minutes of the earthquake at around 10.20pm, Sri Lanka time,” said SLTB Chairman, Mr Udaya Nanayakkara.

“Following new procedures, we then immediately called the major hospitality and leisure groups who in turn called their contacts. The alerts filtered right down the line until all tourists were taken to predetermined positions of safety as a routine precaution.

“There was no panic, or confusion. It all went very smoothly and most tourists were taken to safety by around 11pm, or just about one hour after the first warning was sounded, he added.

Mr Nanayakkarra stressed that there was absolutely no sign of any unusual waves or tidal activity, and no damage to any property at all along the country’s coastline. The safety procedures were undertaken purely as a precaution.

He said that he was pleased with the way the alert was handled.

“The time lapse between the earthquake and the possibility of a tsunami off our shores was estimated to be about three hours, so the procedures we have put into place have proved effective,” he said.

“This will go a long way towards building confidence among tourists and the travel trade that these situations can be handled effectively as they are in many other parts of the world.”