Tsunami Ready in Italy: towards the UNESCO recognition

<p>It is well known that an efficient end-to-end tsunami warning system must not only be fast and robust in delivering alert messages to the authorities, but also ensure that these messages reach the residents and the tourists, and that they are aware of the risk and of the right behavior in case of an alert. One of the most effective tools to reach this goal is through the Tsunami Ready programme, promoted by UNESCO IOC since 2015, and a key contribution to achieving the societal outcome &#8216;A Safe Ocean&#8217; of the Ocean Decade. The NEAMTWS ICG has solicited Member States efforts towards Tsunami Ready since 2020.</p> <p>Italy has started to join the Tsunami Ready initiative in 2020. The main steps undertaken in these two years include:</p> <p>1) The identification of three pilot&#160;municipalities that decided enthusiastically to join the programme: Minturno (Lazio), Palmi (Calabria), Marzamemi/Pachino (Sicily)&#160;(September 2020)</p> <p>2) The formal deliberations of the three Local Tsunami Ready Committees ((between December 2020 and April 2021)</p> <p>3) The establishment of the Italian National Tsunami Ready Board - NTRB (May 4, 2021) and the acknowledgment by IOC Executive Secretary (May 18, 2021).</p> <p>Since then, several achievements have been reached in all three municipalities, including updating the civil protection plans, improving the local alerting systems, organizing outreach and educational activities in schools and with citizens, also during the World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD). At the same time, some criticalities have emerged, due to financial and bureaucratic reasons, that have delayed a full accomplishment until now.</p> <p>In this contribution, we report on the state of the art in the three municipalities, and discuss the achievements and the criticalities of the programme. We envisage that the first one or two formal candidatures will be advanced later this year to the NTRB.</p> <p>Finally, we will discuss a proposal to extend the results of this pilot project to all the coastal municipalities in Italy, also based on the analysis of the liability aspects of such recognition in the Italian legal system.</p>