Gap Assessment of Warning and Dissemination Process of Early Warning System in Coastal Areas of Sri Lanka

Multi Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) issue warnings to help communities safely evacuate from hazardous areas. Studies showed that the response of coastal communities to warnings issued by the existing MHEW system in Asian countries including Sri Lanka is insufficient. In this study, the current context and gaps of MHEW system related to the “warning and dissemination” process in the coastal regions of Sri Lanka were identified using a proper research methodology. Survey was carried out through oral questionnaires in selected coastal areas of Sri Lanka. By interpreting the output of the interviews, along with a deep literature review, the current context and gaps of the MHEW systems related to warning and dissemination in coastal areas of Sri Lanka were listed out. From the identified problems, key areas which need special attention of the Disaster Management Centre, were highlighted. Among them, introducing a better Nation-wide Emergency Communication system using more advanced technologies to directly disseminate warnings to vulnerable communities instantly, automating possible components of the warning dissemination process, increasing the number of early warning towers, increasing the human resource in the disaster management centre and establishing a specialized media department at the DMC to coordinate with the media were prominent. In addition, the necessity of improving response capability was highlighted.