Indian Ocean Tsunami Mock Exercise (IOWave 25) to be Held Tomorrow
November 04, 2025The Indian Ocean Tsunami Mock Exercise (IOWave 25), scheduled to coincide with the "World Tsunami Awareness Day," will be conducted tomorrow (5 November).
The exercise will be conducted in coastal areas of the island under the coordination and supervision of the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), which operates under the Ministry of Defence, is set to take place on Wednesday morning.
This has been organized as a regional exercise coordinated by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC - UNESCO) through the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS).
Accordingly, this mock exercise is scheduled to begin at 08.30 am, tomorrow, centred around five (5) selected Grama Seva Niladhari divisions in the Batticaloa, Jaffna, Galle, and Kalutara districts.
Conducted under UNESCO's official guidelines, the exercise will see the participation of the Disaster Management Centre, Department of Meteorology, National Disaster Relief Services Centre, Ministries of Education and Health, local government institutions, district and divisional secretariats, tri-forces and Police, as well as institutions including schools, hotels, and residents.
The Disaster Management Centre informs the public that this is only a special mock exercise, and therefore, there is no cause for concern.
The exercise aims to simulate a tsunami scenario caused by a forecasted earthquake. The objectives include providing preliminary training on how relevant public and private institutions should act, examining and strengthening the National Tsunami Early Warning System, validating Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and enhancing awareness among the civil community and relevant first responders.
Furthermore, it is announced that if an actual tsunami were to occur during the exercise period, the simulation will be immediately suspended. In such an event, the Disaster Management Centre and the Department of Meteorology will issue official tsunami warnings in accordance with established standard procedures, and the public will be promptly directed to safe locations as per those warnings.