Within the framework of the Project for Building Resilience and Sustainable Societies in the Face of Disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean, KIZUNA II, the Diploma in Tsunamis, organized by the Institute of Geography of the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso (PUCV) with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Chilean Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AGCID) and the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response (SENAPRED), was launched.
The program, the only one of its kind in the region, aims to strengthen the capacities of Latin American and Caribbean professionals in the comprehensive understanding of tsunamis, their threat and vulnerability, thus promoting the development of more efficient warning and emergency response systems in the participating countries.
Durante la ceremonia inaugural, realizada en formato digital, participaron los estudiantes y docentes del programa, junto a autoridades e invitados especiales, entre ellos el Director General de Asuntos Internacionales de la PUCV, profesor Orlando de la Vega Luna; la Jefa del Departamento de Cooperación Sur-Sur y Desarrollo Nacional de AGCID, Sra. Paula Krautz Vargas; the Resident Representative in Chile of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr. Hiroyuki Takeda; the Director of the Institute of Geography of the PUCV, Mr. Hermann Manríquez; and the Professional of the SENAPRED Academy, Mr. Luis Ciocca.
In their first class, the participants delved into the scientific bases of tsunamis and their generation, with special attention to the advances achieved in Chile, a country internationally recognized for its experience in risk management in the face of large seismic events and tsunamis that have occurred in recent decades.
The diploma course, which will last two weeks, contemplates a multidisciplinary approach, addressing aspects of threat, vulnerability and operational training in early warning systems, with emphasis on the operation and strengthening of Chile's National Tsunami Warning System (SNAM).
