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UC student driven by tsunami tragedy
UC student driven by tsunami
tragedy
July 21,
2013
A University of Canterbury (UC) PhD
student is investigating the impact of tsunamis on Samoa and
other countries in the Pacific.
Shaun Williams was
just finishing his postgraduate degree at UC when his
homeland of Samoa was hit by the September 2009 tsunami
which claimed 189 lives.
The tragedy was a catalyst
for Williams to stay on at UC to study for a PhD looking at
tsunamis in Samoa. He hopes to establish long term
mitigation efforts for Samoa and the broader south west
Pacific to help minimise the impacts of
tsunamis.
``My PhD project is my way of
contributing to the long term recovery and ease any future
damage in Samoa,“ he says.
``About 85 percent of
tsunamis in the last 200 years or so have occurred in the
Pacific Ocean. The region is at the greatest risk in the
world. But there is a lot we don’t know about tsunamis and
the long-term risk they pose to coastal cities and
communities.
``The 2009 tsunami resulted in calls
to improve understanding of the medium to long term risks of
tsunamis in the islands, in order to further mitigate their
impacts.
``We have so far found that there is a
long-term risk particularly in light of increasing coastal
developments including tourism.
``I expect to
finish my PhD project by the end of the year with
applications to help not just Samoa but other Pacific
islands and New Zealand.
``My research, supervised
by Professor Tim Davies, is looking at marine deposits from
previous tsunamis so we can understand them better because
there is little other information available to us. We need
to learn from our past so that we can work towards a safer
future.
Williams says his studies point to the value of
educating young children about what to do following a
tsunami warning.
He also suggests putting in place
strong multi-purpose coastal infrastructure which could
serve as evacuation areas in times of need. Replanting
natural coastal forests such as mangroves which absorb wave
energy and minimise impacts to communities and capitalising
on mobile technology for use in early warning systems were
other
recommendations.
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