Venezuela becomes 20th State to sign tsunami warning agreement with CTBTO

Venezuela has signed a tsunami warning agreement with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), enhancing its disaster preparedness and response capabilities.

The accord was formalised at CTBTO's headquarters in Vienna on 21 February 2024, in the presence of Executive Secretary Robert Floyd and Roberto Betancourt, Director of the Venezuelan Foundation for Seismological Research (FUNVISIS).

Under this agreement, FUNVISIS, as the designated body, will directly receive near real-time data from CTBTO’s International Monitoring System (IMS) facilities - including 160 seismic and hydroacoustic stations.

According to FUNVISIS, over 80 percent of Venezuela’s population resides in areas prone to seismic activity.

Praising Venezuela's decision, Floyd stated, "I am pleased that Venezuela has taken this important step to enhance its national risk management capabilities. We remain committed to collaborating with our States Signatories to build a safer world for present and future generations."

Venezuela is the 20^th country and the third Latin American and Caribbean State, following Chile and Honduras, to finalise a tsunami warning agreement with CTBTO.

The country, which ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 2002, also hosts two auxiliary seismic stations in Puerto la Cruz (AS118) and Santo Domingo (AS117).

In addition to the core mission of monitoring for potential nuclear tests, the data collected by the IMS offers a wide range of civil and scientific applications. For instance, it can be used to identify earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions and contribute to research on climate change.