|
|
|
GLOBAL TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS
|
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC),
National Weather Service (NWS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA),
U.S. Department of Commerce
|
West Coast & Alaska
Tsunami Warning Center
West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WCATWC),
National Weather Service (NWS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA),
U.S. Department of Commerce
|
|
|
|
|
TSUNAMI INFORMATION SITES
|
|
ITIC - International Tsunami Information Centre
International Coordination Group for the
Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific (ICG/ITSU),
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
(IOC),
United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
United Nations (UN)
with the National Weather Service (NWS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA),
U.S. Department of Commerce
|
Jakarta Tsunami Information Centre (JTIC)
UNESCO Office, Jakarta,
Regional Science Bureau for Asia & Pacific,
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
(IOC),
United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
United Nations (UN) with the
Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA),
Government of Canada
|
|
GLOBAL TSUNAMI WARNING -
Assessments & Actions
|
|
TSUNAMI LESSONS (blog)
Doug Carlson
|
An Assessment of the B.C. Tsunami Warning System and
Related Risk Reduction Practices
Peter S. Anderson & Gordon A. Gow,
Research Reports, Archive,
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Canada (PSEPC),
Government of Canada
|
Communications Plan for the Tsunami Warning System
in the Pacific - 2005 Draft Edition
International Coordination Group for the
Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific (ICG/ITSU),
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
(IOC) &
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
(PTWC) (Adobe PDF file)
|
Prepare for Tsunamis in coastal British Columbia
Provincial Emergency Program (PEP),
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor
General,
Government of British Columbia
|
INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHIC COMMISSION - Tsunami Information
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC),
United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
United Nations (UN)
|
USAID Launches Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning Program
Global Issues, Response to Tsunami, USINFO,
Bureau of International Information Programs
(IIP),
U.S. Department of State
|
|
|
A tsunami warning center is an entity established by a government
agency to warn citizenry of the approach of any potentially life-threatening
seismic sea wave, or
tsunami.
The effectiveness of a tsunami warning center is directly tied to the
resources at its disposal, including personnel, equipment, monitoring and
modeling capabilities; education, training and procedures in place to
respond to an event; effectiveness of communications conduits, both
internal (hierarchical and interagency) and external (government, military,
civil defense, educational and mass media); and the willingness of
individuals and communities likely to be impacted by a tsunami to devote
their own time and resources to education and preparation for such an event.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) is responsible
for providing tsunami warnings and tsunami alerts to most Pacific Rim
nations. Alaska and the U.S. West Coast are served by the West
Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center. The Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center serves as the operational center for the
Tsunami Warning System of the Pacific (TWS). The PTWC
collects and evaluates data provided by participating countries and issues
appropriate bulletins to participants and to other nations, states or
dependencies within or bordering the Pacific Ocean basin regarding the
occurrence of a major earthquake and possible or confirmed tsunami
generation.
The 2004 tsunami that devastated the coastlines of many Indian Ocean nations
and resulted in over a quarter million lives lost or presumed lost
dramatized the gross inadequacy of global tsunami warning procedures.
In point of fact, no tsunami warning procedures existed for the Indian
Ocean basin. Whether through simple government inaction, unwillingness to
allocate funding for an event having a perceived low probability of
occurrence within the foreseeable future, inability of governments to
coordinate their efforts (Where was the United Nations with regard
to the tsunami threat?), or merely ignorance of the problem, nothing had
been done.
Further exascerbating the severity of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was the
inability of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), whose
personnel were aware of the potential (with the recording of the 9.1+
Richter magnitude Sumatra-Andaman earthquake),
then the actuality (initial reports of the seismic sea wave), for a
cataclysmic event, to alert Indian Ocean nations to the danger their
citizens were facing. Debate rages over responsibility for this lack of
action.
While many place blame squarely upon the PTWC for the lack of warning,
I do not believe there was any orchestrated attempt at inaction, as some
have claimed. Rather, I prefer to think of this as one more example of
an emergency situation in which lack of foresight and the resultant failure
to properly train and formulate a plan of action created a “deer in
the headlights” response. While some actions were taken, what
was achieved in comparison to the magnitude of the unfolding disaster was
woefully inadequate.
Another factor that contributed appreciably to the high death toll, as
is true of all natural disasters, was the inability of individuals in
the danger zone to comprehend what was happening and take appropriate
action due to a lack of education. This tended to be more true with
regard to the tourists who had flocked to the numerous vacation spots
dotting the Indian Ocean Rim. Many of the residents of the region, who
might be considered by some Westerners to be less educated, had inherited
stories of big waves from their grandparents and warned tourists
to flee to higher ground. Like a cat drawn by curiosity toward a large
spider, children and others unaware of the imminent danger moved directly
into the path of the wave front as they sought to investigate a rapidly
receding shoreline and the fish that had been stranded by its retreat.
An Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) is now undergoing active
development and testing under the auspices of the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). While it is tragic
that this system is the result of a catastrophy unrivaled in recent
history (other than wars), it will go a long way toward preventing a
recurrence. Still to be addressed are other tsunami hazard zones such
as the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
References:
- The Tsunami Page of Dr. George P.C.,
The Potential for Tsunami Generation in the
Eastern Mediterranean Basin and in the Aegean and Ionian Seas in
Greece, Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis
- Pacific Tsunami Warning Center,
About The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center,
National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
- Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission,
Towards the Establishment of a Tsunami Warning and Mitigation
System for the Indian Ocean, United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations
- Wikipedia, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc.
Authored by Kenneth L. Anderson.
Original article published 14 February 2007.
See our Tsunami
(Tidal Wave) Hazard page for facts about tsunamis and
tsunami articles and websites.
The following information about Tsunami Bulletins has been provided
courtesy of the International Tsunami Information Centre (ITIC),
which is operated by the National Weather Service in association
with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO). This information is in the public domain and is not subject to
copyright protection but, if you reference it, please acknowledge its
source.
Tsunami Bulletins
Tsunami Warning / Watch / Advisory bulletins issued by the National
Weather Service’s tsunami warning centers are alphanumeric products
providing tsunami warning, watch and advisory information for potentially
damaging tsunamis. The centers’ operational objectives are to:
- locate and size major earthquakes in the Pacific basin;
- determine their tsunamigenic potential;
- predict tsunami wave arrival times and, when possible, run-up
on the coast;
- provide timely and effective tsunami information and warnings
to the population of the Pacific to reduce the hazards of tsunamis,
especially to human life.
Tsunami bulletins are prepared by each of two Tsunami Warning Centers. The
West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WCATWC), located in
Palmer, Alaska, issues tsunami bulletins to its Area of Responsibility
(AOR) — Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California.
It also has the primary responsibility for the detection, location, and
magnitude determination for potentially tsunamigenic earthquakes occurring
in its AOR. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), located at
Ewa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, has the responsibility for issuing tsunami
bulletins to its AOR — Hawaii, all other U.S. interests in the
Pacific, and most other countries within the Pacific and around its rim.
It has the primary responsibility for the detection, location, and
magnitude determination for potentially tsunamigenic earthquakes occurring
anywhere in the Pacific Basin outside the WCATWC AOR.
Pacific-Wide Tsunami Warning
A Pacific-wide Tsunami Warning bulletin is issued by the PTWC after
confirmation has been received that a tsunami has been generated in the
Pacific that has caused damage, or has the potential to cause damage, at
distances greater than 1,000 kilometers from the epicenter, thus posing a
widespread threat to any populated coastal area within the Pacific Basin.
Subsequent bulletins are issued at least hourly or as conditions warrant
to reiterate the threat and to provide sea level gauge readings and other
reports of tsunami wave activity. When significant wave activity has
subsided, a warning cancellation is issued.
Regional Tsunami Warning
A Regional Tsunami Warning bulletin is a tsunami warning issued initially to
coastal areas near the earthquake epicenter. It is usually based only on
seismic information without tsunami confirmation, and is initially issued
as a means of providing the earliest possible alert of a potentially
destructive tsunami to the population near the epicentral area of a
potentially tsunamigenic earthquake. Areas in a Regional Tsunami Warning
are generally less than three hours from the estimated tsunami arrival
time. A list of estimated arrival times for warning areas is provided in
the bulletin. This condition implies that all coastal areas in the region
should be prepared for imminent flooding. Subsequent bulletins are issued
at least hourly or as conditions warrant to continue the warning, to expand
or restrict the warning area, or to end the warning. A Regional Tsunami
Watch and Advisory may also be issued in the same bulletin.
Urgent Local Tsunami Warning
An Urgent Local Tsunami Warning is a tsunami warning issued by the PTWC
to Hawaii for tsunamis generated in Hawaiian coastal waters. It may be
based only on seismic information without tsunami confirmation, or on a
combination of seismic and sea level data, and is issued as a means of
providing the earliest possible alert of a potentially destructive local
tsunami. Areas in an Urgent Local Tsunami Warning may have only minutes
or seconds before tsunami waves arrive, so urgent action is required to
save lives. Subsequent bulletins are issued as conditions warrant to
continue the warning, to expand or restrict the warning area, or to end
the warning.
Final Warning Supplement
A Final Warning Supplement bulletin is issued following a damaging or
potentially damaging tsunami within a center’s AOR that may pose a
continuing threat. A Final Warning Supplement bulletin provides guidance
to local officials on when they can consider the threat to have passed
based on their local tsunami conditions. The cancellation or all clear
decision must be made locally.
Warning Cancellation
A Warning Cancellation is issued as the final bulletin indicating when there
is no longer the threat of a damaging tsunami to a center’s AOR. A
Warning Cancellation is usually issued after an evaluation of sea level
data confirms that a destructive tsunami will not impact the AOR. It may
also be issued following a destructive tsunami when data indicate that the
threat has largely subsided to non-destructive levels. In that case, it
provides guidance to local officials regarding when they can consider the
threat to have passed based on their local tsunami conditions. The all
clear decision must be made locally.
Regional Tsunami Watch
A Regional Tsunami Watch is a tsunami watch issued in conjunction with a
Regional Tsunami Warning to coastal areas near the earthquake epicenter,
but outside the warning area. It is usually based only on seismic
information without tsunami confirmation, and is issued as a means of
providing the earliest possible alert of a potentially destructive tsunami.
Areas in a Regional Tsunami Watch are generally less than six hours from
the estimated tsunami arrival time, and a list of estimated arrival times
for watch areas is provided in the bulletin. Subsequent bulletins are
issued at least hourly or as conditions warrant to continue the warning
and watch, to expand or restrict the warning and watch areas, to upgrade
the watch to a warning, or to end the warning and watch. A Regional
Tsunami Warning and advisory may also be issued in the same bulletin. The
bulletin, usually based only on seismic information without tsunami
confirmation, is issued as a means of alerting the population within one to
three hours travel time beyond the tsunami warning area of an earthquake
with the potential to have generated a tsunami that may affect that area.
Subsequent bulletins are issued at least hourly or as conditions warrant
to expand the watch area, upgrade it to a warning, or end the watch and
warning. A Regional Tsunami Watch may be included in the text of the
message that disseminates a Regional Tsunami Warning.
Tsunami Advisory Bulletin
A Tsunami Advisory bulletin is issued to areas not currently in either warning
or watch status when a tsunami warning has been issued for another region
of the Pacific. A Tsunami Advisory indicates that an area is either outside
the current warning and watch regions or that the tsunami poses no danger
to that area. The center(s) issuing the Tsunami Advisory will continue to
monitor the event, issuing updates at least hourly. As conditions warrant,
the Tsunami Advisory will either be continued, upgraded to a watch or
warning, or ended.
Tsunami Information Bulletin
A Tsunami Information Bulletin (TIB) is issued for informational purposes for
events that will not cause a destructive tsunami but were large enough in
size to have been detected by the tsunami warning center’s seismic
monitoring networks. Some of these earthquakes may have been large enough,
however, to cause earthquake-related damage.
Follow links to the right to learn more about tsunami warning centers, how they function,
and how tsunami warnings are generated.
At the left margin, Related Links address topics of interest
pertaining to geologic hazards and other security issues. View the
Security & Consumer Protection SiteMap
for a complete list of security and consumer protection topics.
|
|
Don’t be silent! Help us out. If you like our site, let
others know about us. Tell your friends. Post to
blogs and forums. Webmasters — link to us. And ...
if you think we can improve, let us know how. Contact
us with your suggestions. We’re always eager
to hear from our visitors.
|
|
