Tsunami: triggers expanded warning system

Boat/US Magazine, March, 2005 by Dick Thompson

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The distinct possibility of an East Coast tsunami and gaps in the Pacific warning system has generated a plan by the Bush Administration to expand the DART detection and warning capabilities. "President Bush is committed to ensuring the safety and protection of U.S. lives and property through a system of monitoring that will mitigate the effects of natural disasters, including earthquakes and tsunamis," said the President's science advisor John H. Marburger III in mid-January.

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The plan commits a total of $37.5 million over the next two years to deploy 32 DART buoys that will be fully operational by mid-2007, providing the U.S. with an expanded detection capability throughout the entire Pacific and new coverage for the Atlantic and Caribbean basin, providing tsunami warning for nations bordering half the world's oceans. In addition, the United States will improve its seismic monitoring capability to be able to deliver worldwide warnings to all nations at risk.

U.S. Readiness?

Is your community ready for the next tsunami? According to NOAA, only a handful of communities have a plan. However, if your community doesn't have a plan there are steps that you can take.

"If you're onshore and feel a strong quake, don't wait for a warning. Get a mile inland or 100 feet above sea level. If you're out on a boat, get away from the coast and in as deep water as possible," said Paul Whitmore from Palmer Alaska's Tsunami Warning Center.

Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. that has a tsunami plan for boaters. The state has developed an emergency preparedness manual for hurricanes or other severe storms and it includes a section on the tsunami threat to the marine community (see below).

RELATED ARTICLE: HAWAII'S TSUNAMI EVACUATION PLAN

The state of Hawaii urges boaters to develop a Tsunami Evacuation Plan with some of the following recommendations, depending upon one's situation. Hawaii is unique in many ways and this advice is not necessarily applicable to boaters in other parts of the United States.

* If your boat is on a trailer in an evacuation zone, move it outside the evacuation zone as soon as a Tsunami Warning is declared.

* If your boat is in the water and cannot be trailered, move it offshore to waters over 200 fathoms (1,200 feet) deep as soon as a Tsunami Warning is declared. Tsunami can cause rapid changes in water level and unpredictable and dangerous currents in harbors and entrance channels, in addition to destruction from waves.

* If a Tsunami Evacuation Plan includes moving a boat offshore, plan to have enough fuel, food and water, and anything else you consider essential for at least 24 hours.

* If you decide to move your boat offshore, you must be at least two miles away from the channel entrance buoy prior to the expected arrival time of the tsunami. Otherwise, do not attempt to move your boat offshore or you may be caught in the tsunami or the dangerous currents associated with it.

* If you have enough time to move your boat offshore, consider having someone drive you to the harbor. Vehicles left parked near shore may sustain damage.