TsunamiReady Open ForumTsunamiReady Open Forum

Tyree Wilde

Warning Coordination Meteorologist

Portland, OR

NTHMP Coordination Committee MeetingPortland, OR – June 16, 2008

Jenifer RhoadesNOAA Tsunami Program CoordinatorSilver Springs, MD

Overview

• Overview of NTHMP Coordination Committee

• Background on TsunamiReady (TR) Program

• Strengthen the TR Program

• Update on topics from Tsunami Summits– San Diego, CA (2007)– Ocean Shores, WA (2008)

• Open Discussion on key issues

National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program

• Mission:Provide scientifically accurate assessments of tsunami hazard, mitigation the threat through public outreach, planning and education, and lend guidance to optimize the real-time warnings to communities on all U.S. Coastlines

• Membership:– NOAA, USGS, FEMA, NSF– 28 Coastal States, Territories and

Commonwealths

National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program

• Program Components:

• Inundation models– Improve inundation mapping– Assess vulnerable coastal/nearshore areas

• Promote and improve community outreach and education networks

• Integrate tsunami preparedness and mitigation programs

• Promote the adoption of tsunami warning and mitigation measures

National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program

• Three Sub-Committees– Warning Guidance– Mapping and Modeling– Mitigation and Preparedness

• Coordinating Committee- Serves as “Steering Committee” for NTHMP body

o Recommend how funds appropriated for the program will be allocated

o Provide recommendations to NWS how to improve TsunamiReady Program

– Chair; representatives from each Federal Agency & member states

– Meetings of the Coordination Committee concerning funding are open to committee members only

TsunamiReady Fund Distribution

• NOAA distributes funds to state members via Grants process– Apply via www.grants.gov

• Annual request for member proposals – Communities must submit request thru their state– States should include local initiatives in their requests

• Proposal submission

• Annual meeting to review past year performance and new proposals

– NTHMP Coordinating Committee presents recommendation to NOAA on how to distribute funds during each fiscal year

Tsunami Ready

TsunamiReady Background

• TsunamiReady Program established in 2001– Extrapolation of StormReady Program

• Established in 1999 in Oklahoma

• Program to help communities prepare for severe weather

• 57 TsunamiReady communities to date– Ocean Shores first TR community in

US• Followed by Long Beach, WA

– Cannon Beach first TR community in OR

Long Beach, WA

Cannon Beach, OR

TsunamiReady Background

• Main components

Multiple ways toReceive and Disseminate Warnings

Multiple ways toReceive and Disseminate Warnings

Monitor Weather and Water Conditions

Monitor Weather and Water Conditions

EducationAnd Outreach

EducationAnd Outreach

Tsunami And Hazardous Weather Plan

Tsunami And Hazardous Weather Plan

24 hour Warning Point Emergency Ops Center24 hour Warning Point Emergency Ops Center

• Sumatra event (December 2004)

• June 14, 2005 Tsunami Warning, West Coast of U.S.

• GAO Report on U.S. Tsunami Preparedness, June 2006

• Tsunami Warning and Education Act, Public Law 109-424, December 2006

TSUNAMIS: IS THE U.S. PREPARED?

HEARING BEFORE THECOMMITTEE ON SCIENCEHOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESSFIRST SESSION

JANUARY 26, 2005

Strengthening TsunamiReady Program

Strengthening TsunamiReady Program

• Sumatra event (December 2004)

– Led to expansion of NOAA’s Tsunami Program to the Atlantic and Caribbean

• Challenge: communities hurricane prepared; must also be prepared for a tsunami

– Need for state of the art tsunami inundation modeling• Inundation / evacuation maps are not available for much of

the U.S.

– Staffing at NOAA’s Tsunami Warning Centers to conduct 24/7 operations

Strengthening TsunamiReady Program

• June 15, 2005 Tsunami Warning for the West Coast of the U.S.

– Several things went well that evening • Message received and acted upon• Several communities successfully evacuated citizens

– Some things didn’t go well• Uncovered some weaknesses

– Communication failures– Mis-interpretation of messages (media, some

communities)– Everyone from the nation’s capitol to individuals living in

local beach communities (and all points between) learned something that evening

Strengthening TsunamiReady Program

• GAO Report on US Tsunami Preparedness: June, 2006

– It is too limited in scope—emphasizing warning infrastructure, but not requiring specific evacuation and mitigation plans

– More focus on education

– “…the name TsunamiReady promotes a false sense of perception of readiness, since preparedness is a continuous process.”

Strengthening TsunamiReady Program

• Tsunami Warning and Education Act, Public Law 109-424, December 2006

• NTHMP provides recommendations to the NWS on how to improve the TsunamiReady Program– Particularly on ways to make communities more

Tsunami Resilient through use of inundation maps and other mitigation practices

• You’re input is valuable to this committee!

Recap of Tsunami Summits

San Diego, CAOcean Shores, WA

TsunamiReady Summit – San Diego

• San Diego, CA (Aug, 2007)

– Evolve the TsunamiReady recognition guidelines• Promote tsunami resilience rather than minimal readiness• Identify and use local communities ‘best practices” for

community preparedness

– Enhance partnerships with other agencies (media, local, state, federal, tribal, non-profit, public, etc)

– Discussion of a point based system that rewards or provides incentive for communities to keep improving their preparedness activities beyond their initial recognition

Tsunami Summit – Ocean Shores

• Ocean Shores, WA (Apr 2008)

– Strong desire to adopt a name change for the program

• “The TsunamiReady name by nature leads to a false sense of preparedness…”

– Especially in the eyes of local community members

– It’s an on-going process that is never really complete

• TsunamiAware, TsunamiResilent were some ideas tossed around

Tsunami Summit – Ocean Shores

• Ocean Shores, WA (Apr 2008)

– Enhance guidelines• Currently centered around Preparedness

and Response• Program should be centered around

– Mitigation– Preparedness– Response– Recovery

– Strengthening process underway• Need to integrate mitigation, recovery

phases

Discussion Topics

• Name Change

• Expand / Enhance Recognition Guidelines

• Other issues of concern

Open Discussion Topics

• Name Change

– Detective work by NWS staffers revealed• Some costs involved (manpower and $$)• No legal constraints• Strategic concerns• No show stoppers

– Your input/feedback extremely valuable

– Ideas ??

Discussion Topics

• Enhance / Expand Recognition Guidelines– Mitigation– Preparedness– Response– Recovery

• Other ideas

Conclusion

Thank you!

Your input is valuable and will help steer the program for tomorrow