NOAA: United States Better Prepared for Tsunamis

Five years since the December 2004 Sumatra Indonesia Tsunami k illed 230,000, the United States has acclerated preparation for a potential tsunami along the U.S. coastline and built partnerships for an international warning program, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospherice Administration.

In December 2004, lack of an effective international warning system contributed to unprecedented loss of life when a tsunami devastated countless communities around the Indian Ocean and stunned the rest of the world, NOAA said. Yet tsunami experts, the key to surviving a destructive tsunami is people’s ability to receive warnings and willingness to act quickly to move inland or to higher ground.

“Our efforts cannot stop with researching, developing technology and issuing forecasts – successful early warning ultimately relies on communicating the threat clearly so a prepared population will be able to act responsibly,” said Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

Since 2004, NOAA has received more than $90 million to expand the nation’s tsunami detection and warning capabilities, and an additional $135 million for research, integrated observing systems, hazard mitigation through education and community preparedness, and for a global tsunami warning and education network and technology transfer program.

As a result of this investment, the nation and the world are better prepared for the next big tsunami, the administration said. Consider:

“NOAA has strong capabilities to detect tsunamis and issue warnings, but at the end of the day we need people to pay attention to these warnings and immediately move to high ground to save their own lives,” said Jenifer Rhoades, tsunami program manager at NOAA’s National Weather Service. “A violent or persistent ground shake is nature’s warning. Don’t wait to take action. This knowledge can save countless lives, as it did when the recent tsunami struck American and Independent Samoa.”

For more information, visit www.noaa.gov.

Source: NOAA