Tsunamis: Nature's Force of Destruction

1. Tsunamis Mother Nature’s Weapon of Mass Destruction Pacific Disaster Center 590 Lipoa Parkway, Suite 259 Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 96753http://www.pdc.org

2. Agenda • Tsunami Overview • Tsunami Risk in the Pacific • Tsunamis that have Affected Hawaii • Tsunami Alert and Notification System • Mitigation to reduce the Tsunami Threat • Open Discussion

3. What is a Tsunami ? Pacific Disaster Center 590 Lipoa Parkway, Suite 259 Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 96753http://www.pdc.org - Contact@pdc.org 1-808-891-7939 - 1-808-891-0526 (Fax)

5. What is a Tsunami? Tsunami (soo-NAH-mee) is a series of waves of extremely long wave length and long period, generated in a body of water by an impulsive disturbance that displaces the water. Tsunami is a Japanese word represented by two characters: "tsu" and "nami". The character "tsu" means harbor, while the character "nami" means wave.

6. What Causes a Tsunami? • Earthquakes Landslides Meteorites Earthquakes generate tsunamis when the sea floor abruptly deforms and displaces the overlying water from its equilibrium position. Waves are formed when the displaced water mass, acting under the influence of gravity, attempts to regain its equilibrium. Note: In the open ocean typically tsunamis travel at the speed of a jet plane.

7. Tsunami Risk in the Pacific Historical Tsunami Events Historical Tsunami Events

8. Tsunami Risk in the Asia and Pacific Regions Since the 1900s, there has been over 800 recorded tsunamis of which 136 were destructive, resulting in over 300,000 deaths

9. Tsunami Risk in the Asia and Pacific Regions Losses resulting from as Asia and Pacific-Wide Tsunamis: Years Location Deaths • 1923 TOKAIDO, JAPAN 2,144 • 1933 SANRIKU, JAPAN* 3,000 • 1946 NANKAIDO, JAPAN 1,997 • S. CENTRAL CHILE 1,260 • MORO GULF, PHILIPPINES 8,000 • 1992 FLORES REGION, INDONESIA 1,000 • 1998 PAPUA NEW GUINEA 2,182 • 2004 INDIAN OCEAN* 265,000

10. Tsunamis that have Affected Hawaii In Hawaii, Tsunamis have killed more people than all the disaster combined. Hawaii has experienced destructive Tsunamis in: Years Deaths Damage ($) 1946 159 26,000,000 1952 0 1,000,000 1957 0 5,000,000 1960 61 23,000,000 1975 2 4,100,000

11. Tsunamis that have Affected Hawaii

12. Tsunamis that have Affected Hawaii

13. Tsunamis that have Affected Hawaii

14. Tsunamis that have Affected Hawaii

15. Tsunamis that have Affected Hawaii

16. Tsunamis that have Affected Hawaii

17. What the PDC is doing to make of Difference

18. What the PDC is doing to make of Difference • Develop a Tsunami Automated Notifications to improve early warning. • Use numerical modeling to create inundation and evacuation maps. • Develop products for decision and policy makes showing the socioeconomic impacts of tsunami inundation.

19. What the PDC is doing to make of Difference • Important components of effective warning system • Response plan – defines roles and responsibilities • Communication system methods • Public education about te tsunamis hazard (tsunami awareness week) • Tsunami Evacuation Maps

20. What the PDC is doing to make of Difference • PTWC - provides tsunami warnings to public officials in tsunami-prone areas, Hawaii, and U.S.-affiliated Pacific Island Territories • Civil Defense Agencies - provides tsunami warnings to the public, activating tsunami alert systems, manages the evacuation, and operations the shelters

21. What the PDC is doing to make of Difference • Automated Digital Network (AUTODIN) is to disseminate tsunami bulletins to U.S. Department of Defense. • Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network(AFTN) is a worldwide system of circuits for exchanging messages or digital data. • National Meteorological Center (NMC) is used to send Tsunami Bulletins into the (WMO) Global Telecommunications System. • NOAA Weather Wire(NWW) is a satellite broadcast service maintained by the NWS to disseminate weather products domestically.

22. What the PDC is doing to make of Difference • Hawaii State Civil Defense (HCD) is a telecommunications network that connects Weather Service Offices, State and County Civil Defense offices. • TELEX – is for remote stations or dissemination agencies that do not have access. • Internet – A group email list (emergency managers and media) is maintained. • National Warning System(NAWAS) is a nationwide dedicated voice telephone system. • Hawaii Warning System (HAWAS) is a statewide dedicated voice telephone system.

23. What the PDC is doing to make of Difference

24. What the PDC is doing to make of Difference TWS presently has 26 member states: • Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, • the Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Democratic People’s • Republic of Korea, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, • France, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, • New Zealand, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, • Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, • Thailand, the Russian Federation and the U.S.

25. System Output:Automatic Notification Pacific Disaster Center PDC Private Website Emergency Management Operations System (EMOPS) Output Input Automated Tsunami Alert System Output MobileTelecommunications Switching Office Automated Notification – Pager, Cell Phones & Email Pacific Disaster Center Proprietary and Confidential

26. Automated ProcessesReaching Emergency Officials Message Processor Automated Process Emergency Officials PDC Text Messaging to Pagers and Cell Phones Automated Paging Automated Email PDC Subscribers Receive Tsunami Bulletin 20 Latest Messages Posted to PDC Website Extracts Data From Tsunami Bulletin Tsunami Travel Time Model Posted to PDC Website

27. Overview, 1 System Output: 20 Latest Messages Messages Automatically Posted to PDC Private Website: Emergency Management Operations System (EMOPS) Pacific Disaster Center Proprietary and Confidential

28. Tsunami Alert Model Tsunami Bulletin PDC Tsunami Alert Model Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Bulletin Time of Arrival – Displayed by Time Time of Arrival – Displayed by Name Pacific Disaster Center Proprietary and Confidential

29. Tsunami Travel Time Tsunami Travel Time Map Earthquake Epicenter Hawaiian Islands Pacific Disaster Center Proprietary and Confidential

30. Risk & Vulnerability Assessment The PDC has been working closely with regional organizations in applying models, analysis tools, and GIS to develop products for assessing and visualizing the impacts of tsunami inundation. Courtesy of Vasily Titov

31. Pacific Disaster Center Meets with Fiji Cabinet Showing a simulation depicting the tsunami inundation in modern day Suva, Fiji based on the 1953 Tsunamigenic earthquake

32. Tsunami Simulation Suva Harbor Area Onshore View

33. Tsunami Simulation Suva Harbor Area Onshore View

34. Tsunami Simulation Suva Harbor Area Offshore View Tsunami SimulationSuva Harbor Area Offshore View

35. Tsunami Simulation Suva Harbor Area Side View

36. Risk & Vulnerability Assessment • Moving from a reactive to a proactive approach to emergency management • Improved capability to predict levels of damage, and the economical and social impacts of different disaster types Tsunami Inundation Exposure of Critical Facilities

37. Risk & Vulnerability Assessment PDC has used the Method of Splitting Tsunami Mofjeld (MOST) model was used to simulate tsunami evolution and to estimate the maximum inundation based upon a hypothetical earthquake event. The model has been applied to inundation studies in Vanuatu and Fiji. The Model also accounts for inner wave interaction and directionality.