Tsunami Preparedness Week: Because It Has Happened Here

 

Credit Tsunami.gov

 

# 8400

 

Thursday of this week marks the 50th anniversary of the biggest earthquake ever recorded in America’s history – the 1964 `Good Friday’ Alaskan quake, which registered a 9.2 magnitude.  The resultant tsunami not only affected the Alaskan coastline, but that of Western Canada and the West Coast of the United States.

 

Tsunami effects were felt as far away as Hawaii and (to a far lesser extent) Japan.  The following 4 minute video from the USGS illustrates the power and effect of this great quake.

 

While great quakes and Tsunamis don’t happen often, they are a very real hazard, and so each year we observe Tsunami Preparedness Week. 

 

 

While primarily thought of as a West Coast, or Pacific Ocean hazard, Tsunamis have also swept across the Atlantic and Caribbean basin as well, something we looked at in depth a couple of months ago in The Caribbean’s Hidden Tsunami Potential.

 

Last year the USGS released a report detailing the likely West Coast impact of a tsunami generated by a 9.1 Alaskan earthquake – and the numbers are sobering.  

This from the USGS news release  Experts Team Up on Tsunami Resilience in California:

In this scenario approximately 750,000 people would need to be evacuated, with 90,000 of those being tourists and visitors. Additionally, one-third of the boats in California's marinas could be damaged or completely sunk, resulting in $700 million in losses. It was concluded that neither of California's nuclear power plants would likely be damaged by this particular event.

The study (link) also estimates damage to marinas, businesses and homes range between $3.5 billion and $6 billion, and as many as 8,500 could be left homeless.

 

An even greater threat lurks along the Cascadia Fault line, which runs parallel to the Pacific Northwest Coastline and has a long history of a producing major earthquakes and tsunamis, the last one in the year 1700.

The geological record indicates massive quakes have struck the region at least 7 times over the past 3500 years. Given enough time, another is sure to strike again.  We looked at the threats posed by this particular fault line back in 2011 in Just A Matter Of Time.

 

You can access current Tsunami warnings and arrival times at the  Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

As far as what to do before a tsunami threatens, READY.GOV has a Tsunami Awareness Page with helpful hints.

 

Before a Tsunami

The following are things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your property from the effects of a tsunami:

• To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.
  • Talk to everyone in your household about what to do if a tsunami occurs. Create and practice an evacuation plan for your family. Familiarity may save your life. Be able to follow your escape route at night and during inclement weather. You should be able to reach your safe location on foot within 15 minutes. Practicing your plan makes the appropriate response more of a reaction, requiring less thinking during an actual emergency.
  • If the school evacuation plan requires you to pick your children up from school or from another location. Be aware telephone lines during a tsunami watch or warning may be overloaded and routes to and from schools may be jammed.
  • Knowing your community's warning systems and disaster plans, including evacuation routes.
• Know the height of your street above sea level and the distance of your street from the coast or other high-risk waters. Evacuation orders may be based on these numbers.
• If you are a tourist, familiarize yourself with local tsunami evacuation protocols. You may be able to safely evacuate to the third floor and higher in reinforced concrete hotel structures.
• If an earthquake occurs and you are in a coastal area, turn on your radio to learn if there is a tsunami warning.

 

While it may seem unlikely that a tsunami will affect you or your region - this is just one of many potential hazards that may threaten you and your community - and they all require similar preparedness steps.

Knowing your local threats, whether they be tsunamis, forest fires, floods, earthquakes or hurricanes  . . . and then becoming prepared to deal with them, will provide you and your family the best safety insurance available.

 

For more information I would encourage you to visit:

 

FEMA http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm

READY.GOV http://www.ready.gov/

AMERICAN RED CROSS http://www.redcross.org/

 

A few of my (many) blogs on disaster preparedness include:

In An Emergency, Who Has Your Back?

When 72 Hours Isn’t Enough

When Evacuation Is The Better Part Of Valor

Hurricane Preparedness Week: Taking Action

 

# 6362

 

 

Today is day 7 of National Hurricane Preparedness Week, and day 2 of the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane season.  Right now, there are no storms on the horizon, but that will undoubtedly change as we get deeper into the tropical season.

 

All week NOAA and the NHC have been promoting hurricane awareness and preparedness, and you can visit their site (and view their videos) by clicking the graphic below:

 

 

 

One of the toughest jobs for emergency planners is to get the public to prepare for a disaster while the sun is still shining.  Until a threat looms large, most people simply don’t bother.

 

But by that time, it may be too late.

 

Essential items often disappear from store shelves in advance of a storm, and frankly, it takes time and serious thought to decide what really is important, and what isn’t.

 

Today’s video features preparedness and safety tips for before, during, and after the storm.

 

 

 

And a reminder, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has two Twitter accounts, one for the Atlantic basin (which includes the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea):

U.S. National Hurricane Center (Atlantic) - @NHC_Atlantic

 

and one for the Eastern North Pacific basin:

U.S. National Hurricane Center (Eastern Pacific) - @NHC_Pacific

In addition to the Twitter notifications, NHC also provides product notifications by email. Please visit hurricanes.gov/signup.shtml to sign up for this service.

And if you aren’t already following

• FEMA
• CraigAtFEMA
• Ready.gov
• Red Cross

on twitter, you might want to add them to your list.

 

And finally, if you haven’t already downloaded the Tropical Cyclone Preparedness Guide, now would be an excellent time to do so.  It is a short (12-page), easy to follow guide that will walk you through the basics of understanding (and surviving) hurricanes and tropical storms.

 

How Not To Be Gone With The Wind

 

 

 

# 5571

 

Today is day three of Hurricane Preparedness week, with today’s emphasis on High winds associated with these tropical systems.  

 

 

While storm surge is the greatest concern to those living in low-lying coastal areas, hurricane force winds can extend a hundred miles or more inland during a landfalling hurricane.

 

Often hurricanes spin off tornadoes when they come ashore as well.

 

Today’s NOAA video addresses the dangers of tropical storm and hurricane force winds.

 

 

 

 

Hurricanes are measured by the Saffir-Simpson Scale, which bases their strength on sustained wind speeds.   Anything CAT 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane.

 

 

Even a CATEGORY 1 storm can spin up tornadoes, or produce wind gusts substantially stronger than their sustained wind speeds.  Older Mobile homes, RVs, and even some conventionally built structures may not withstand a CAT 1 storm.

 

And while great strides have been made over the past few decades in forecasting the path (out to about 48-72 hrs) of hurricanes, meteorologists are far less able to predict intensity changes of these storms.

 

Just before landfall in 2004, Hurricane Charlie unexpectedly changed direction and ramped up from a moderate CAT 2 to storm to a major CAT 4 in just three hours, leaving coastal residents no time for evacuations.

If you live in vulnerable areas, you need to be aware of your evacuation zone, many of which have been recently revised due to a better understanding of storm surge, flooding, and wind damage risks.

 

Since I live in a vulnerable area of Pasco County, and in a structure that might not withstand a hurricane, I’ll be evacuating to a safer location should a storm threaten.

 

Last March NOAA, FEMA, and the American Red Cross released an updated preparedness guide for the 2011 tropical season.

 

Although only 12 pages in length, this colorful PDF file packs a lot of clear, concise information on tropical storms and the threats they contain; winds, floods, surge tides, and tornadoes.

 

 

Three pages deal with preparedness issues, including supplies checklists and details on creating a family emergency plan.

 

 

Well worth downloading and reviewing today.

 

 

Other Hurricane related posts this week include:

 

Getting SLOSHed For Hurricane Season

National Hurricane Preparedness Week 2011

National Hurricane Preparedness Week 2011

 

 

# 5565

 

 

Today marks the kickoff of NOAA’s annual Hurricane Preparedness Week held this year between May 22nd and May 28th.

 

Today’s emphasis is on a basic overview of hurricanes, and a bit of Hurricane History. In the following video, NHC Director Bill Read discusses the hazards associated with hurricanes.

 

 

You can find a basic overview of hurricanes and tropical storms on NOAA’s Hurricane Basics Page.   A few excerpts:

 

Hurricane Fran 1996

Each year, an average of eleven tropical storms develop over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. Many of these remain over the ocean and never impact the U.S. coastline. Six of these storms become hurricanes each year. In an average 3-year period, roughly five hurricanes strike the US coastline, killing approximately 50 to 100 people anywhere from Texas to Maine. Of these, two are typically "major" or "intense" hurricanes (a category 3 or higher storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale).

 

What is a Hurricane?
A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone, which is a generic term for a low pressure system that generally forms in the tropics. The cyclone is accompanied by thunderstorms and, in the Northern Hemisphere, a counterclockwise circulation of winds near the earth's surface. Tropical cyclones are classified as follows:

• * Sustained winds
  A 1-minute average wind measured at about 33 ft (10 meters) above the surface.
• ** 1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour or 1.15 statute miles per hour. Abbreviated as "kt".

Tropical Depression
An organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds* of 38 mph (33 kt**) or less

 

Tropical Storm
An organized system of strong thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 39-73 mph (34-63 kt)

 

Hurricane
An intense tropical weather system of strong thunderstorms with a well-defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 74 mph (64 kt) or higher

 

 

Every year I give hurricane preparedness a prominent place in this blog because for more than 50 million Americans living in coastal areas (and millions more in other countries), hurricanes and their byproducts (flooding, tornadoes, lightning) are probably their greatest natural disaster threat.

 

From Escambia County Hurricane Preparedness Information

 

While South Florida and the northern Gulf coast are at highest risk of direct hurricane impact, even those areas not shaded in – even hundreds of miles inland – can still feel the effects of a hurricane.

 

Inland fresh water flooding is of particular concern as these tropical systems rain themselves out far from the coast.   Even if they no longer carry hurricane force winds, their destructive power remains.

 

Hurricane Agnes (1972), which I remember well as the first disaster I worked as a Red Cross volunteer, caused relatively little damage to Florida where it made landfall as a minimal CAT 1 storm.

 

Her impact was was to be far greater more than a 1000 miles inland, where she would generate devastating floods in the days that followed.  

 

Of the 122 deaths associated with this storm, only 9 occurred in Florida where Agnes made landfall. 

 

The rest - 113 deaths - were due to inland fresh water flooding, with New York and Pennsylvania suffering the highest loses.

 

NOAA describes the flooding damage this way:

 

Hurricane Agnes was the costliest natural disaster in the United States at that time. Damage was estimated at $3.1 billion and 117 deaths were reported. Hardest hit was Pennsylvania, with $2.1 billion in damages and 48 deaths, making Hurricane Agnes the worst natural disaster ever to hit the state. The damage over Pennsylvania was so extreme, the entire state was declared a disaster area by President Richard Nixon.

 

Odds are, no one sitting at home in New York state or Pennsylvania on the night of June 19th, 1972 gave much thought to a marginal little hurricane that was making landfall more than a thousand miles to their south.

 

But a week later Agnes would prove to be a  life altering event for millions of people far removed from where she came ashore.

 

Other storms with far-reaching impact include:

 

Hurricane Hazel, which had already devastated Haiti (400-1000 deaths) came ashore on the North-South Carolina border in August of 1954.  She claimed 95 lives in the United States and was responsible for as many as 100 deaths in Canada.

 

Hurricane Camille 1969

The CAT 5 monster Camille, which claimed 143 lives along the Gulf coast also killed 113 people in associated flooding in Virginia.

 

 

 

In 1995, Hurricane Opal (once again, a `Florida’ storm) produced 100 mph winds in Atlanta, Georgia and tornadoes in Maryland that killed at least 1 person.

 

And Audrey, the horrific `surprise’ gulf coast CAT 4 storm of 1957 -that claimed more than 550 lives -  killed at least 15 people in Canada.

 

While the closer you are to the coast, the greater your risk, being hundreds of miles inland is no guarantee that a hurricane’s effects won’t reach you.  

 

Which is why everyone, regardless of how far inland they live, needs to be preparing for this upcoming hurricane season.

 

Don’t delude yourself into believing it can’t happen to you.

 

Some essential hurricane resources to get you started include:

 

http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/index.shtm

http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/hurricanes.html

 

I’ll have a lot more hurricane specific information all week, and of course, you can access a long list of preparedness articles on this blog simply by clicking on the PREPAREDNESS quick search on my sidebar.