Tsunami Warning Systems Failed (WA State)

[icymist]

Tsunami Warning Systems Failed

POSTED: 1:36 pm PDT June 15, 2005
UPDATED: 4:08 pm PDT June 15, 2005

SEATTLE -- One of the major ways of alerting Washington coastal residents to a tsunami -- the NOAA weather and hazard alert radio -- failed during the West Coast warning on Tuesday night.

The meteorologist in charge of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office in Seattle said the warning didn't get out because a phone line was out between the office and the Coast Guard.

<snip>

In LaPush, Police Chief Bill Lyon said when the warning siren failed to go off automatically, he activated it by hand. He said officers and firefighters evacuated more than 600 residents to higher ground.

Neah Bay Police Chief T.J. Green said a recently installed tsunami siren did not go off.

(More)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/4613643/detail.html

[slackmaster]

1. I was out for dinner and missed the alerts altogether

When I got home, there was an email from my mom saying the tsunami watch (which I hadn't heard about) had been cancelled.

[gordontron]

2. aye

I'm in seattle and the only mention of it I ever saw was a joke in the DU lounge...kinda worrysome

[UpInArms]

3. Welcome to DU gordontron!

:hi:

[oneold1-4u]

8. Welcome to DU and maybe to the west ?

I lived inland in OR for many years and hardly understood what quakes were, but Crater Lake was nearby and that was a learning experience of it's own. If it is of interest to you, check out the ring of fire! Seattle is right in the middle of a great deal of activity. Now I have known one strong quake in Klamath Falls and that was really a first in my lifetime.

[gordontron]

15. thanks for the welcomes, I'm unplugging for the rest of summer so cya

but I'm not new to the west. My great grand father came out here at around the turn of the century :) so I've been here for a while.
yeah they keep saying we are due for either another big earthquake or eruption. My house is earthquake retrofitted and on a hill so I'm pretty safe I just wonder about those communities right next to Mnt Rainer, it seems kinda crazy as a lahar (spelling I know) could wipe out the towns in minutes.

[icymist]

9. Welcome to the DU Gordontron.

Glad to meet another Seattlite! :hi:

[The empressof all]

17. It's highly unlikely that a Tsunami would hit Seattle

The WA coast is the high danger area. Seattle residents do not need to worry about Tsunami's they are protected by the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island. We just need to worry about the earthquakes and volcanos.

[icymist]

19. Not so. U of W put on a demonstration a few months back...

and the simulator showed ten foot waves in Puget Sound. Most of Pioneer Square, Sodo area, and Harbor Island got it big time. The simulated quake was a nine, one hundred miles off the Washington coast with the simulated wave traveling down the strait. It could happen.

[The empressof all]

20. Of course it's possible to have some significant flooding downtown

However, the scenario you described does not alarm me terribly. (I need to keep my list of worries about natural disasters to a manageable size :)--I'm really good at catatrophizing) We have enough easily accessible high places and I believe the force of any wave action would be significantly muted by land buffers. I am more alarmed by potential earthquake damage downtown not only with buildings in Pioneer Square but with the Viaduct.

The WA coast however could be a virtual death trap in the event of Tsunami. There are so many isolated and limited road access areas there, that it could be difficult to get out in the event an earthquake also does damage to some of the infrastructure prior to wave action.

[jwirr]

4. Did the earthquake happen like it was

forecast?

[uppityperson]

6. You mean @ 2:50 AM Wed June 15?

Yup, right on time. Too bad the tsunami warning was last night. You made me laugh.

(I hope you are talking about the first geo web notice last night where it gave the time as 2:50 AM Wednesday, otherwise my response makes no sense)

[jwirr]

11. That is the one! I guess our forecaster are getting psychic?

[icymist]

5. I work in a nursing home north of Seattle...

When I got to work last night at 10:30 p.m. I found that not one nurse knew that the emergency system had been activated that evening. Scary! Some of the patients knew more about what was going on!

[oneold1-4u]

7. No one really believes

It will happen "here" but the warnings have been made. (Coos Bay OR)The tsunami sirens were sounded and the boat basin cleared and closed. The best reminder is the fact that after Alaskan quake 64, the only tsunami to ever cause death and major destruction in the cont. US, hit Crescent City CA after the all clear!

[merwin]

10. What do they expect? They haven't used the damn thing in like 30 years.

[icymist]

12. Those sirens on the coast are new.

Out at Ocean Shores they've been drilling with them for the last year. Yesterday, when an actual warning was issued, they didn't work.

[AtLiberty]

13. I'm sure privatized weather and warning systems...

...promoted by Rick Santorum would be much more reliable.

[fortyfeetunder]

14. If the tsunami does show up later

I love y'all DU'ers!

:loveya:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

16. Misunderestimator's cable service switched the channel to

the emergency broadcast channel here in OC

[The_Casual_Observer]

18. What did they expect, an warning system to actually work?

I suppose they didn't pay some god damn contractor enough money to actually do the job right, like every else anymore.