NTHMP - CC Meeting San Diego, CA February 8-9, 2012 Tsunami Modules by Comet Erv Petty Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Multiple Tsunami Modules

October 2010

Tsunami Warning Systems Description Describes the processes involved in anticipating, detecting, and warning for a tsunamis A simulated event and past tsunami occurrences are used to highlight warning system processes for determining the tsunami threat based on seismic and sea level data and tsunami forecast models. Message communication and local response are addressed as final components of any warning system. Intended for Weather Forecast Office staff and EM’s. Benefits anyone wanting to learn more about the components of tsunami warning systems.

Objectives  Explain the significance of each component of a Tsunami Warning System, as well as the importance of the interconnections of the components within the entire system.  Describe the complexity and the challenges of issuing tsunami alerts, including the short timeframes and limited warning window, the potential wide extent of damage, and the high degree of variability depending on earthquake location and source parameters.

October 2010

Tsunamis Description  Introduces the science of tsunamis: their causes, initiation process, properties, propagation, inundation, and long-term effects.  Through new animations, historical images, video, and interactive exercises, learners discover the ways tsunamis interact with and affect the world.  The module is intended for Weather Forecast Office staff — particularly NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologists  Will also benefit anyone wanting to learn more about how tsunamis work, including emergency managers, broadcasters, college and high school students, and the general public.

Objectives  Describe the major triggers of tsunamis and how they generate waves.  List the major types of tectonic plate boundaries. State which are most likely to generate tsunamis and explain why.  Identify the earthquake and bathymetric properties most likely to contribute to large tsunamis and use them to predict how big a hypothetical tsunami will be.  Describe the major properties of tsunami waves and how they differ from or are similar to deep- and shallow-water wind waves  Describe how tsunamis propagate, and understand the factors that affect their direction and speed.  Describe the various ways tsunamis can manifest themselves near or at shore, and how these effects are influenced by coastal features or source characteristics  Understand the potential long-term effects of tsunamis.

August 2011

Tsunami Strike! Pacific Edition Description  A scenario-based learning experience for kids from middle school through high school.  Tells the story of four main characters at different locations in the Pacific basin who are each impacted by a major tsunami that originates in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.  Learners view the unfolding events and also observe how warning scientists analyze and communicate the tsunami threat.  Fourteen short lessons provide interactive instruction focused on the science, safety, and history of tsunamis.

Objectives (partial list) Students will:  Understand the basic physics of water waves  Describe the effects of bathymetric features on wave angle and speed.  Describe the types of seismic and other events that can generate tsunamis.  Have a basic knowledge of the earth's major plates and their locations, and understand why some faults zones are more likely generate tsunamis.  Recognize the natural signs of an impending tsunami at a coast.  Describe how tsunami warnings are disseminated by national and local agencies.  Determine the best tsunami evacuation locations.  Increase their knowledge of many geographic locations by connecting them to historic tsunamis.

Tsunami Strike! Caribbean Edition NOAA / The COMET Program February 2012

Tsunami Strike! Caribbean Edition Description Tsunami Strike! Caribbean Edition offers an interactive learning experience in which learners take on the role of a journalist writing an article for a news magazine. Sixteen multimedia lessons on tsunami science, safety, and history are interwoven within the learning scenario as resources for the article. The material is aimed at middle school and high school but will be useful to a broader audience wishing to learn more about tsunamis in general, and in particular about tsunami risks in the Caribbean.

December 2011

Community Tsunami Preparedness (2 nd Edition)  1 st Edition completed in summer 2011 funded through MES  2 nd Edition completed in Dec 2011 added Atlantic Ocean and GOM

Community Tsunami Preparedness 2 nd Edition Designed to help emergency managers prepare their communities for tsunamis. Lessons include  Basic tsunami science  Hazards produced by tsunamis  The tsunami warning system  The importance of public education activities  How to craft good emergency messages  Develop tsunami response plans  The module also contains links to extensive Reference and Resources

Community Tsunami Preparedness 2 nd Edition OBJECTIVES:  Explain the causes of tsunamis, how the wave propagates through the ocean, and why wave height increases as it approaches the coast  Describe the factors that influence coastal inundation  Discuss the hazards associated with tsunamis  Assess community risk  Identify the appropriate action to take for each type of forecast product  Describe the components of an effective tsunami response plan that encompasses hazard mitigation strategies and disaster management tactics