Cantwell Announces Nearly $500,000 for New Tsunami Warning Sirens
Warning siren test follows roundtable discussion with emergency officials and local leaders on tsunami preparedness
OCEAN SHORES, WA – Sunday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) previewed a test of the Ocean Shores tsunami warning siren and announced $443,000 in federal funds she secured last year to help purchase 10 additional warning sirens for Washington state. Following the siren test, Cantwell joined local leaders, business community representatives, and emergency preparedness officials for a discussion on tsunami preparedness and the need for additional warning sirens in coastal communities.
“Ocean Shores is one of only three communities along Washington’s coast considered tsunami ready,” said Cantwell. “We need to replicate this model in other at-risk towns. The funding I secured will help install 10 additional sirens, taking an important step toward safeguarding the citizens that live and work along our coast. Early warning is vital if we’re going to keep Washington’s communities safe. We can’t afford delayed notification when seconds can save lives.”
Last November, the final version of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act included more than $6 million to strengthen the U.S. Tsunami Warning Network, including $1 million for re-engineering and design of tsunami detection buoys, $500,000 for next generation buoy research, and $443,000 requested by Cantwell for tsunami warning sirens in Washington state.
In Ocean Shores, Cantwell announced NOAA’s plans to transfer the $443,000 to the Washington State Emergency Management Division (EMD) next week to fund the purchase and installation of 10 additional All Hazards Alert and Broadcasting (AHAB) alarms. Representatives from EMD, NOAA, the Grays Harbor business community, and local government and law enforcement joined Cantwell for the announcement and to discuss tsunami preparedness. The funding secured by Cantwell will purchase two alarms for Long Beach, two for the Ocean Shores area, and one each for Ilwaco, Tokeland, Tahola, Clallam Bay, Port Angeles, and Point Hudson near Port Townsend.
“We had a wake up call in June when an earthquake off the coast of California triggered a tsunami warning from Mexico to Vancouver Island,” said Cantwell. “When warning sirens in La Push and Neah Bay failed to go off, we found out just how vulnerable we are.”
In mid June, low-lying areas in La Push, on the Quileute Indian Reservation, and Neah Bay, on the Makah Indian Reservation, evacuated when tsunami warnings went into effect. In La Push, local police manually activated tsunami warning sirens, and police, firefighters, and Fish and Wildlife officials oversaw the evacuation of over 600 residents to nearby bluffs. In Neah Bay, warning sirens, which cannot be triggered locally, did not go off, and police instead evacuated residents by going door to door. The events underscored the urgent need for a better tsunami warning system.
Tsunamis generated by powerful distant earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean or local quakes caused by an offshore fault called the Cascadia subduction zone are an ever-present threat to Washington state. The 680-mile long Cascadia subduction zone lies off the coasts of Washington and Oregon and is similar in size and geologic character to the fault responsible for the massive Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. The last major Cascadia event occurred 300 years ago and hit the Washington coast with an estimated 30-foot high ocean surge. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates a 10 to14 percent chance of another major Cascadia quake within the next 50 years. A Cascadia or Puget Sound generated tsunami would allow for less than 20 minutes warning, making tsunami education and efficient evacuation plans essential.
To further enhance tsunami preparedness nationwide, Cantwell has also joined Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) in introducing the Tsunami Preparedness Act, which would greatly improve the existing Pacific tsunami detection and warning system, as well as expand it to any area in the Atlantic and Caribbean identified by NOAA as at-risk for a tsunami. In addition, the bill requires the immediate repair of malfunctioning tsunami detection and warning buoys.
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