Outline

1. U. Washington Tsunami Certificate ProgramCourse 2:Tsunami Warning SystemsSession 11Tsunami Warning DisseminationJuly 29, 2007 9:30-10:15am Page 1

2. Outline • Warning Dissemination Routes • Primary Recipients • Warning Reception Methods • Testing Page 2

3. Tsunami Warning Dissemination • Desired characteristics • Reliable • Fast • Robust – Not many places to break down • Redundant • Easily Understood • Tested Regularly Page 3

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6. Tsunami Warning Dissemination • National Warning System Phone • Operated by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) • Audience: • State Emergency Management • Military • US Coast Guard • FEMA • Canada contacts dialed-in • Nationwide dedicated voice telephone circuit • Initially installed for nuclear attach warning dissemination • Mostly used for natural and man-made hazard warnings Page 6

7. Tsunami Warning Dissemination • NOAA Weather Wire System • Operated by the National Weather Service • Audience: • State/Province Emergency Management • US Coast Guard • Other subscribers (e.g., media) • Satellite-based communication system to transmit hazard information • WCATWC and PTWC have direct uplinks • Very reliable and fast system Page 7

8. Tsunami Warning Dissemination • NOAA-net • Operated by the NOAA • Audience: • NWS Forecast offices • NOAA Weather Radio • Emergency Alert System • NWS Telecommunications Gateway • EMWIN • Family of Services - media • GTS • Etc. • Private WAN connecting NWS offices • Gateway serves as NWS portal to public dissemination Page 8

9. Tsunami Warning Dissemination • Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network (AFTN) • Operated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) • Audience: • FAA Regional Center • Flight Service Stations • Direct International Communications • Some Weather Service Offices • Private WAN connecting FAA offices with other agencies • Important for connecting directly with international customers Page 9

10. Tsunami Warning Dissemination • VHF Radio • Operated by the Alaska Div. of Homeland Security and Emergency Mgmt. • Audience: • State Emergency Management • Local Police • Used in case of wide-spread communications outages • Most likely for a local event Page 10

11. Tsunami Warning Dissemination • Quake Data Dissemination System (QDDS) • Operated by the United States Geologic Survey • Audience: • State Emergency Management • County Emergency Management • Local Officials • Other with emergency response information needs • Also distributes some information to USGS public web sites • Ties tsunami warning information into standard USGS dissemination system • Earthquake information from TWCs goes to public sites • Full warning messages sent those with CISNDisplay software Page 11

12. Tsunami Warning Dissemination • Internet Methods • Web Site • Public • Email lists • Public lists (Tsunami Watcher) • Private Lists (Emergency Management only) • Cell Phone Text Messaging • Public lists (Tsunami Watcher) • Private Lists (Emergency Management only) • FAX lists • Emergency Management • RSS Feeds • Public • Improved CAP/XML products being developed Page 12

13. Tsunami Warning Dissemination • Phone • Phone lists are maintained • A short call-down list is notified after an event • Satellite Phone • Backup in case of communications outage Page 13

14. Primary Recipients • TWCs must define who are their primary recipients • WCATWC primary recipients • State/province emergency operations centers • Weather Forecast offices • Coast Guard • Military • Designated National Contacts • Primary recipients are responsible for forwarding to other agencies • Primary recipient contact information must be actively maintained • Communications with primary contacts must be regularly tested Page 14

15. Primary Recipients • Typical forwarding routes • TWC -> State EOC ->County Emergency Mgmt. -> Communities -> Public • TWC ->Weather Forecast Office -> Public (EAS or NOAA Weather Radio) • TWC -> Coast Guard -> Mariners via Radio • TWC -> NWS Gateway -> Media -> Public • TWC -> NWS Gateway -> Military -> Military bases • TWC -> Web Sites/RSS/email -> Public • Note that the public are at the end of several comm paths Page 15

16. Message Reception • Previous slides looked at how message is disseminated from the TWC • How does the average citizen receive the message? • Local Warning Dissemination techniques • Sirens • Loudspeakers • Police notifications • Radio/TV • Emergency Alert System • Auto dialing • NWS Weather Forecast Offices • NOAA Weather Radio • Emergency Alert System • Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN) Page 16

17. Message Reception • How does the average citizen receive the message? • U.S. Coast Guard • VHF/HF Radio • Media • TV/Radio • Direct from TWC • Web Site • Email • RSS • Cell phone text message • Critical Point – Evacuation Decisions are made at the state or local level in the U.S. • TWCs issue Guidance Page 17

18. Testing • Communication Tests • Daily • TWCs must check comm. Links several times a day to ensure operation • Test messages do not reach any customers • Monthly • TWCs check message reception by primary recipients • Use Warning Product headers • Clearly specify that message is test only • Request response from primary customers • Primary customers do not disseminate test further • Annual • Annual end-to-end test in which primary recipients broadcast test to their contacts • Tests system from TWC through public reception Page 18

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20. Tsunami Warning Dissemination - Summary • TWCs must employ multiple message dissemination routes for redundancy. • Internet-based message dissemination is becoming one of the primary method by which the public receives messages. • TWCs must identify primary recipients and stay current on their contact information. • Regular communication testing is necessary as tsunami warnings are infrequent events. Page 20