Florida, Tsunamis, and You

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Florida, Tsunamis, and You
soo-NAH-mee
The word tsunami is Japanese meaning harbor
wave
Daniel Noah Warning Coordination
Meteorologist National Weather Service Forecast
Office - Ruskin, FL
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What is a Tsunami?

• A series of long waves created by a disturbance
  that displaces a large amount of water.
• Primarily associated with earthquakes in oceanic
  or coastal regions.
• Landslides, volcanic eruptions, nuclear
  explosions, and even impacts from objects from
  outer space (such as meteorites, asteroids, and
  comets)

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Wind Waves vs. Tsunamis
Wind Generated Waves

• 5-20 seconds betweenwaves
• 300-600 ft wave length

Tsunami Waves

• 10 minutes to 2 hours between waves
• Wave length can begreater than 300 miles

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What Happens at the Coastline?

• May appear as a rapidly rising or falling tide, a
  series of breaking waves, or even a bore
• Strong currents and debris carried by wave add to
  destructive nature of this inundating flood

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Phuket, Thailand Tsunami
December 26, 2004
Photos by German Tourist Hellmut Issels
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Phuket, Thailand Tsunami
December 26, 2004
Photos by German Tourist Hellmut Issels
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Phuket, Thailand Tsunami
December 26, 2004
Photos by German Tourist Hellmut Issels
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Phuket, Thailand Tsunami
December 26, 2004
Photos by German Tourist Hellmut Issels
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Tsunami Safety
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Tsunami SafetyAll Hazards NOAA Weather Radio

• Warns of natural and man made hazards
• Alerts you even when youre sleeping
• New radios can be programmed just for your county

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Tsunami Safety RulesFor those on the beach

• If you feel the earth shake, move immediately to
  higher ground, DO NOT wait for a tsunami warning
  to be announced.
• Stay away from rivers and streams that lead to
  the ocean if there is a tsunami.

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Tsunami Safety RulesFor those on the water

• Do not return to port when a Tsunami Warning has
  been issued
• Tsunamis can cause dangerous currents in harbors
  and ports
• If you have time, move your vessel to deep water
• Contact the harbor authority to verify conditions
  are safe before returning

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Tsunami Safety RulesFor those on land

• Evacuate your house if you live in a hurricane
  storm surge zone
• Evacuate vertically if you do not have time to
  leave the surge zone, move to the highest floor
  or to the roof
• Follow the advice of local emergency management
  and law enforcement officials

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For More Information
http//tsunami.gov
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Causes of Tsunamis
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Causes of Tsunamis

• Usually by earthquakes
• Less commonly by landslides (into the water and
  completely below the water)
• Infrequently by volcanic eruptions or explosive
  decompression of underwater methane deposits
• Very rarely by a large meteorite impact in the
  ocean

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Earthquake Threat
Blue Mid-Ocean Ridges Red Subduction Zone
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Earthquakes

• Tsunamis are created when
• Seafloor quickly changes shape
• Water is displaced
• Waves are formed as the displaced water mass
  tries to move back

Anthony Liekens
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Tsunami Animation
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Tsunami Animation, 12/26/04Earthquake 9.0 on
Richter Scale near Sumatra
Over 160,000 fatalities
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Earthquake Volcano Threat
Active Volcanoes
Earthquakes
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Tsunami Risk by Region1848-1998
of Tsunamis 6 5 2 8
OLoughlin Lander
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Floridas Risk of Tsunamis
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Tsunami Risk in Florida

• Floridas Atlantic Coast
• Puerto Rico Trench
• Cumbre Vieja Volcano in Canary Islands
• 1755 Lisbon Earthquake
• Azores-Gibraltar fracture zone
• Floridas Gulf Coast and Keys
• Puerto Rico Trench (minor effect as
• wave wraps around islands)
• Large Meteorite into Gulf of Mexico

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Puerto Rico Trench
Michael Count
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Regional Plate Tectonics
Michael Count
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Slope Failure in the Trench
Michael Count
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Cause of 1918 Tsunami
Earthquake, 7.5 on Richter Scale
Michael Count
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Tsunami Propagation
0 min 2 min
6 min 9 min
Michael Count
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Run-up Values
Michael Count
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Tsunami Devastation

• Report of large withdrawal of water exposing
  unseen sediment before tsunami struck the shore
• Wave run-up of approximately 20 feet
• 116 Deaths
• Water traveled 100 meters inland in low lying
  areas, destroying villages and buildings

Michael Count
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Cumbre Vieja Volcano in Canary Islands
Worst case scenario Wave height in meters
Benfield Hazard Research Centre of the University
College London
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1755 Lisbon Earthquake
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Azores-Gibraltar Fracture Zone
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Lisbon Tsunami Travel Times

• Floridas Atlantic Coast
• 7-8 hour arrival time
• Estimated 7-10 foot
• Waves every 90 min

Dr. Charles Mader, http//www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsuna
mi1755Lisbon.html
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Tsunamis vs. Rogue Waves
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Tsunamis vs. Rogue Waves
Rogue waves are different the Tsunamis but the
end result is similar. Rogue Wave Characteristics

• Unpredictable nature
• Little is know about the formation
• May be caused by regularly-spaced ocean swells
  that are magnified by currents or the
• atmosphere

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Daytona Beach Rogue WaveJuly 3, 1992 at 1130 PM
EDT
1035 PM EDT
50 MPH wind gust at peakof storm
1135 PM EDT
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Daytona Beach Rogue WaveJuly 3, 1992

• 10 ft rise at the beach at 1130 PM EDT
• 75 minor injuries
• About 36 vehicles damaged
• Swamped shoreline for 30 miles, worst wasfive
  miles of shoreline near Daytona Beach

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Tampa to Naples Rogue WaveMarch 25, 1995
00 UTC
10 UTC
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Tampa to Naples Rogue WaveMarch 25, 1995

• Strong outgoing tide at the mouth of TampaBay
  before an 11 foot rise around 9 AM EST
• Tide was 1 to 4 feet above normal south of
  Tampa Bay to Naples (124 miles of shoreline)
• Carried stingrays and jellyfish on thebeach
  causing people to flee
• Wave broke about 1 mile offshore

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How Often Can We Expect Tsunamis Rogue Waves
One or two tsunamis each century along the east
coast of the U.S.

• Only one Atlantic-wide Tsunami documented
  
  (the 1755 Lisbon earthquake)

However, Eastern U.S. has had 40 tsunamis/rogue
waves in the last 400 years or an average of one
coastal flood event every 10 years
Lockridge, Whiteside, and Lander
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Tsunamis Detection Warning
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How Do We Detect Tsunamis
Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting on Tsunamis
DART Buoy
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DART Buoy
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Proposed DART Buoy Locations
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NWS Tsunami Warning Centers

• The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
  in Palmer, Alaska
• Alaska south to California
• U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast
• The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach,
  Hawaii
• Hawaii
• A national/international warning center for
  tsunamis that pose a Pacific-wide threat.
• Caribbean

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Tsunami Warning ProcessU.S. East Coast Gulf of
Mexico

• Interim Method
• The Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (ATWC) issues
  a Tsunami Warning if earthquake 7 on Richter
  Scale on/near a coast

• NWS office in Melbourne, FL receives warning via
  fax and phone call from the ATWC.

• NWS Melbourne disseminates warning to coastal
  NWS Offices via the dedicated Hurricane Hotline

• Affected coastal NWS Offices issue a Coastal
  Flood Warning that triggers
• All Hazards NOAA Weather Radios
• Emergency Alert System
• Statement transmitted over weather wire to
  emergency management officials and the media

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Tsunami Warning Statistics Tsunami Warning
Center in Palmer, AK

• Warnings are issued within 15 minutes of
  earthquake and are based solely on seismic data
• The average response time was 6.8 minutes in 2003
  
• Since 1981, 11 regional tsunami warnings have
  been issued by the WC/ATWC

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How can I find out if there is a tsunami warning
program in my county?
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StormReady TsunamiReadyA National Weather
Service Program to Protect Lives
http//www.stormready.noaa.gov
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What is StormReady?

• A NWS program for our communities to improve
  communication and hazardous weather preparedness
• Provides community leaders and emergency managers
  with guidance on how to improve warning and
  weather preparedness programs

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Why Do We Need StormReady?

• Nearly 90 of all Presidentially declared
  disasters are weather related
• On average there are 500 weather related deaths
  each year across America
• Severe weather causes near 14 Billion in
  property damage each year. Four hurricanes in
  2004 caused 42 Billion!

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What is TsunamiReady?

• A part of the NWS StormReady Program
• A collaborative effort between federal, state,
  and local emergency management, and the public
• A method to improve public safety during tsunami
  emergencies

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TsunamiReady Objectives

• Create minimum standard community guidelines for
  adequate tsunami readiness
• Encourage consistency in educational materials
  and response
• Recognize communities that have adopted
  TsunamiReady guidelines
• Increase public awareness and understanding of
  the tsunami hazard

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Thank You!
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