Florida, Tsunamis, and You

1. 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

2. 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) What is a Tsunami?

3. 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

4. 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 What Happens at the Coastline?

5. Phuket, Thailand Tsunami December 26, 2004 Photos by German Tourist Hellmut Issels

6. Phuket, Thailand Tsunami December 26, 2004 Photos by German Tourist Hellmut Issels

7. Phuket, Thailand Tsunami December 26, 2004 Photos by German Tourist Hellmut Issels

8. Phuket, Thailand Tsunami December 26, 2004 Photos by German Tourist Hellmut Issels

9. Tsunami Safety

10. Warns of natural and man made hazards Alerts you even when you’re sleeping New radios can be programmed just for your county Tsunami SafetyAll Hazards NOAA Weather Radio

11. 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. Tsunami Safety RulesFor those on the beach

12. 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

13. 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

14. For More Information http://tsunami.gov

15. Causes of Tsunamis

16. 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

17. Earthquake Threat Blue = Mid-Ocean Ridges Red = Subduction Zone

18. 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

19. Tsunami Animation

20. Tsunami Animation, 12/26/04Earthquake 9.0 on Richter Scale near Sumatra Over 160,000 fatalities

21. Earthquake & Volcano Threat Earthquakes Active Volcanoes

22. Tsunami Risk by Region1848-1998 # of Tsunamis 6 5 2 8 O’Loughlin & Lander

23. Florida’s Risk of Tsunamis

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

25. Puerto Rico Trench Michael Count

26. Regional Plate Tectonics Michael Count

27. Slope Failure in the Trench Michael Count

28. Cause of 1918 Tsunami Earthquake, 7.5 on Richter Scale Michael Count

29. Tsunami Propagation 0 min 2 min 6 min 9 min Michael Count

30. Run-up Values Michael Count

31. 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

32. Cumbre Vieja Volcano in Canary Islands Worst case scenario Wave height in meters Benfield Hazard Research Centre of the University College London

33. 1755 Lisbon Earthquake

34. Azores-Gibraltar Fracture Zone

35. Lisbon Tsunami Travel Times • Florida’s Atlantic Coast • 7-8 hour arrival time • Estimated 7-10 foot • Waves every 90 min Dr. Charles Mader, http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami1755Lisbon.html

36. Tsunamis vs. Rogue Waves

37. 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

38. Daytona Beach Rogue WaveJuly 3, 1992 at 11:30 PM EDT 10:35 PM EDT 50 MPH wind gust at peakof storm 11:35 PM EDT

39. Daytona Beach Rogue WaveJuly 3, 1992 • 10 ft rise at the beach at 11:30 PM EDT • 75 minor injuries • About 36 vehicles damaged • Swamped shoreline for 30 miles, worst wasfive miles of shoreline near Daytona Beach

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

41. 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

42. 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

43. Tsunamis Detection & Warning

44. How Do We Detect Tsunamis Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting on Tsunamis DART Buoy

45. DART Buoy

46. Proposed DART Buoy Locations

47. 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 NWS Tsunami Warning Centers

48. 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

49. 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 Tsunami Warning StatisticsTsunami Warning Center in Palmer, AK

50. How can I find out if there is a tsunami warning program in my county?