(EMO) — What is a tsunami watch? What is a tsunami warning? Where are evacuation safe zones on the islands?
These are just a few of the questions the Emergency Management Office is clarifying to the public under recently drafted tsunami standard operation procedures.
“Tsunami awareness and preparedness in the Pacific has grown in importance as a result of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and other disasters,” said EMO Director Gregorio A. Deleon Guerrero. “As our community adjusts to a more proactive prevention response, the most important message the public needs to know is simple: a tsunami watch means to prepare, and a tsunami warning means to take action.”
A tsunami watch is an alert that a tsunami may have been formed following an earthquake. The geographical extent of the watch area is based on the size of the earthquake and tsunami travel times. Tsunami watches include estimated wave arrival times for key coastal locations in the watch area. The watch will either be upgraded to a warning in subsequent bulletins or cancelled, depending on the severity of the tsunami.
A tsunami warning indicates that a tsunami has been confirmed and a threat to life and property exists. Immediate action for evacuation in coastal areas is required. The initial warning is typically based solely on seismic information. If a tsunami warning is issued by EMO, police officers will be dispatched to villages to announce the evacuation and patrol neighborhoods during the evacuation. Tsunami warnings also include estimated wave arrival times for key coastal locations in the warned area.
Under its new SOP, EMO has also set numerous evacuation safe zones of 30 feet above sea level.
“When a tsunami warning is issued, these evacuation safe zones are a safe location for people in low-lying coastal areas to go,” said Deleon Guerrero. “If people are within these safe zones, they do not have to move to any higher elevation. This should help reduce some of the traffic congestion we’ve seen in the past.”
The evacuation safe zones set by EMO are As Matuis, Capital Hill, Navy Hill, As Falipe, China Town, As Terlaje Hill, As Lito, Fina Sisu, As Perdido, Koblerville, San Vicente, Kagman I and II, Sinapalo Village, Tinian International Airport, Marpo Heights, Carolinas Heights. Higher elevations along Chalan Pale Arnold, or Middle Road, are also evacuation safe zones, including areas higher than McDonald’s in Chalan Kanoa north to the Sugar King Park in China Town. Hotels that do not have adequate time to evacuate guests to a safe zone may evacuate to the 3rd floor or higher.
It may take several hours for a distant tsunami to reach the CNMI, although a local tsunami triggered by a nearby earthquake or landslide may hit within minutes without warning. The time between the waves varies between 5 and 90 minutes, with the first wave usually not the most significant.
A tsunami cancellation will be issued by EMO when the threat of tsunami to the CNMI has passed. After a tsunami cancellation, residents are safe to return to low-lying coastal areas.
Deleon Guerrero emphasized that while EMO works in cooperation with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, official tsunami information for the CNMI will be issued only by EMO.
“EMO is the only agency authorized to issue emergency tsunami notifications for the CNMI,” said Deleon Guerrero. “There is a risk associated with making response decisions based on information that does not reflect unique CNMI considerations. We strongly urge the public to follow official EMO notifications issued to the media and posted on our Web site.”
For more information on tsunami preparedness, visit the official EMO Web site at www.cnmiemo.gov.mp.