Tsunami warning center holds annual open house

PALMER — For those Alaskans around the age of 60 and older, March 27, 1964, is indelibly marked in their minds. At 5:37 p.m. on Good Friday, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake centered near Prince William Sound shook the earth for more than four-and-a-half minutes. When it stopped, the devastation from North America's most powerful quake on record wasn't done.

Tsunamis caused severe devastation to coastal Alaskan communities from Whittier to Seward and Kodiak. Wave heights reached up to 220 feet above tidal averages. In addition to the large tectonic tsunami, another 20 smaller ones were created affecting 20 countries as far away as Antarctica. Of the quake's 139 related deaths, 106 were attributed to the tsunami in Alaska and another five in Oregon and 13 in California. Near the event's epicenter, a reported 15 died from the quake itself.

With that, the Palmer-based National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) was created. The center hosted a March 25 open house where hundreds of visitors crowded around displays and equipment, soaking in what the knowledgeable staff at the center had to offer. The NTWC is responsible for providing tsunami warnings for all of North America. Although an earthquake simulator was supposed to be part of the day, no one seemed to mind when the simulator session was canceled, as most drank in information on how the center works, both independently and with other centers around the world.

The Palmer facility was one of three in Alaska, explained NTWC's Paul Huang. The others were in Sitka and Adak. However, following the 1964 quake, Huang explained the Palmer center was the only one not damaged. Although the centers are gone, Huang said equipment at both locations still feed information to Palmer that allows for quick triangulation of incoming data.

"In the 1990s, we took over the West Coast which included British Columbia, Oregon, Washington and California," Huang told the tour group gathered around him in a packed, computer-filled room. "After the Sumatra earthquake, we became the largest center in North America. We are one of two in the United States; the other is in Hawaii. It is responsible for Hawaii, Guam and Samoa."

The 2004 Indian Ocean quake and resulting tsunami killed more than 250,000 people. Tsunamis from that quake were reported between 50 and 100 feet. The Palmer center earned its national ranking the following year.

NTWC Director Paul Whitmore said that as the technology used in predicting quakes and tsunamis has gotten better, the number of tsunami centers worldwide has increased. Whitmore said he estimates there are between 15 and 20 centers worldwide, with each sharing one another’s data. Huang said technology improvements have allowed centers to cut down the time a warning is issued to an average of three minutes. He said it's required to issue a warning in five minutes or less.

But not all news coming out of the center is bad. Whitmore said staff also give out assurances when quakes are not expected to generate a large or dangerous tsunami. Originally designed for a half-dozen employees, it is now more than doubled with round-the-clock staffing.

The science involved in forecasting tsunamis consists of two-parts — the earthquake itself, and wave phase. Seismic instruments register the quake, its location, strength and depth. The second phase involves forecasters pulling up hypothetical models of what could occur. They then match real-time observations with gathered data.

Here in Alaska, Whitmore said the greatest danger to residents come from locally generated tsunamis. Given its location on the Pacific "Rim of Fire," a global area prone to major quakes and the fact it has thousands of miles of coastline, he said timely tsunami information is imperative to its residents.

A 1958 quake in Glacier Bay National Park, resulted in a tsunami run-up height of 1,720 feet, the largest ever recorded. It killed five residents in Lituya Bay.

Contact reporter Chris Ford at 352-2270 or chris.ford@frontiersman.com