7-18 August 2023

The International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC) conducted its annual ITIC Training Program in Hawaii (ITP-Hawaii) from 7 to 18 August 2023 on Tsunami Early Warning Systems and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) Enhanced Products, Tsunami Evacuation Planning and the UNESCO IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme.  Thirty-six participants representing tsunami warning centers and emergency response agencies from 26 Pacific and Caribbean countries, including 19 persons from Pacific and 5 from Caribbean Small Island Developing States, attended. 

ITP-Hawaii uses Hawaii as a working example of an end-to-end tsunami warning and mitigation system demonstrating close stakeholder coordination and partnership for operational warnings and in preparedness activities. Towards these ends, resource persons were from the PTWC and ITIC, University of Hawaii Ocean and Resource Engineering, and Structural Engineering Depts, Honolulu Dept. of Emergency Management (DEM), and the University of Hawaii Sea Level Center (UHSLC).  The UHSLC maintains stations in a number of the ITP-Hawaii 2023 countries.  Additionally, the Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Center (IOTIC) joined the ITP-Hawaii for the second week to lead discussions on the UNESCO IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme and Building Awareness.  This was the first in-person, post-COVD training in Honolulu since 2019, and was held at the NOAA Inouye Regional Center (IRC), where the PTWC and ITIC offices are located.  

The class visited the PTWC Operations Room to learn about the tools PTWC watchstanders using during events to analyse earthquakes, monitor sea leves and tsunamis, calculate tsunami forecasts, and issue tsunami threat messages.  Tsunami Warning Decision Support Tools, including the CISN earthquake monitor, Tide Tool sea level monitor, Tsunami Travel Time (TTT) calculator, and the Tsunami Coastal Assessment Tool (TsuCAT), were installed onto their computers and training on their use provided.  To learn about tsunami response, vertical evacuation and the siren system, and preparedness, the class visited the Emergency Operations Center of the Honolulu DEM, which is responsible for the safety of the 1 million citizens that make up the population of the City and County of Honolulu.  

Hands-on group activities in evacuation mapping using both ‘paper and markers’ and ‘computer QGIS’ methods, followed by the creation of awareness raising products, for situational scenarios around their hotel (Ala Moana Hotel) generated lively discussions.  Ardito Kodijat of the IOTIC led participants in playing the Tsunami Ready Board Game that was created by the IOTIC to help communities learn about the UNESCO IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme, and participants were given the game to take home to help them in their Tsunami Ready implementations.

The final activity was a live, tsunami exercise in which tsunami warning centres and disaster management offices in Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga responded to a M8.8 Tonga Trench earthquake (scenario from 2018 IOC Expert meeting on tsunami sources, hazards, risk and uncertainties associated with the Tonga-Kermadec Subduction Zone (UNESCO, 2020, WR-289)).  The modified functional exercise had the TWC and DMO of each country physically separated (different floors in the IRC), with injects provided by the Controller and PTWC, TWC / DMO products simulated by sending emails to Country Communication Focal Points (CCFP, noting communication method) and/or through Whats App voice phone calls to the CCFP.   PTWC Messages and customized situational injects were generated using TsuCAT.  ITIC and PTWC staff role-played as high-level official, media, schools/hotels/harbors, and the public.

During the training, participants gave a 15-minute presentation on their country’s tsunami warning and mitigation system, including their tsunami SOPs and plans for implementing Tsunami Ready or other similar initiatives.

ITP-Hawaii 2023 was supported by funds from the United States Partnership for Resilient Infrastructure Investment in Pacific Island Countries and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Project to build Tsunami Resilient Communities, with travel arranged by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

On 11 August 2023, the Group learned from University of Hawaii scientists about the Geology of Hawaiian Volcanoes, visiting post-erosional volcanoes in southeast Oahu.  The Nu'uana Pali is thought to be the headwall of a massive tsunami generated by the catastrophic collapse of the Ko'olau Volcano.

ITP-Hawaii is primarily of interest to members of the ICG/PTWS and ICG/CARIBE-EWS as the ITIC serves as the Regional Tsunami Information Centre for the Pacific and supports the Caribbean Tsunami Information Centre, and the PTWC serves as the Tsunami Service Provider for the PTWS and CARIBE-EWS. Participants from other regional tsunami warning systems are also welcome. Participants were expected to provide their own travel funding, and organizations are kindly asked to confirm that funding is available to cover their participants to this course. The training was conducted in English.

Informational Documents