Agenda

UNESCO/IOC INTERNATIONAL TSUNAMI INFORMATION CENTER
VISITING EXPERTS PROGRAM, 2002

The ITIC Visiting Experts Program invites ICG/ITSU member states, and countries with tsunami warning interests, to participate in the 2002 Program to be held May 28, 2002 to June 11, 2002. The Program, under the direction of the Director, International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC), provides two participants with an overview of the history and operation of the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific. Specific focus is given to the important role of regional and national tsunami warning centers in monitoring and evaluating the tsunamigenic potential of earthquakes, and in issuing timely tsunami warning messages to government emergency officials who can then act to save lives and reduce damage to coastal communities. The Program provides training and familiarization with the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific, Regional Warning Systems, and Civil Defense procedures as carried out by the United States federal, state, and local governments.

This year, the Program will be held in conjunction with the Second International Tsunami Symposium to be held May 28-31, 2002, at the East West Center on the campus of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. Participants will attend the General Session on Historical Tsunamis, Tsunami Physics, Vulnerability, and Mega-Tsunamis, the US National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program session, and attend a field trip to observe tsunami deposits from the 1946 Aleutian, 1952 Kamchatka, and the 1960 Chile tsunamis. Additional meeting information can be found at http://www.sthjournal.org/stsp.htm, and a copy of the Program and Abstracts, and Field Trip description is included in the informational packet.

During the second week, participants scientists will engage in a series of morning informational presentations at ITIC followed by afternoon field trips to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, to Emergency Operations Centers, and to seismic or water level station field sites. On the last day of the Program, participants will be expected to make a brief presentation on the status of tsunami mitigation measures in their respective countries. A preliminary agenda is as follows:

Within one month after returning to their countries, Visiting Experts should submit a Trip Report describing the activities they participated in, what they learned, and how they will use their training to improve tsunami warnings and/or awareness in their countries.