Tsunami Program

NOAA's Tsunami Program is part of an international cooperative effort to save lives and protect property. NOAA currently operates two Tsunami Warning Centers in the Pacific Ocean Basin: The Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (ATWC) in Palmer, Alaska and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. The ATWC serves as the regional TWC for the U.S. States of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California and British Columbia, Canada. The PTWC is regional TWC for tsunamis that pose a Pacific-wide threat and assumes the responsibility for the Pacific Tsunami Warning System (PTWS). The PTWS is comprised of 26 International Member States that are organized as the International Coordination Group for the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific Ocean.

As a result of the devastating Tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004 in South Asia, NOAA is responsible for the expansion of the U.S. Tsunami Warning Program. Started in mid-2005, the expansion will upgrade the current Pacific Ocean network of 6 DART Buoys to 39 in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the Caribbean Sea, establish an Atlantic Tsunami Warning Center, deploy second generation buoys, and expand the Tsunami Mitigation Program including outreach and education. Additionally, NOAA will have a role in establishing an International Tsunami Detection System and is actively involved in GEOSS.

For more information on this program, contact .