P A C I F I C D I S A S T E R C E N T E R

Celebrating Earth Day 2004Kihei High School

People affect the EarthThe Earth affects people

Jim Buikawww.pdc.org

P A C I F I C D I S A S T E R C E N T E R

590 Lipoa Parkway, Suite 259

Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 96753http://www.pdc.org - Contact@pdc.org

1-808-891-7939 - 1-808-891-0526 (Fax)

Pacific Disaster Center

What is a Tsunami ?

Tsunami Awareness Monthwww.pdc.org

P A C I F I C D I S A S T E R C E N T E R

What is a Tsunami?

Tsunami (soo-NAH-mee) is a series of waves of extremely long wave length and long period, generated in a body of water by an impulsive disturbance that displaces the water.

Tsunami is a Japanese word represented by two characters: "tsu" and "nami". The character "tsu" means harbor, while the character "nami" means wave.

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What Causes a Tsunami?

Earthquakes Landslides Meteorites

Earthquakes generate tsunamis when the sea floor abruptly deforms and displaces the overlying water from its equilibrium position. Waves are formed when the displaced water mass, acting under the influence of gravity,

attempts to regain its equilibrium.

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Historical Tsunami Events

Historical Tsunami Events

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Simulation Modeling

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Tsunami Travel Timeto Hawaii & Japan

Travel Time: 5 Hours to Hawaiian Islands

3-to-5 Hours to Japan

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Historical Hawaii EventsHawaii Tsunami Events

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Detailed Hawaii Events

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1946

The tsunami of 1946 was generated by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in the Aleutian Islands. This tsunami struck the Big Island of Hawaii on April 1st. The tsunami flooded the downtown area of Hilo killing 159 people and causing more than $26 million in damages.

1946 Hilo, Hawaii

April 1, 1946 tsunami. Damage in Hilo, Hawai'i. Photo from the Pacific Tsunami Museum Archives.

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1952

On November 4, 1952 a tsunami was generated by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the USSR. In Hawaii, property damage from these waves was estimated at $800,000-$1,000,000 (1952 dollars); no lives were lost. The waves beached boats, caused houses to collide, destroyed piers, scoured beaches, and moved road pavement.

1952 Keika Bay, Oahu

November 4, 1952 tsunami. Aerial view of Kaika Bay near Haleiwa on thenorth shore of Oahu shows the fourth wave climbing up the beach toward the

beach houses and the extent of inundation from previous waves. Photo from National Geophysical Data Center.

P A C I F I C D I S A S T E R C E N T E R1957

On March 9, 1957 a tsunami was generated by a magnitude 8.3 earthquake in the Aleutian Islands. It generated a 8-m (24 feet) tsunami that did great damage on Adak Island, especially to the fuel and oil docks. The Hawaiian Islands incurred about $5,000,000 of damage in 1957 dollars. The highest wave in Hawaii was 3.6 m (12 feet).

1957 Laie Point, Oahu

March 9, 1957 tsunami. Arrival of a major wave at Laie Point on theIsland of Oahu.

Photo from National Geophysical Data Center.

P A C I F I C D I S A S T E R C E N T E R1964

At Midway Island the tide gauge registered only a 0.1 m change in sea level. On the island of Oahu maximum run up was up to 4.8 meters but the Honolulu tide gauge only measured 0.5 meter change in sea level. At Kahului, Maui, maximum run up was up to 3.7 meters and the Kahului tide gauge recorded 3.7 meters. On the island of Hawaii maximum run up was up to 3 meters and the tide gauge at Hilo recorded 2.1 meter change in sea level.

Tsunami Travel Times

Tsunami travel times to the Hawaiian Islands (first wave) were as follows: Midway 4.9 hours; Honolulu 5.3 hours; Kahului 5.2 hours; Hilo 5.4 hours.

Tsunami Periods

Tsunami periods as measured from tide gauge records were as follows: Midway 15 minutes; Honolulu 21 minutes, Kahului 23 minutes; Hilo 19 minutes.

1964 Island of Hawaii

P A C I F I C D I S A S T E R C E N T E R1960

The tsunami of May 23, 1960 was generated by a magnitude 8.3 earthquake in Chile. The 35 foot tsunami struck Hilo, Hawaii causing severe damage. 61 deaths were recorded and $23 million in damage occurred. In the area of maximum destruction, only buildings of reinforced concrete or structural steel, and a few others sheltered by these buildings, remained standing - and even these were generally gutted. Frame buildings were either crushed or floated nearly to the limits of the flooding.

1960 Hilo, Island of Hawaii

March 23, 1960 tsunami. Damage behind the Hilo Theater. Photo from the Pacific Tsunami Museum Archives.

P A C I F I C D I S A S T E R C E N T E R1975

On November 29, 1975, an earthquake occurred off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. When the quake-generated tsunami struck, 32 campers were at Halape Beach Park. The sound of falling rocks from a nearby cliff, along with earth movement caused the campers to flee toward the ocean. They were then forced back to the cliff by rising ocean waters. The first wave was 5 feet high, but the second wave was 26 feet high and carried the unfortunate campers into a ditch near the base of the cliff, where they remained until the ordeal ended. Two campers died and 19 suffered injuries.

1975 Halape Beach Park, Island of Hawaii

November 29, 1975 locally generated tsunami. Damage at Punalu'u, on theBig Island of Hawai'i.

Photo from the Pacific Tsunami Museum Archives.

Source(s):Pacific Tsunami Museum Archive [http://planet-hawaii.com/tsunami/]

National Geophysical Data Center. [http://www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/]

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Example of a Local Tsunami

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Tsolutions to Tsunamis?

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The Pacific Disaster Center’s

Automated Tsunami Alert System

For Hawaii

PDC Automated Tsunami Alert System for Hawaii

P A C I F I C D I S A S T E R C E N T E R Pacific

Disaster Center

Automated Tsunami Alert System

Automated Notification – Pager, Cell Phones & Email

MobileTelecommunications

Switching Office

Pacific Disaster Center Proprietary and Confidential

Input

Output

Output

PDC Private Website

Emergency Management

Operations System (EMOPS)

System Output:Automatic Notification

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Mahalo KidsCast for Peace

Protect our Earth

Jim Buika

Pacific Disaster Center

Kihei Maui Hawaii

Celebrating Earth Day