Mitigating Oregons Tsunami Risk

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Mitigating Oregons Tsunami Risk
Accelerating Tsunami Hazard Mapping and Promoting
Preparedness through Grass-Roots Outreach
Robert C. Witter, PhD Oregon Department of Geolog
y Regional Coastal Geologist Althea Turner Or
egon Emergency Management Earthquake, Tsunami, an
d Volcano Program Coordinator
National Weather Service Silver Spring, Maryland
November 20, 2008
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NTHMP Funding FY07-08

• FY07 NTHMP funding 272,300
• TsunamiReady funding 50,000
• Seaside legislative funding 500,000
• FY08 NTHMP funding 253,910
• Oregon provides 1.5 million matching funds for
  LiDAR

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FY07 Accomplishments

• Mapping Modeling
• Completed Cannon Beach tsunami hazard assessment
• Products include
• 25 earthquake source scenarios
• Tsunami inundation map
• Tsunami evacuation map
• Time histories and more
• Initial source models for Bandon hazard
  assessment completed

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• Mitigation Education
• Oregon Tsunami Advisory Council
• Cannon Beach evacuation map
• Oregon 5-yr Outreach/Education Plan
• Online interactive evacuation map
• Attended Seaside Tsunami Fair
• Advised local stakeholders
• Seaside School District
• Gleneden Beach Depoe Bay Fire Districts
• Coastal Fire Chiefs Assoc.
• Cannon Beach town hall meeting
• Taft High School student project

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• TsunamiReady Support
• Sirens, caches, CERT brought to Seaside
• Lincoln City renews TsunamiReady status
• Tsunami coordinator for Lincoln City
• Presentations and workshops
• Tsunami exercises performed
• - Tabletop workshop
• - Tsunami evacuation drill
• Tsunami Fair
• Tsunami Hazard cards for lodging facilities
• Tsunami awareness survey
• Developed 5-year tsunami outreach/education plan
• TsunamiReady Workshop in Seaside

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Issues

• Benchmarking data for Okushiri tsunami difficult
  to obtain or not available
  
• Topographic errors in evacuation map resolved
• Extension requested to complete Cannon Beach
  tsunami education sign
  

Scott Stantis, Alabama The Birmingham News
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• Incorporates Tsunami Advisory Council
  recommendations
  
• Two evacuation zones
• Local tsunami (yellow)
• Distant tsunami (orange)
• English/Spanish
• Landmarks featured
• Assembly areas
• Checked for color vision disabilities
• Siren locations

ZOOM
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FY09-12 Goals

• Advance the mission of the National Tsunami
  Hazard Mitigation Program
  
• Provide accurate tsunami hazard assessments
• Mitigate risk through public outreach, local
  dissemination, planning and education and
  
• Lend guidance to optimize real-time tsunami
  warnings
  

Federal Partners
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Objective 1 Mapping Modeling

• Complete Next-Generation Tsunami Inundation Maps
  for Entire Oregon Coast by 2013
  
• FY09 Tasks
• Complete Bandon tsunami hazard assessment in
  2010
  
• Investigate paleotsunami deposits in southern
  Oregon
  
• Initiate Brookings-Port Orford tsunami hazard
  mapping
  
• FY10-12 Tasks
• Complete tsunami inundation mapping for entire
  coast
  
• Focus on two map areas per year
• Verify mapping is consistent with paleotsunami
  deposits
  

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Obj. 1 Performance Goals

• Produce tsunami inundation maps that support
  informed decision making
  
• Rigorously test open-source code (SELFE) using
  benchmarks recommended by NOAA
  
• Contribute to guidelines and best practices for
  tsunami inundation mapping
  
• Prioritize mapping based on community
  vulnerability,
  

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Objective 2 Mitigation Education

• Empowering local stakeholders to prepare for
  tsunamis
  
• FY09 Tasks
• Support the Oregon Tsunami Advisory Council
• Complete Bandon tsunami evacuation map
• Update/improve online interactive evacuation
  maps
  
• Develop online tsunami information clearinghouse
• FY10-12 Tasks
• Complete tsunami evacuation maps for Oregon by
  2013
  
• Continually maintain and update online products
• Facilitate local input through Tsunami Advisory
  Council
  

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Obj. 2 Performance Goals

• Reduce loss of life and property from tsunamis
• Explore feasibility of revising Oregons tsunami
  inundation line used to restrict new development
  
• Produce tsunami evacuation maps
• Help develop evacuation map guidelines
• Highlight perspective of local stakeholders
• Explore effective formats for web-based maps

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Objective 3 TsunamiReady

• Oregons Volunteer Tsunami Outreach Program
• FY09 Tasks
• Build volunteer-driven outreach programs in 3
  coastal cities
  
• Assist coastal communities to achieve
  TsunamiReady status
  
• Contribute to tsunami information clearinghouse
• FY10-12 Tasks
• Target 3 new cities/year
• Increase number of
  TsunamiReady cities in Oregon
  
• Sustain existing programs

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Obj. 3 Performance Goals

• Establish more tsunami resilient communities
• Integrate tsunami education into K-12 schools
• Support effective and reliable warning
  dissemination to threatened citizens and
  visitors
  
• Support grass-roots tsunami outreach efforts
• Promote a culture of tsunami preparedness
• Increase number of TsunamiReady communities

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FY09 Budget Request