Tsunami evacuation: Lessons from the Great East Japan earthquake ...

2012
Johnston et al. (2005), various outreach initiatives and educational tools were developed to
increase preparedness in Washington, while staff training, workshops and a guidebook were
developed specifically for the tourist sector in response to the findings of Johnston et al.
(2007). The most recent follow-up research in this series of evaluations, Johnston et al.
(2009), noted that high staff turnover remains a challenge to achieving high levels of
preparedness in the tourism sector although there have been improvements. It was also
recognised by Johnston et al. (2009) that improvements have been made in the provision of
loudspeaker warning systems and community-based evacuation drills, although participants
from both Ocean Shores and Long Beach expressed concern over the available evacuation
routes. Further evaluations of siren tests and community-based evacuation exercises were
carried out in September 2010; the findings showed mixed levels of siren audibility in the
current system, but highlighted the effectiveness of siren and evacuation drills as a means of
hazard education (Leonard et al., 2011).
The Washington EMD program focusses on education and preparedness of both the
resident public and the tourism sector. This is achieved in part through public forums, town
hall meetings in collaboration with local Emergency Managers, and training of local
volunteers to serve as community tsunami educators. Tsunami information, preparedness
and evacuation educational materials are provided via internet, brochures, fact sheets,
video, resource guides, guidebooks, childrens’ cartoon books, trivia sheets, games, and
evacuation maps are available (http://www.emd.wa.gov/hazards/haz_tsunami.shtml).
Evacuation signage is widely deployed in tsunami hazard zones.
Tsunami warning infrastructure includes All Hazard Alert Broadcast (AHAB) to radios and
free-standing siren towers and NOAA weather radios are provided to low income families
and schools. Twelve communities in Washington are recognised as ‘Tsunami Ready’ under
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service
(NOAA/NWS) ‘Tsunami Ready’ program, which helps communities increase tsunami
preparedness (NOAA/NWS, 2011).
The provision of evacuation maps is a major initiative covering over 20 different locations.
Some maps use three zones of ‘greatest risk’, ‘marginal risk’ and ‘higher ground’, evacuation
routes, assembly areas, roads, rivers and place names (Figure 2). Other maps use only two
zones: ‘tsunami hazard zone’ and ‘outside of hazard zones’, for example in Clallam County
(Figure 3). These maps are provided with additional information as part of a short brochure.
In the planning of evacuation routes and assembly areas, Washington EMD and the
Department of Natural Resources assess landslide and liquefaction hazards which may
impede evacuation.
There are inconsistencies between maps produced by different state authorities in the U.S.
and Kurowski, Hedley, and Clague (2011) discuss this issue in their evaluation of tsunami
evacuation maps in Washington. New National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program
(NTHMP) guidelines have been released to ensure there is enhanced consistency in this
respect from January 2012 (NTHMP Mitigation and Education (MES) Subcommittee, 2011).
GNS Science Report 2012/17 9