Home News 

Story

Tsunami Warning Systems Failed

Posted: 1:36 pm PDT June 15, 2005Updated: 4:08 pm PDT June 15, 2005

One of the major ways of alerting Washington coastal residents to a tsunami -- the NOAA weather and hazard alert radio -- failed during the West Coast warning on Tuesday night.

The meteorologist in charge of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office in Seattle said the warning didn't get out because a phone line was out between the office and the Coast Guard.

Evacuation Info In Case Of Tsunami

Chris Hill said his office will be looking for ways to back up the system to the transmitters to make it more reliable.

George Crawford of the state department of Emergency Management told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News that coastal residents should have evacuated.

In LaPush, Police Chief Bill Lyon said when the warning siren failed to go off automatically, he activated it by hand. He said officers and firefighters evacuated more than 600 residents to higher ground.

Video

Neah Bay Police Chief T.J. Green said a recently installed tsunami siren did not go off.

Many people wondered what was going on. Gray Harbor 911 Director Peggy Fouts said the emergency dispatch center received 200 calls for information between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.

The warning was downgraded after officials determined there was no wave generated by the quake off northern California.

More Headlines

Fun Slideshows

Heidi Klum and her post-baby body led the parade at the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show, which returned to New York with some fresh faces after four years on the road. View Images ››


Images In The News

A man breaks into an excavator in the middle of the night and goes on a destructive rampage. View Images ››


SeattleInsider

From ex-lovers taking revenge, to disastrous photoshop mistakes, click to be impressed, amazed and maybe even horrified all at the same time. Full Story ››