ITP-Cook Islands: Tsunami Warning and Emergency Response Using the PTWC Enhanced Products for National Tsunami Threat Decision-Making

16 - 19 November 2015,

Rarotonga
Cook Islands

Annotated Agenda

1.1 Opening Ceremonies
1.2 Logistics and Administrative Items, Introductions Course Overview
2.1 ICG/PTWS-XXVI Outcomes, specifically for the Pacific Islands
2.2 Responding Rapidly and Effectively: Tsunami Warning and Emergency Response Requirements and Timeline-driven SOPs
2.3 Tsunami Warning Center SOPs: What do Tsunami Warning Centers (TWCs) provide to Tsunami Emergency Response (TER) agencies?
2.4 PTWS video: Tsunami Warning!
3.1 Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) New Enhanced Products - Overview - What, Why, Criteria, Formats
3.2 Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) New Enhanced Products - Staging
3.3 Cook Islands TWC and TER SOPs using PTWC Enhanced Products
3.4 Discussion: CI SOPs – status, gaps, needs
4.1 Earthquake Science and Hazards Tsunami Science and Hazards
4.2 PTWC Enhanced Products - Explanation of Each Product: Text, Forecast Polygon Map, Graphical Deep-Ocean Energy, Coastal Forecast, Forecast Tables, KMZ file
4.3 16 September 2015, M8.3 Tsunami – PTWC summary, PTWS Post-Tsunami Event Assessment Survey
4.3.b Tsunami Hazard Scenarios around the Pacific - Understanding PTWC Enhanced Products
4.4 Tsunami Emergency Response (TER) SOPs: Overview of Stakeholder Roles and Coordination, Event Operations, Timelines, Checklists, Examples
4.5 TWC and TER SOPs for PTWC Enhanced Products: Guidance, Flow Charts, Criteria Tables, Timeline-driven SOP, Message Templates. Warning (EQ Magnitude and Forecast thresholds), Evacuation (Land and Marine Threats and Public Safety)
5.1 Cook Islands SOP Development: Communications Flow Chart, Roles & Responsibilities
5.2 Demonstration: Decision Support Tools of Monitoring, Detection, Assessment – Earthquakes: Real-time Earthquake Display (CISN), USGS web site (CMT, ShakeMap, PAGER) Tsunami: Sea Level Monitoring (IOC web site, TideTool with Tsunami Travel Times), RIFT Tsunami Scenarios
5.3 Cook Islands SOP Development: Alert Criteria Table – Regional and Distant Tsunami Cases
5.4 Cook Islands SOP Development: Timeline-driven actions – Regional Tsunami Case - when, who, how to decide, what to use Decision-making processes for: 1. Warning/Watch/Information using: - PTWC initial message (no quantitative forecast, OT+7 min) - PTWC quantitative forecast (OT+25 min) 2. Cancelling Watch / Warning 3. Issuing “All-Clear”
5.5 Cook Islands SOP Development: Timeline-driven actions – Distant Tsunami Case - when, who, how to decide, what to use
5.6 Cook Islands SOP Development: National Tsunami Message Products for Different Alert Levels: - Threat: Warning, Watch - No Threat: Information Statement
6.1 TWC Operations: Earthquake Monitoring: Real-time Detection and Fast Source Characterization – Methods to determine Magnitude and Fault Mechanism (W-Phase CMT), Limitations and Challenges (did not present in detail)
6.2 TWC Operations: Sea Level Monitoring - Methods, Instruments, Limitations, Challenges
6.3 TWC Operations: Travel Time Forecasting - Methods, Limitations, Uncertainty, Sensitivity Studies (Location, Depth, Magnitude) (did not present in detail)
6.4 TWC Operations: Wave Amplitude Forecasting – Methods, Limitations, Uncertainty, Sensitivity Studies (Location, Depth, Magnitude) (did not present in detail)
6.5 What do TERs do with TWC information? Challenges in Alerting, Evacuation, and Safe-to-Return (All-Clear) (did not present)
6.6 Building Awareness & Community Preparedness – Being TsunamiSmart and TsunamiReady (did not present)
6.7 Activity: Improving Response – What Happens When? Reliable and Unreliable Information (did not present)
6.8 Final Discussion: CI Readiness - Questions, Answers, Next Steps