Since passage of the Tsunami Warning and Education Act in 2007 (P.L. 109-479, Title VIII), Congress has authorized and appropriated funds to NOAA's National Weather Service for grants to states, territories, and universities that participate in the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP partners).
From federal fiscal year 2008 through 2015, NOAA has invested or approved investment for 17 NTHMP partners that work to fulfill the NTHMP mission "to mitigate the impact of tsunamis through public education, community response planning, and accurate hazard assessment."
Per terms of authorizing legislation, these grants have been made available only to agencies and organization that have membership on the NTHMP Coordinating Committee as defined in the NTHMP Rules of Procedure.
The list of grantees and activities below are for grants made to NTHMP partners for FY15.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service is pleased to announce $5.2 million for projects to make coastal communities throughout the United States and its territories safer from tsunamis. NTHMP grants are provided to coastal states, territories, and participating university partners who have membership on the NTHMP Coordinating Committee.
FY15 NTHMP grants for the performance period from September 1, 2015, through August 31, 2016 or 2017, to NTHMP partners received grant funds to support these tasks:
NTHMP
Partner |
Activity |
| Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Subawardee: University of Alaska/Fairbanks [UAF] |
[UAF]Present final draft reports and the tsunami inundation maps for Sand Point and Yakutat in forums with community leaders and the public.
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| [UAF] Present to the communities and publish the tsunami hazard reports for Cold Bay and King Cove.
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| TsunamiReady recognition for Akutan and USCG Station Kodiak.
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| [UAF] Compilation and publication of the technical report for Juneau. Present report and maps in forums with community leaders in Juneau to convey the results to the public.
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| Conduct Tsunami Operations Workshop. Community leaders will attend a 2.5-day workshop that discusses the science of tsunamis, local threat, preparedness, warning and alerting procedures response and recovery, and participate in tabletop exercises.
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| [UAF] Update high-resolution tsunami hazard zone and technical report for the Kodiak area: the city of Kodiak, U.S. Coast Guard base, and the community of Womens Bay using recently improved bathymetry, topography and tsunami source characterization.
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| Install an additional warning siren in Cordova.
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| [UAF] Determination of the potential inundation zones for Port Graham, Nanwalek and Anchor Point in South-central Alaska and Craig, Port Alexander and Ketchikan in Southeast Alaska which are highly threatened communities in non-mapped coastal regions.
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| [UAF] Conduct limited high-resolution RTK GPS surveys (DEM verifications) for False Pass, Adak Station and Atka.
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| Produce new evacuation brochures for Nikolski and Chignik Bay and update brochures for Cold Bay, King Cove and Sand Point based on new inundation mapping.
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| [UAF] Estimation of the tsunami currents in Dutch Harbor and Sitka. Alaska will complete a report on the maritime work that will contribute to the overall NTHMP maritime report being worked on collaboratively with Washington, Oregon, and California.
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| American Samoa Department of Homeland Security |
Support 3 positions: NTHMP Tsunami Program Administrator; Project Coordinator; NTHMP liaison.
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| Outreach. Printed materials and brochures for Office of tourism, maps with new inundation information, cartoons and comics for learning institutions in coastal areas. Workshops for Government agencies, Residents and Businesses in Coastal areas Exercises for Schools, Private Sector, Government, and Faith based communities on the coast. Evacuation Drills, workshops, Tsunami Drill with schools, repair and maintain signs.
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| Reprinting of new and existing maps and maritime hazard products.
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| Replace missing and damaged signs to support TsunamiReady re-recognition. 1-year Siren maintenance contract and 1-year satellite service contract. Installation of indoor sirens to schools, hospitals. Transport equipment to neighboring Islands of Manu'a.
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| Training and workshops for Emergency operations center and 24-hour warning points to enhance understanding of communications and coordination. Hold workshops and trainings to help the community be informed of the evacuation routes and actions to be taken. Shipping and port fee for importing radios.
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| California Office of Emergency Services Subawardees:
California Geological Survey [CGS]
Humboldt State University [HSU]
University of Southern California [USC] |
[Prime, USC] Tsunami Preparedness: Continue local outreach, workshop, training, exercise activities. Two state tsunami steering committee meetings. Continue to develop Tsunami Inundation Map Information Sheets and Vulnerability Sheets. Coordinate and collaborate with USGS and other NTHMP partners. Support Tsunami Preparedness Week through contract with University of Southern California.
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| [CGS] Continue development of Tsunami Evacuation Response Playbooks for planning evacuation zones/maps/plans for less-than-worst-case tsunamis. New playbooks for Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, San Mateo, Marin, and Sonoma Counties. Hold workshops with NWS WFO staff on how to implement the FASTER approach.
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| Ongoing TsunamiReady support to assist in filling roles supporting communities becoming TsunamiReady. Work with NWS-WFOs to explore potential for TsunamiReady status for harbors and ports.
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| [CGS] NTHMP mapping and modeling guidance will be updated and finalized based on the outcome of the 2015 Current Model Benchmark Workshop. California will work with the NTWC to develop a method for distributing real-time response recommendations and other tsunami alert products in a real event. Update and publish existing maritime brochure.
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| [Prime + HSU] Conduct a series of community and agency meetings to provide information and to solicit input from the community regarding the proposed tsunami evacuation alternatives. Conduct a multi-mode evacuation time analysis for both evacuation site alternatives. Evaluate wave arrival time for the community of Fairhaven and surrounding areas. Additional technical and environmental meetings.
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| East Coast: University of Delaware Subawardee: University of Rhode Island [URI] |
[Prime + URI] Tsunamigenic landslide modeling benchmark development, validation workshop, and workshop documentation. (This is for a workshop to benefit all NTHMP partners.)
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| [Prime + URI] Refinement and extension of potential SMF (submarine mass failure) sources and source modeling techniques for tsunami activity in the North Atlantic.
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| Guam Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management |
Print 50,000 copies of the tsunami evacuation maps.
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| Print 50,000 copies of the Guam Tsunami Brochure, evacuation wheels, Tsunami Ready Cards and Tsunami Mikenna poster. Includes a media kit for distribution among the media community. Develop and print 25,000 boat owners brochures. Contract for Tsunami Media Campaign for Tsunami Preparedness through television, radio and print commercials.
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| Maintain tsunami evacuation signs and posts throughout the island. Conduct alert notification and warning outreach on the All Hazards Alert Warning System. Continue outreach about new domestic tsunami products provided by PTWC.
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| Travel to attend tsunami-specific meetings off island.
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| Gulf of Mexico: Texas A&M University at Galveston |
Develop two additional tsunami inundation maps at specific locations along the US GOM coast.
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| Implementation of maritime products in existing, current, and new tsunami inundation map projects to assist the maritime community and to meet port emergency management and other NTHMP customer requirements.
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| Implementation of temporal-low-order inundation maps for tsunami hazard areas (community) where inundation studies have not yet been assigned/executed or where little bathymetric and elevation data exists.
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| Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Subawardee: University of Hawaii [UH] |
Support for 32 public schools located within the tsunami evacuation zone. Develop comprehensive evacuation plans, distribution of Museum, Tsunami Awareness Month, and other educational opportunities.
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| Prepare broadcast messages for use on foreign language radio stations throughout Hawaii.
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| [UH] Educate and train a group of volunteers across the State of Hawaii in real time data collection and post-tsunami field survey data collection methods.
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| Tsunami Evacuation Response Playbooks. Hawaii will work closely with the State of California to initiate development of secondary evacuation zones in cooperation with local jurisdictions.
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| [UH] Tsunami Safety Products for Harbors. Redirect the modeling and mapping effort to support maritime emergency response and infrastructure planning. Continue the work for Hawaii Kai Marina, Koko Marina, Haleiwa Boat Harbor, Waianae Boat Harbor, Barbers Point Harbor, and Pearl Harbor.
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| Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Subawardee: Oregon Office of Emergency Management [OEM] |
[Prime and OEM] Community-based outreach by DOGAMI and OEM. Conduct grass roots, community based outreach and education. Support for staff time at both DOGAMI and OEM, including one FTE position.
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| Maintenance of the Tsunami Clearinghouse website.
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| Moving and re-installing "Entering-" and "Leaving Tsunami Hazard Zone" signs along the Oregon coast due to remapping of inundation areas completed in recent years.
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| Evacuation map sign design and purchase. Replace the one-zone maps developed before 2005. Post large-format educational signs at strategic, high contact localities.
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| Conduct evacuation difficulty analysis of Rockaway Beach.
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| [OEM] Provide support for way-finding improvement to evacuation routes in interested communities with known vulnerability by offering a subaward to one local community.
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| Port-specific maritime response guidance response for distant tsunamis will be developed for a vulnerable Oregon port selected by the Oregon Maritime Advisory Committee.
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| NTHMP-supported work on defining offshore maritime evacuation zones will be complemented by producing a peer-reviewed journal article.
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| [OEM] OEM will continue this partnership by producing a tsunami preparedness comic book in English and Spanish. Print 10,000 copies.
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| [OEM] Support the online education module and outreach for the Oregon hospitality industry.
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| [Prime and OEM] Conduct two-day tsunami symposium on Oregon central coast. Bring the latest scientific, preparedness, mitigation and recovery information to the coastal stakeholders.
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| Puerto Rico Seismic Network (PRSN) Based at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez |
State and Local TsunamiReady Program implementation and maintenance: 1) work with Bayamon and Canovanas to become recognized as TsunamiReady. 2) Support all communities whose TsunamiReady recognition is expiring within the grant year to renew. 3) Organize a workshop for emergency personnel first responders to train them about the NWS tsunami products, the Puerto Rico tsunami protocol and response plans. 4) Keep the TsunamiReady inventories up to date. 5) Support three new resorts to implement a tsunami response plan. 6) Update the PR tsunami media toolkit and the Tsunami Decision Support Tool. 7) Organize and participate in educational events throughout Puerto Rico.
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| Threat and hazard assessments: 1) Extend the pilot pedestrian analysis to three more cities: Ponce, Aguadilla and Arecibo. 2) Investigate tsunami current phenomena in Ponce and Mayaguez.
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| Outreach: 1) Local coordination of the LANTEX and CARIBE/WAVE exercises. 2) Help local warning points to fully participate in the monthly NTWC communication test and local test procedures. 3) Maintain local warning dissemination capabilities, including update and repair of the EMWIN systems. Replace some NOAA radios.
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| Develop and disseminate island-wide tsunami preparedness audio clips.
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| U.S. Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) |
Contract for modeling for advanced understanding and prediction of tsunami currents and inundation in USVI coastal regions
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| Prepare maps that reflect model results for use in specific coastal and maritime evacuation.
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| Develop updated tsunami information and advisory products as well as outreach activities ensuring inclusion of the maritime community.
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| Contract for purchase and installation of tsunami warning sirens to fill gaps on St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John, and Water Island.
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| Support (1) FTE position as Tsunami Coordinator.
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| Acquire and distribute NOAA Weather Radios to critical facilities and schools in and around the tsunami evacuation zone.
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| State of Washington Division of Emergency Management Subawardee: Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL).
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Support (1) FTE position as Tsunami Coordinator.
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| Maintain community tsunami warning notification infrastructure. This includes rehabbing some AHAB siren systems and purchase of satellite time.
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| Install three tsunami sirens in Grays Harbor and Pacific County.
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| Install new tsunami evacuation and/or hazard zone signs in tsunami threatened communities and replace signs that have been damaged or stolen.
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| Produce & distribute Hospitality Training video in at-risk coastal communities.
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| Update tsunami section of Media Guidebook.
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| Pilot Multi-language tsunami training.
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| Continue to develop outreach material and support the reprints of tsunami public education materials.
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| [DNR] Continue production of bi-monthly TsuInfo Alert newsletter.
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| Update cost estimates for Project Safe Haven.
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| [PMEL] Update Cascadia Subduction Zone modeling for Puget Sound to include ports and harbors.
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| Install tsunami warning notification infrastructure for the Port of Bellingham.
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| Add to community tsunami warning capability for Pacific County.
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| Create one two-minute PSA in Spanish on what a tsunami is and the natural warning signs. Purchase air time for this PSA.
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For More Information
For questions on each state, territory, or university's grant programs
or activities, please contact the respective representative, noted here.
For general information about NTHMP grants, contact:
Rocky Lopes
NTHMP Program Administrator
NOAA/National Weather Service, Tsunami Program
1325 East West Highway, MS AFS26
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 427-9380
Rocky.Lopes@noaa.gov
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- NOAA 
