Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Committee

The Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Committee coordinates and implements tsunami hazards mitigation plans and focuses on developing policies based on the current technology and science.

Next Meeting: 2011

Chair:  John G. Parrish, California GS

Members: 
Mark Roberts, Alaska EM

John Madden, Alaska EM

Rod Combellick, Alaska GS

Bob Swenson, Alaska GS

Roger Hansen, Alaska SC

British Columbia TBD

Jim Goltz, California EM
Richard McCarthy, California SC

Leo Espia, Guam EM

Kevin Richards, Hawaii EM
Don Thomas, Hawaii SC

Vicki McConnell, Oregon GS
Yumei Wang, Oregon GS

Althea Turner, Oregon EM

Gerry Williams, Oregon SC

Dave Norman, Washington GS

Tim Walsh, Washington GS

John Schelling, Washington EM

Background and Activities

At the 1996 WSSPC Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors approved the formation of the Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Committee.  Member states are Alaska, British Columbia, California, Guam, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

WSSPC Members' Tsunami Publications and Web Pages

The first Committee initiative was to create a resource within the WSSPC website that showcased existing tsunami-related publications and tsunami mitigation efforts of the Committee's member states.  The web pages were maintained by David Gronbeck-Jones of British Columbia Provincial Emergency Program until his retirement.

The Committee organized two Tsunami Symposia to share efforts to improve warning procedures and implement the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program. The symposia agendas are provided below.

1997 Tsunami Symposium

1998 Tsunami Symposium

Current Activities

Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, in cooperation with NOAA's National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, have been modeling possible tsunami events that could occur on their coasts.  Progress to date on the inundation mapping effort is accessed from the NOAA website: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami/time.