U.S. States and Territories National Tsunami Hazard Assessment: Historical Record and Sources for Waves

摘要

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) is the principal means for the President to coordinate science and technology policy across the Federal government. In 2005, the NSTC released a joint report by the sub-committee on Disaster Reduction and the U.S. Group on Earth Observations entitled Tsunami Risk Reduction for the United States: A Framework for Action. The Framework outlines the President's strategy for reducing the United States tsunami risk. The first specific action called for in the Framework is to Develop standardized and coordinated tsunami hazard and risk assessments for all coastal regions of the United States and its territories. The National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP), a partnership between Federal and State agencies, provides the organizational framework needed to execute the President's tsunami initiative. Since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the lead agency for providing tsunami forecasts and warnings, the NTHMP requested that NOAA take the lead in conducting the first national tsunami hazard assessment. The first step in a tsunami hazard assessment is to examine the past record since it provides clues to what might happen in the future. NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) catalogs information on global historical tsunamis.