[HCRA] Fwd: RE: GB> Tsunami tracking -- Tidal Wave Well

[Steve Rodowicz]

Interesting post from the "GlowBugs List"

Hope you all have a happy new year.

73, Steve - N1SR


>From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <rondec at easystreet.com>
>To: <glowbugs at piobaire.mines.uidaho.edu>
>Subject: RE: GB> Tsunami tracking -- Tidal Wave Well
>Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2004 23:36:25 -0800
>
>I believe there are monitoring stations all over the Pacific, Roy. They 
>probably work a lot like the ones you described, but they are on buoys now 
>that report by satellite to a monitoring center in Hawaii.
>
>The Hawaiian Tidal Wave monitoring station knew all about the huge tidal 
>wave this week, but they had no one to call. They were frantically placing 
>long distance telephone calls to every office and facility in the target 
>zones they could think of but no one there had a system to broadcast the 
>warning. That area is thought  not to be one that is threatened by 
>tsunamis. It didn't help that Sri Lanka has been in the grip of a very 
>long-running civil war too.
>
>The fact is that all subduction plate zones are so threatened. Also by 
>huge earthquakes, much stronger than the slip plate fault zones like in 
>California. I live in another subduction zone here in the Pacific 
>Northwest. We haven't had a significant earthquake in a couple of hundred 
>years at least, but when we do get one it is expected to be Richter 8 or 
>9, just like the one this week.
>
>But the North Pacific is a known tsunami zone and  we have an extensive 
>system that protects the North American Coast as well as Japan and the 
>Asian coastlines. Driving the Oregon coast we regularly see signs 
>indicating the "tsunami evacuation route" which we would follow to the 
>nearest high ground in the event of an alert. The alert itself would be in 
>the form of sirens going off all along the coast and all AM/FM stations 
>interrupting their broadcasting to announce the warning and order to 
>evacuate immediately. Also, children and adults alike who live or visit 
>the coast get regular indoctrination about the warning signs - such as a 
>receding ocean - and what to do.
>
>It's been a terrible tragedy this week. It shows us that anything can 
>happen, almost anywhere. As one of the Hawaiian specialists said, this 
>proves we cannot think nationally. These are global issues that require 
>global cooperation.
>
>Ron AC7AC
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-glowbugs at piobaire.mines.uidaho.edu 
>[mailto:owner-glowbugs at piobaire.mines.uidaho.edu] On Behalf Of 
>Sparkwireless at aol.com
>Sent: Friday, December 31, 2004 10:10 PM
>To: glowbugs at piobaire.mines.uidaho.edu
>Subject: GB> Tsunami tracking -- Tidal Wave Well
>
>When I was studying for my second Class Radio Telegraph license back in 
>the 60s, I distinctly remember that there was a regulation that all ships 
>over a certain displacement had to carry a tidal wave well which was a 
>tube that ran, circuitously, from a "U" tube manometer in the radio room, 
>down to the hull, and which would set off an alarm in the event that a 
>tidal wave went under the hull.  Neither regular waves, nor the rolling 
>and pitching of the boat would have any effect on the Tidal Wave Well and 
>none of them would disturb the mercury manometer in the radio room.
>
>The RO was supposed to immediately note the time and was then supposed to 
>notify the ship's master and get a position.  Then the RO was then to QST 
>all interests that there had been a tidal wave detected and the time and 
>location.
>
>Along with the passing of the sanity of standing watch on the various 
>emergency frequencies, it seems that no one worries about tidal waves any 
>more, to the detriment of society at large.  The time has come to 
>re-assess our priorities and spend a little money to defend ourselves and 
>the world against terrorism and tidal waves, among other things.
>
>Roy KJ4TG