NOAA Picks Sea Level Site for Tsunami Warning Center

A public employee watchdog group is criticizing a decision by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to build the new Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii on a site located at sea-level, rather than on higher, safer ground.

The group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), says that by building the $242 million complex on tsunami-prone Ford Island, rather than on Diamond Head Crater – 300 feet above sea level – NOAA is, “tending its own bureaucratic turf at the expense of public safety.”

Reachable only by a single, floating bridge, the Ford Island site would have to be evacuated, thus leaving the Warning Center unavailable to carry out its primary functions in aftermath of a tsunami, says PEERS. “The tsunami warning center has critical duties to perform after the first wave hits, including monitoring for aftershocks and additional, larger waves,” stated PEER executive Jeff Ruch in a press release.

Also See:
GAO Report on US Tsunami Preparedness (.pdf)
NOAA Defends its Decision (.pdf)
Americans Donate $18 Million in 3 Days to Tsunami Relief