Spread the word: Wednesday’s Tsunami Test is only a test

On March 24, Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino counties will conduct a test of the tsunami alert system. There are three things you need to know about this test:

•The Emergency Alert System (EAS) will be activated

• The test is for tsunamis that take hours to reach our coast, not the potentially larger tsunamis from nearby

• You don’t need to do anything

AS tests happen all the time, so why all the bother about this one? Wednesday’s test is different. The standard tests are routed via different paths and don’t activate the things that count — cutting into broadcasting, triggering sirens or emergency notification systems. On Wednesday, the NWS Office on Woodley Island will enter the live code into the Eassystemasifareal TSUNAMI were happening. This is the only way to learn whether these systems will function when a real emergency heads our way.

Humboldt County took the brave step to do “live code” testing back in 2008, joined by Del Norte and Mendocino the following years. When the Japan tsunami occurred in 2011, we learned the value of the previous years’ testing.

When the sirens went off in the early morning hours of March 11, most people knew what they were. Officials were able to evacuate threatened areas in an organized way. It wasn’t perfect and we learned from the experience, but it went far better than the response in other areas of the state.

The North Coast continued live code tsunami tests every March from 2012 to 2016. In 2017, we decided to switch the test to October during Shakeout week. The plan was tsunami test on Wednesday followed by the Shakeout Drop Cover Hold On drill on Thursday. It sounded good on paper but turned out to be a case of “What were we thinking?” There was confusion about how Shakeout and the tsunami test were related. People were used to the March tests and expected them. March is the month of our two worst tsunami disasters in 1964 and 2011. In the end, we cancelled the 2017 test because of wildfires. The tests are never held during a real emergency when any confusion could arise over whether an alert is real or not.

In 2018, the live code test returned to its familiar slot in March during California’s Tsunami Awareness Week. The 2019 test was in the early planning stage when the government shutdown closed the critical permitting and planning win

dow. And in 2020? Our last face-to-face Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group meeting was on March 4. We were aware of the looming pandemic but it still seemed like a distant threat. We agreed to tentatively move forward with the test.

By the following week, we were in lockdown and it was clear, life, as we had known it, was changed. The tsunami test along with other outreach activities became COVID victims. California followed suit in canceling tsunami week activities and almost emergency planning focus was on the coronavirus.

COVID is more prevalent in our community today than it was one year ago, so why is the tsunami test back on the schedule? The short answer, COVID is no longer new. After a year of familiarity, it is unlikely that anyone hearing asirenorgettinganeas alert will associate it with the pandemic. And, pandemic or not, we still need to prepare for tsunamis and other disasters.

There is always a caveat. If anything happens before the test that might confuse people as to whether it is real or not, we will cancel. What might trigger cancellation? A widely felt local earthquake, a tsunami alert bulletin from a major distant earthquake, a regional emergency such as a major fire, chemical leak or anything else where sirens are likely to be employed. A real event always takes precedent and efforts will be made to let you know that the test has been cancelled.

The most important thing for you to know about Wednesday’s test is that it’s only a test. Please don’t be alarmed. Please tell everyone you know it’s only a test. And remember, you don’t need to do anything.

Note: If you really want to do something during tsunami week, contact your County Office of Emergency Services and make sure you are signed up for emergency notifications. Check out the link to the State’s new tsunami hazard maps at https://rctwg.humboldt.edu/home and find out if you live or work in a tsunami zone.

Lori Dengler is an emeritus professor of geology at Humboldt State University, an expert in tsunami and earthquake hazards. The opinions expressed are hers and not the TimesStandard’s. All “Not My Fault” columns are archived at https://www2. humboldt.edu/kamome/ resources and may be reused for educational purposes. Leave a message at 707-826-6019 or email Kamome@humboldt.edu for questions/comments about this column, or to request a free copy of the North Coast preparedness magazine “Living on Shaky Ground.”