Enhancing Tsunami Event Communication through NWS and CalOES Partnership

The National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) in Palmer, Alaska, issues tsunami alerts for the U.S. and Canada coasts, monitoring global seismic and sea level activity 24/7. Tsunami events are unpredictable, demanding robust partnerships and preparedness. Strong relationships between the NTWC and state emergency management agencies have enhanced service delivery.

NTWC and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) utilized the December 5, 2024, northern California and the July 29, 2025, Russian Kamchatka Peninsula earthquake/tsunami events to refine future response. This collaboration focused on improving messaging and real-time updates during the initial and final stages of a response. Emphasis was placed on better alerting coastal zones, adapting public alerting mechanisms (including NOAA Weather Radio gap analysis), and dedicated partner use of NWSChat on Slack(. These improvements are enhancing the tsunami service model to save lives and mitigate loss. As TWC's implement technological and procedural improvements, including a new tsunami.gov website based on partner collaboration, vulnerable coasts will achieve substantial readiness for the next tsunami event.