Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
The committee views it as essential that this social science research be fully informed by
and performed by trained and experienced social science warning researchers so that it would
be of the highest quality and hold the potential to produce the most useful results. There is
long-standing and now mature precedent in the nation for organizing an appropriate mix of
appropriately trained interdisciplinary teams to conduct post-event research audits. For exam-
ple, the Learning from Earthquakes Program in the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
represents an excellent current approach to conducting this type of research that uses a mix of
researchers from varied disciplines in the physical and social sciences and engineering.
Recommendation:
Social science post-event research audits should be performed after
all tsunami “warning events” that hold the potential to document important lessons to be
learned.
Tsunami survey teams have been organized on an ad hoc basis primarily on the initia-
tive of the individual scientists. There exists no systematic funding mechanism to support the
survey efforts, although NSF, the USGS, NOAA, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
(EERI) (through NSF), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) have been the spon-
sors on an event-by-event basis. The USGS and NOAA have supported primarily their own
personnel. The lack of coordination often resulted in collecting duplicate data and information
by multiple survey teams, and at the same time, failing to collect important data and informa-
tion. In addition, the lack of coordination does not lead to a good balance of skills, experience,
and disciplines for the survey teams.
Conclusion:
Tsunami reconnaissance ield surveys are crucial to gain understanding of
tsunami effects, and the indings directly improve tsunami risk assessment. This knowledge
in turn helps reduce the impacts of future tsunamis. To make the future ield surveys more
effective and eficient, coordination by a lead agency is needed.
Recommendation:
Tsunami ield surveys should be conducted by multi-disciplinary
personnel including physical and social scientists, engineers, disaster mitigation planners,
and sociologists. A quick dispatching capability is crucial for tsunami surveys, in order to
capture as much information as possible. Tsunami run-up marks, destruction patterns, and
other detailed tsunami-affected features can disappear within a few weeks. NOAA should
take a more proactive role in the coordination for tsunami surveys with other agencies, in
particular the USGS and NSF.
