Discusses the tsunami and other disasters.

After the 2004 Asian Tsunami wiped out whole communities on the Indian Ocean, Indonesia’s West Sumatra province learnt a startling reality—they were next. A loosely allied bunch of scientists, students and ordinary citizens struggle to make sense of this suddenly precarious location, centering on the area capital of Padang and hurrying together a plan to save it before it’s too late. But the limits of their grassroots activism in a crowded, striving, ill-planned city has critical implications for some of Asia’s other cities facing their own geological and climate time bombs. Smaller, more nimble places may be able to thrive in the coming century of environmental reckoning.

Many coastal areas of the United States are at risk for tsunamis. After the catastrophic 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, legislation was passed to expand U.S. tsunami warning capabilities. Since then, the nation has made progress in several related areas on both the federal and state levels. At the federal level, NOAA has improved the ability to detect and forecast tsunamis by expanding the sensor network. Other federal and state activities to increase tsunami safety include: improvements to tsunami hazard and evacuation maps for many coastal communities; vulnerability assessments of some coastal populations in several states; and new efforts to increase public awareness of the hazard and how to respond. Tsunami Warning and Preparedness explores the advances made in tsunami detection and preparedness, and identifies the challenges that still remain. The book describes areas of research and development that would improve tsunami education, preparation, and detection, especially with tsunamis that arrive less than an hour after the triggering event. It asserts that seamless coordination between the two Tsunami Warning Centers and clear communications to local officials and the public could create a timely and effective response to coastal communities facing a pending tsuanami. According to Tsunami Warning and Preparedness, minimizing future losses to the nation from tsunamis requires persistent progress across the broad spectrum of efforts including: risk assessment, public education, government coordination, detection and forecasting, and warning-center operations. The book also suggests designing effective interagency exercises, using professional emergency-management standards to prepare communities, and prioritizing funding based on tsunami risk.