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.

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.

Since the 2004 Andaman Tsunami, we have been constantly reminded about the reported threats of earthquakes and tsunamis worldwide. The recent earthquake in Padang, Indonesia and the tsunami in Samoa Islands in 2009 as well as the large destructive earthquake in Haiti in 2010 reinforce the perceived threats. This timely series of the South China Sea Tsunami Workshop (SCSTW) was first organized by Academia Sinica Taipei, Taiwan on 5–7 December 2007 to promote community awareness and preparedness as well as scientific research on tsunami early warning systems and related hazards, hoping to achieve tsunami resilient communities. The Second SCSTW was organized by Shanghai Jiao Tong University on 1–3 December 2008 in Shanghai. This proceedings book contains a collection of 46 articles selected among 69 articles presented in the Third SCSTW held on 3–5 November 2009 in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Pulau Pinang. This collection of selected articles explores a variety of issues related to tsunami as well as other natural disasters such as earthquakes, storm surge and landslide. The proceedings consists of two books, with the first book focusing on tsunami simulation for impact assessment, while the second book covers education, protection and preparedness to face tsunami and other natural disasters. The contributors of the articles in the proceedings come from differing academic and professional background including but not limited to engineering, mathematics, physics, biology, geography, environmental and marine sciences, sustainable studies, education, humanities and architecture. It is the fervent hope of the Editors that future SCSTWs will continue the tradition and aspiration of the past workshops. Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia