Pacific Ocean
As the world's largest ocean basin, most earthquakes and tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean and its marginal seas. Locally damaging tsunamis strike some part of it every one to two years on average.
76% of history's fatal tsunamis have occurred in the Pacific Ocean. Local and regional tsunamis, with their relative frequency and short impact time, account for 99% of tsunami casualties.
Tsunami Ready
Communities currently recognised Tsunami Ready across the Pacific Ocean basin:
- Costa Rica
- Dominical, Dominicalito & Baru
- Ostional
- Playa Hermosa
- Playas El Coco
- Puerto Armuelles
- Puerto Jimenez
- Quepos
- Samara
- Tamarindo
- Tivives
- Uvita-Bahia
- El Salvador
- La Libertad
- Tamanique
- Fiji
- Navuevu
- Sila
- Guatemala
- San Jose
- Sipacate
- Honduras
- Cedeño
- Micronesia (Federated States of)
- Kitti
- Kolonia Town
- Madolenihmw
- Nett
- Sokehs
- U
- Weno
- Samoa
- Savaia
Pacific Wave Exercises
A Pacific-wide Wave Exercise is an effective tool for evaluating the readiness of the region and to identify changes that can improve its effectiveness. The first Pacific-wide exercise was carried out on 16 and 17 May 2006 using the Philippines and Chile as tsunami sources.
Tsunami Service Providers
Tsunami Service Providers (TSPs) evaluate international tsunami risk and issue information thanks to a dedicated and redundant round-the-clock monitoring of seismic and sea level indicators.
Member States receive such info and are responsible for issuing internal warnings through their National Tsunami Warning Centres (NTWCs) or designated authorities based on their own analysis, on TSPs' advisory messages, or on a combination of all.
The Pacific region's TSPs are:
- United States of America | National Tsunami Warning Center
- Japan | Northwest Pacific Tsunami Advisory Center
- China | South China Sea Tsunami Advisory Center
- Nicaragua | Central America Tsunami Advisory Center