What did people do before the International Tsunami Warning System was established?
Before the International Tsunami Warning System (ITWS) went into effect there were not effective warning systems to alert the countries of the Pacific of an impending tsunami threat.The tsunamis often struck populated areas with no warning or evacuation. The data was not always shared among nations of the Pacific. Communication channels had not been established for the sharing of such data. The lack of a warning system was responsible for extensive loss of life and property. It was the great destruction caused by the May 1960 Chilean tsunami which prompted a large number of countries and territories to join the Pacific Tsunami Warning System (TWS), at least by contributing data and information. It was the great Alaskan earthquake of 1964 which generated a devastating tsunami that precipitated the need for an International Tsunami Warning System (ITWS).
Related Questions
- What happens when a major earthquake or other disturbance prompts a tsunami? How does the International Tsunami Warning System Work?
- What are the Capabilities and Limitations of the International Tsunami Warning System (ITWS)?
- What did people do before the International Tsunami Warning System was established?
