The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program have designated March 21-27 as Tsunami Awareness Week. NOAA's National Weather Service: http://www.noaa.gov/, will host open houses at its tsunami warning centers in Alaska & Hawaii, and many coastal states will host community tsunami awareness activities.  

The NOAA administrator stated that "...warnings are only part of the equation. To survive a tsunami, coastal residents and visitors need to know how to recognize a tsunami threat and how to get to safety quickly. The U.S. coast is vulnerable to near-and onshore earthquakes, similar to recent tragedies in American Samoa and Chile. Those earthquakes generated fast-moving tsunamis that struck within 20 minutes with little or no warning. A powerful earthquake can be nature's warning of a tsunami. That's when you need to grab your family and head to higher ground." 

In addition, the Tsunami Ready Program, developed by the National Weather Service, is designed to help cities, towns, counties, universities and other large sites in coastal areas reduce the potential for disastrous tsunami-related consequences. Tsunami Ready helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen their local operations. Tsunami Ready communities are better prepared to save lives through better planning, education and awareness. To get more information on the Tsunami Ready program go to: http://www.tsunamiready.noaa.gov .