This is Just a Test

Just two days after tsunami warnings went out after the 8.7-magnitude Indonesian earthquake, officials plan to test the tsunami warning system in Alaska.

A first-ever statewide test of the state's tsunami warning communications system is scheduled for Wednesday, March 30, at 9:45 a.m. Alaska Standard Time. The test was planned long before Monday's quake.

The trial is part of Tsunami Awareness Week, which commemorates the Great Alaskan Earthquake - a devastating 9.2 magnitude earthquake that triggered deadly tsunamis on Good Friday, March 27, 1964.  Some of the resulting destruction in Seward, Alaska, is shown in the image above.

The broadcasting test will be "live" - i.e. the codes used will be the actual warning codes, rather than a test code. 

This could potentially cause some confusion, as some automated systems - such as for cable TV - will scroll a standard, pre-composed message that does not say "TEST."  Only the audio that accompanies the broadcast will explain that the alert is just a test. 

To avoid panic, officials with the NOAA National Weather Service and Alaska's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management are trying to spread the word about the test beforehand.  They especially want people living or working in coastal areas to report if they do not receive the warning. 

Monday's Indonesian quake, which occurred on the same fault line as the devastating Dec. 26 event, did not cause a significant tsunami, and scientists are pondering why.

• March is Earthquake Month, and Other Shaky 'Facts'
• Tsunami Special Report
• Tsunamis in History
• Tsunami Image Gallery

-- LiveScience Staff

Credit: Dept. of Interior