Wash. — This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
Tsunami warnings that could affect the Washington coast may now take longer to reach the public.
Alaska State Seismologist Michael West told KIRO Newsradio Tuesday that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has ended its contract with the Alaska Earthquake Center.
“I don’t want to for one moment suggest that warnings are going dark,” West said. “The National Tsunami Warning Center is run by outstanding people working with a lot of data from different places.”
But West said the data gathered by instruments in the Aleutian Islands, which he calls a “breeding ground for tsunamis in the Pacific,” will be lost, and that will slow down the information coming from there to Washington.
“We’re talking about a delay of, you know, a couple of minutes on a tsunami that takes some hours,” West said.
However, a two-minute delay in Alaska would be more critical, given that such a tsunami could hit there in about 20 minutes, he added.
The $300,000-a-year contract had been in place for about 20 years. NOAA has not said why it is ending the contract.
In response to KIRO Newsradio’s request for comment, the agency responded:
“Due to the federal government shutdown, NOAA is unable to respond to e-mails or voicemails that are not mission-critical. If your request is urgent and critically important, we will make every effort to accommodate; however, please be aware that responses may be delayed. For routine inquiries, NOAA Communications will respond in a timely manner once funds have been appropriated and the shutdown ends.”
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