Abstract:

This paper is based on a study of disaster waming in the conununities of Crescent City, Califomia and Hilo, Hawaii, both of which have had a history of tsunan-d threats and warnings.  Disaster warriing is viewed in the paper as a process consisting of a number of interrelated activities and procedures in which a variety of organizations and individuals become involved.
The study indicates that local officials such as those in Crescent City and Hflo are responsible for evaluating incoming information conceniing potentially disruptive environmental changes and for determining if a public waming is to be issued.  Among the problems that local officials may face while attempting to meet such responsibilities is the lack of adequate information on which to base critical decisions and the difficulty of maintaining pubhe willingness to comply with requests for evacuation when there have been repeated alerts not followed by disaster.
Although both the connnunities in the study have undergone major tsunarni disasters, the data show that this has been followed by significant change and improvement in warning procedures chiefly in Hflo.  For example, evacuation areas have been predetermined in Hflo and a variety of mechanisms for transmitting tsunami waming signals and information to the public have been devised.  These changes came about largely because local officials in Hilo received considerable feedback ftom scientific experts and others regarding the Idnds of improvements needed in the community's waming system.  Such a feedback process did not develop in Crescent City following the major tsunami disaster in that community and thus less change occurred in its warning procedures.

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