Friday, April 22, 2005

Not Much Is Happening, but Stand By....

•Report on visit to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (see March 26 posts)
It’s been eight days since this log’s latest post -- the longest gap since we started down this path in early January. Sometimes it’s best to just shut up and let events develop as they may. For example:

Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Director Charles McCreery was due back in Hawaii today after attending meetings in Mauritius and Thailand. We’ve not yet connected, but I’m anxious to follow up on his e-mail (see April 14 post) and learn more about his colleagues’ reaction to the issues he raised last week at the tsunami warning conference.

A NOAA representative e-mailed today that Admiral Lautenbacher’s office will get off a response soon to my letter that had about a dozen questions regarding NOAA’s communications protocols (April 8).

Also percolating is a response to my previously unmentioned April 15 letter to Senator Daniel Inouye asking his position on the alleged prohibition on direct media contact by the Warning Center (March 31) and on recommended amendments to S.50, The Tsunami Preparedness Act of 2005 (February 12). Support by Hawaii’s senior senator will be crucial to changing communications procedures to include the international news media in sending tsunami warnings.

About 170 Hawaii business leaders have been asked by letter to visit this blog and, if they agree that a bit more common sense is called for in how warnings are disseeminated, to write Senator Inouye noting their support. (No illusions here about how many will follow through, but maybe we'll get a few more pairs of eyes on this site, and that can't hurt.)

The Associated Press's Honolulu bureau chief and I are having lunch next week to chew the fat.

Doug Carlson
Honolulu, HI

No comments: