Tsunami

This Tsunami Exercise encourages operators to send amateur radio messages to tactical address TSUNAMI during Tsunami Preparedness Week. The exercise encourages radio operators to improve their all-hazards preparedness and practice radio operations. This exercise is a volunteer effort. ↘️ Download the Tsunami Exercise Instructions here.

WHEN

Saturday, March 29, 2025, is the intended exercise date.
Alternate dates: We welcome messages submission during Tsunami Preparedness Week from March 22 - March 30, 2025.

WHO

All interested amateur radio operators are welcome to participate
The Tsunami Exercise is a collaboration of ARES LAX Northeast, San Diego ARES , Hawaii ARES, San Joaquin Valley Section, Whatcom County (WA) ACS/ARES, Snohomish County (WA) ACS , WLNET-OE, Winlink Treff and the Emcomm Training Organization.

HOW

The exercise asks radio operators to complete 6 message tasks and send them to tactical address TSUNAMI:
- an ICS-214 Activity Log,
- a Winlink Check-in,
- USGS Did-you-feel-it? (DYFI) report,
- Welfare Bulletin Board Message,
- ICS-213 General Message, and
- Winlink Check-out.
↘️ Download the Tsunami Exercise Instructions here. Please read the instructions carefully, as they ask you to complete additional tasks with each message.

WHERE

You may operate from your home shack or from a deployed location.
You may use any mode and band, including Telnet. We encourage operators to use RF.

OPERATING ASSUMPTIONS

This exercise assumes

basic familiarity with Winlink
the latest Winlink Standard Templates are installed
operators can operate and fulfill tasks on their own accord
operators are able and willing to follow basic instructions and complete tasks

TSUNAMIZONE REGISTRATION (OPTIONAL)

We invite all groups to register with TsunamiZone here.

TsunamiZone is organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, United States Geological Survey, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the Statewide California Earthquake Center to prepare the whole community for major earthquakes and the tsunamis they can cause, and practice how to protect our communities when they happen.

One benefit of registering is that participants receive a "Certificate of Participation" from TsunamiZone.

🎭 EXERCISE SCENARIO

This radio exercise scenario is very improbable - on purpose. We want to ensure that everyone can have fun participating, regardless of whether they live in tsunami prone areas or not.

-- THIS IS AN EXERCISE --

On March 29, 2025, at 8:29 PDT a global earthquake swarm is rocking the earth's crust. Large earthquakes with magnitudes 6 through 9 appeared over several hours. The earthquakes cause significant Tsunamis around the world along the coast lines. In inland areas widespread flooding follows near rivers and lakes, followed by landslides.

In Europe, Hawaii and the Philippines several volcanoes erupt and begin blanketing the atmosphere with particulates. Consequently, large rain systems develop and inundate any areas that had been spared by tsunamis.

Volunteer radio operators are scrambling to provide situational awareness and backstop critical communications.

-- THIS IS AN EXERCISE --

📃 EXERCISE STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Preview the Exercise Instruction PDF below and ↘️ download a copy here.

We expect all stations at a minimum to send one Winlink Check-in, USGS DYFI, Welfare Bulletin Board Message, ICS-213 General Message, and Check-out respectively.

You are welcome to send additional USGS DYFI, Welfare Bulletin Board Messages and ICS-213 General Messages as part of your exercise. Those could be updates, for example.

👁️ EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS PDF PREVIEW

2025 Tsunami Exercise Instructions.pdf

📻 HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) NET INFORMATION

This HF Net is an optional component to the Tsunami Exercise and open to all interested amateur radio operators.

❓FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Q: We live far from the coast, can we still participate?

A: Yes! The exercise stresses all-hazards preparedness. A Tsunami is a specific flood type. The exercise adds rain so inland areas can include flooding and flash flooding as part of their exercise.

Q: Can international groups participate?

A: Yes! All interested amateur radio operators are welcome to participate.

Q: Where do the messages go?

A: Messages addressed to TSUNAMI are collected and processed by LAXNORTHEAST and then displayed on the dashboard above. DYFI messages addressed to USGS are collected and processed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as part of their Did-you-feel-it? program. USGS welcomes exercise messages from amateur radio operators.

Q: May I/we submit traffic to TSUNAMI (and USGS for DYFI) on behalf of others, e.g. voice relays?

A: Yes! But please ensure that the location on all forms reflects the location of the originating voice station(s) you are relaying for, not that of the relay station. That is important on all forms but particularly important on the USGS DYFI form, because USGS wants to attribute the sender's Mercalli Intensity report to the originating location.

Q: My WELFARE BULLETIN/ICS-213/DYFI Message is not showing on the dashboard. Why?

A1: Most likely the FormData.txt is missing. This happens when you click Submit and the form still has required fields. The best solution is to start over and fill in all fields before clicking Submit.

Also, check the Welfare Bulletin Message in your Sent folder. Click on Attachments. Is the FormData.txt listed?

A2: The date might also be incorrect. The dashboard only show messages dated March 22 - March 30. Check your dates and resubmit a fresh Welfare Bulletin Board if necessary.

📢 COMMUNITY VOICES

"Titled ‘Tsunami’, this exercise simulates a worldwide coastal tsunami, or major flood event for those not near an ocean. This is a terrific opportunity for you and/or your club to participate in a “realistic” practice drill." Ham Radio Adventures with N1SPW https://n1spw.net/
"This Tsunami Exercise encourages operators to send amateur radio messages to tactical address TSUNAMI during Tsunami Preparedness Week. " TsunamiZone.org https://www.tsunamizone.org/calendar/
"On March 29th LAX Northeast will partner with several regional ARES groups to conduct a tsunami exercise utilizing Winlink. All amateur radio operators are invited to participate." Amateur Radio Daily https://daily.hamweekly.com/2025/03/lax-northeast-tsunami-exercise/