National Weather Service to hold tsunami talk

I don't know who will be in Wrightsville Beach on Thursday night, I won't, but if I was, I know where I would be. The National Weather Service is presenting a program about tsunamis and what to do when one occurs. No, that's not a misprint. There are several possible causes cited in the Lumina News article, "like an earthquake off of Puerto Rico or a meteor landing in the ocean" The talk will be given by Tom Matheson, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Wilmington. Sounds like he has a firm grasp on the obvisous

"“It’s a great big ocean out there, and Wrightsville Beach is right there at the edge,” Matheson said."

Apparently the NWS has taken the Indonesian tsunami as a wake up call and are updating their preparations. What caught my eye was the time frame for evacuation and the preparations the NWS is taking. Lets hope they do the same for the Outer Banks.

Communications have improved since the tsunami that hit Indonesia. Once the NOAA center sees the problem, the National Weather Service will be contacted within minutes, Matheson said, and then coastal areas would have approximately two hours or more to evacuate.

The National Weather Service will be putting up four signs at four beaches in New Hanover County, including Wrightsville Beach, telling residents and visitors to evacuate the beach in the event of a tsunami.

Midsummer and we have 2 hours to get 300,000 people out of Dare County before a 200 ft wall of water comes crashing down on them. I sure hope they are big signs.
Ciao