National Weather Service Director David L. Johnson and Southern Region Director Bill Proenza present TsunamiReady signs to Indian Harbour Beach Mayor Jim H. Nolan, Sr. and City Manager Jackie Burns as Police Chief Bob Sullivan looks on.

(July 7, 2005) -- Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. has been recognized as the first TsunamiReady community along the nation's East Coast. National Weather Service Director Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.); Southern Region Director Bill Proenza; and, Melbourne Weather Forecast Office Meteorologist-in-Charge, Bart Hagemeyer did the honors in a special TsunamiReady recognition ceremony at the city's beachfront Millennium Park.

"Indian Harbour Beach should take great pride in having gone the extra mile to provide its citizens with the measure of protection TsunamiReady affords," said Johnson. "We are continuing to expand the nation's tsunami detection, assessment and warning system, but a timely warning is meaningless if our citizens don't know how to respond to it. The TsunamiReady program is designed to help ensure that residents understand what actions to take."

Working closely with the NWS Forecast Office in Melbourne, as well as state and local emergency managers, Indian Harbour Beach has completed a rigorous set of warning and evacuation criteria to meet the guidelines for TsunamiReady recognition. TsunamiReady is a voluntary, community-based program that stems from the National Weather Service's popular StormReady initiative. Both programs foster a well-designed emergency response plan on a community-by-community basis.

"While no community can be tsunami proof, Indian Harbour Beach now has the means to minimize the threat to the public," said Bill Proenza, director of the National Weather Service's southern region. "A tsunami may not strike for many generations, but then again, it could happen tomorrow. I expect this city to be just the first in a long list of TsunamiReady communities along our East and Gulf coasts. As a nation with warm water recreation and large coastal population centers, we are compelled to be prepared."

Located in Brevard County (one of 59 StormReady counties in Florida), Indian Harbour Beach is situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Indian River Lagoon. Currently home to nearly 9,000 citizens, it was established 50 years ago as a residential community in support of the growing space industry at nearby Kennedy Space Center.

City officials were presented with a recognition letter and special TsunamiReady signs. The recognition will be in effect for three years before the city undergoes a recertification process.

To be recognized as TsunamiReady, a community must:

• Establish a 24 hour warning point
• Develop multiple ways to receive tsunami warnings and alert the public
• Develop a formal tsunami hazard plan and conduct emergency exercises
• Promote public readiness through community education

Additional information about the National Weather Service TsunamiReady program is available at http://www.stormready.noaa.gov/tsunamiready. Twenty one communities along the U.S. West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii have previously been recognized as TsunamiReady.