Conflicting tsunami warnings create community confusion

A tsunami warning was issued to residents of coastal British Columbia and Washington after an earthquake struck south of Kodiak, Alaska at 1:31 a.m. on January 23.

Social media pages were awash with questions from users asking why a tsunami warning included Vancouver and Tsawwassen but not Point Roberts and other parts of Whatcom County. However, while a tsunami watch was in place for the San Juan islands and all coastal areas of British Columbia, officials did not believe there was a tsunami threat for the coastal areas of Whatcom County, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Emergency Management Services division.

For those interested, updates from the Tsunami Warning Center can be found at wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov.