November 3, 2025 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is halting a contract that makes it possible for the federal agency to accurately monitor for potential tsunamis in Alaska – and quickly warn at-risk communities.
The Alaska Earthquake Center for decades has collected data from seismology stations across the state and directly fed the information to NOAA’s National Tsunami Center, in Palmer. If the data indicates an earthquake that could lead to a tsunami, the Tsunami Center sends out a warning message within minutes.
Or at least that’s how it worked historically, including on Thursday morning, when an earthquake struck between Seward and Homer.
But that’s about to change. In late September, the federal agency advised the Alaska Earthquake Center that it does not have funding available for that work.